HEATHERS Heading Back to the Big Screen

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Well f@*k us gently with a chainsaw, Arrow Films has announced they will be bringing the fantastic 1988 cult classic Heathers back to the big screen in a special 30th Anniversary 4K Restoration.

Following the news that the reboot TV series has been scrapped, getting to see the original Michael Lehmann masterpiece is the perfect tonic.

Starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, it’s the perfect blend of pitch-black comedy and biting satire of high school cliques.

From the press release:

In order to get out of the snobby clique that is destroying her good-girl reputation, intelligent teen Veronica (Winona Ryder) teams up with a dark sociopath, J.D. (Christian Slater) in a plot to kill the cool kids in what is one of the decade’s defining cult classics of 1980s cinema.

Veronica is part of the most popular clique at her high school, but she disapproves of the other girls’ cruel behaviour. When Veronica and her new boyfriend, J.D. confront clique leader Heather Chandler (Kim Walker) and accidentally poison her, they make it appear a suicide. Soon Veronica realizes that J.D. is intentionally killing students he does not like. She races to stop J.D. while also clashing with the clique’s new leader, Heather Duke (Shannen Doherty).

Heathers will be back in cinemas from August 8th, and Arrow Films will be hosting a special 30th Anniversary screening at the BFI with director Michael Lehmann and one of the Heathers, Lisanne Falk, in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.

Check local listings for screenings near you.

Matt Reeves’ THE BATMAN to Replace Affleck and Reboot the Dark Knight?

Batman Ben Affleck

*Sigh* Another month, another story about Ben Affleck leaving the cape ‘n’ cowl behind…

While Affleck’s future as the Caped Crusader has been widely discussed and speculated about over the last year or more, now comes further word that Matt Reeves is looking to use his upcoming The Batman to replace Affleck as the World’s Greatest Detective and have the picture serve as a reboot of sorts.

The usually reliable Deadline is the source of this latest story, with the story suggesting that Reeves will restart the Dark Knight for a standalone franchise away from the standard narrative established so far in the DC Extended Universe.

The DCEU as we know it is still full steam ahead, with Aquaman arriving this year, then Shazam!, Wonder Woman 2, Green Lantern Corps., a Man of Steel sequel, Gotham City Sirens, Birds of Prey, and Cyborg all just part of a larger picture that will also see introductions for the likes of Black Adam, Batgirl, Nightwing, Lobo, and the New Gods. How can Warner Brothers continue forward with this DCEU – a DCEU that has already featured Affleck’s Batman – if it’s rebooting its Caped Crusader completely? That’s where Flashpoint could come in handy.

With Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen taking centre-stage, that film is seemingly going to pull inspiration from Geoff Johns’ iconic Flashpoint comic book arc in which the Scarlet Speedster completely alters the timeline and sees major repercussions play out. The end result was the New 52, which was DC Comics’ way of relaunching their entire comic book world and having free reign to make plentiful changes to a whole host of characters. Basically, if Warners wanted to start afresh with anything involving the DCEU, Flashpoint would be their perfect chance should they wish to take that route.

It’s thought that Toby Emmerich – the WB’s new Chairman – is keen to move away from the grim and dour Batman that Zack Snyder has painted on the big screen, and so that’s a key part in wanting to essentially reboot Bats with a more uplifting and light-hearted approach.

This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard rumblings of Ben Affleck departing this most iconic of roles, and we’re sure it won’t be the last. For what it’s worth, we’re huge fans of Batfleck and think he’s been a pretty brilliant Batman to date (certain comedic moments, aside). At the last count, Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm was the name on everyone’s lips when it came to potential replacements, with Jake Gyllenhaal publicly having distanced himself from such speculation.

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

Stephen King’s THE OUTSIDER to be Adapted for TV

Stephen King The Outsider

It really does seem like barely a week goes by these days when there isn’t some sort of Stephen King adaptation announced – be it on the big screen or small screen – and now you can add The Outsider to that list.

