THE LAST OF US Season 2 Welcomes New Faces

the last of us season 2 trailer stars pedro pascal

With just over a month to go before The Last of Us Season 2 premieres, there is news of six actors having joined the supporting cast