For those not familiar with The Outsider, it’s one of the iconic King’s more recent work, with it actually only having been released just last month. As per Deadline, Media Rights Capital has taken up the option to adapt the tale for a ten-episode TV series. Richard Price has been brought in to pen the adap, with Mr. Mercedes’ Jack Bender and Marty Bowen to executive produce with MRC.

The official synopsis on the source material reads:

An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories.

An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.

As the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, King’s propulsive story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face?

When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can.

As ever, expect more on this latest King adaptation as it develops.

James Wan to Produce ARACHNOPHOBIA Remake

Arachnophobia

Well, here’s another one to add to the remake/reboot/reimagining pile. Yes, as the headline suggests, a new take on Arachnophobia is on the way.

As per Deadline, James Wan’s Atomic Monster and Amblin are developing the remake of Frank Marshall’s Steven Spielberg-produced 1990 picture in which a species of South American killer arachnids caused chaos and carnage in a small Californian town.

At this stage, the powers-that-be are on the hunt for a writer for this redo. While Wan himself will serve as producer, the huge modern genre fave won’t be directing. Wan, of course, has helmed the likes of Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring, and the upcoming Aquaman.

If you remember, that original ’90 effort starred John Goodman and Jeff Daniels, and Wan took to Twitter to tease involvement from Goodman following the recent cancellation of Roseanne.

As ever, expect more on all of this as it continues to develop.

Eunice Gayson 1928 – 2018

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Eunice Gayson, who was the first James Bond girl, Sylvia Trench, in Dr. No and From Russian With Love and portrayed Bond’s romantic interest, has passed away at the age 0f 90.

Her opening scene in Dr. No with the suave James Bond lighting his cigarette and their snappy banter during the baccarat game and when Bond sees her putting golf balls clad only in his shirt in his flat with his Walther PPK drawn are two of the most iconic scenes in the Bond series everyone remembers.

Miss Gayson was to be featured as Bond’s girlfriend in the subsequent films, but was cut from them as the producers wanted more of a worldly Bond. She was also originally considered for the part of Miss Moneypenny, but that part went to Lois Maxwell.

Miss Gayson’s voice was dubbed in both Bond films by Nikki van der Zyl, but her voice can be heard on the trailer for Dr. No.

Miss Gayson also appeared in many featured series such as Secret Agent, The Saint, and The Avengers as well as the Hammer film The Revenge of Frankenstein.

STARBURST sends our heartfelt good thoughts to her friends and family for an incredible actor and a classy lady.

New STAR WARS Game to be Titled JEDI: FALLEN ORDER

Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars

Who doesn’t love a good Star Wars video game, right? Well, unless you have to pay for loot boxes and whatnot, but we digress. The point being, as the headline suggests, next year’s new ‘galaxy far, far away’ game has been given a title.

Fresh from the EA Play press conference, Respawn Entertainment has confirmed that their upcoming Star Wars game is to be titled Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

The game will take place during “the dark times” that were originally referenced by Alec Guinness’ Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original 1977 movie. In terms of timeline, the game will be set between Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars (or A New Hope, for you young ‘uns). In the game, the Jedi Order will be being hunted down throughout the galaxy, and the tale will be based around a surviving Padawan.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

We’d previously heard how Jedi: Fallen Order would be a third-person action/adventure effort, with the game first being announced at last year’s E3 event. Respawn has now revealed that the game won’t actually arrive until late 2019.

Given how disappointing Star Wars Battlefront II was – a game which will be getting some Clone Wars era DLC later this year – many Star Wars fans will be hugely intrigued by Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

As ever, expect more on this as it continues to develop.

Isaiah Mustafa Joins IT: CHAPTER 2’s Losers Club

IT Isaiah Mustafa Chosen Jacobs Mike

With Andy Muschietti’s IT sequel having fleshed out its core cast over the past few months, the movie has now managed to find the final member of its adult Losers Club.

As per Bloody-Disgusting, Shadowhunters’ Isaiah Mustafa – who is also likely on your radar for his charming performance advertising Old Spice – has signed on to play the adult Mike Hanlon; a character whose younger version was played by Chosen Jacobs in 2017’s IT.

Mustafa joins a cast that currently includes Jessica Chastain as Beverly, James McAvoy as Bill, James Ransone as Eddie, Bill Hader as Richie, Andy Bean as Stanley, and Jay Ryan as Ben. And yes, Bill Skarsgard will be back as the sinister Pennywise.

IT: Chapter 2 will see the adult Losers Club return to Derry for one last battle with Pennywise, with the action picking up 27 years after the aforementioned first picture.

With filming to commence next month, IT: Chapter 2 is currently set for a September 2019 release.

HBO Puts in Pilot Order for GAME OF THRONES Prequel

Game of Thrones

With HBO’s Game of Thrones gearing up for its epic eighth and final season next year, we’ve known for a while now that several potential new Thrones-driven shows were being looked at by the powers-that-be. And now, we have confirmation on the first of those shows to be picked up by the network.

As announced by HBO themselves, a pilot order has been given to a Game of Thrones prequel that will be developed by Jane Goldman and George R.R. Martin. Goldman has some hugely impressive writing credits to her name – such as Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, The Woman in Black, the Kingsman franchise, and The Limehouse Golem – while Martin, of course, is the brains behind the entire Game of Thrones boom that we’re currently in the midst of. The duo have developed the idea for this prequel series, and Goldman will be tasked with writing the show and serving as showrunner.

From what we’ve heard, this prequel will be set thousands of years before Thrones and will look to explore how the world fell from the golden age of heroes to hitting its ultimate rock bottom.

If you remember back, this is actually just one of five Game of Thrones spinoffs/prequels that HBO has in some sort of early development. The network signed deals with five writers and got each of them to work individually with George R.R. Martin to see what ideas they could come up with. In addition to Jane Goldman, the other writers involved in projects are Max Borenstein, Bryan Cogman, Brian Helgeland, and Cary Wray.

At this early stage, it looks the earliest we could realistically expect to see any this prequel pilot is 2020.

As ever, expect more on all of these potential new shows as they continue to develop.

Horror Channel Teams Up With FrightFest Again

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FrightFest has announced a new one-year partnership deal with Horror Channel, extended the station’s involvement with one of the genre’s leading events to its thirteenth year.

Horror Channel will devote thirteen nights to films screened at previous festivals with the FrightFest Season in August. Twenty-six films will be shown, five of which will be UK TV Premieres. Watch this space for the full line-up.

Stewart Bridle, Channel Manager, Horror Channel said of the deal: “We are thrilled to continue to be part of FrightFest – the event that brings together the genre community over the Summer bank holiday, year after year. Horror Channel will have its presence felt during the event, and it will celebrate the festival with a g(l)orious FrightFest season on the channel in August.”

FrightFest co-director Greg Day added: “FrightFest wouldn’t be the same without Horror Channel’s participation and diehard support. Aside from the immense passion and know-how they bring to the event, the Horror Channel team add colour (mostly red), tremendous energy and help make sure all the fans have a bloody good time!”

FrightFest takes place at Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema in London over five days at August Bank Holiday, 23rd – 27th. The programme for this year’s event and tickets will be announced soon.

For more information, head over to www.frightfest.co.uk.

First Info Revealed on Short Horror HANG UP!

hang up

Fatal Pictures – in association with Red Sneakers Media – has announced their latest short horror film Hang Up!

It’s a short that is being put together by Richard Powell, the filmmaker who made Worm, Familiar, Heir and on the production side of things, the talent includes Red Sneakers Media’s Marc Roussel, Greg Machula, and Ron Basch (Remote, The Last Halloween) and Fatal Pictures’ Zach Green and Powell.

Hang Up! stars Robert Nolan, Astrida Auza, and Jane Pokou and is shot in atmospheric monochrome.

The official synopsis reads:  “An accidental butt dial provides a curious husband an unexpected glimpse into the mind of his loving wife”.

Check out the trailer and screen shots below and keep watching for more information.

hang up hang up

hang up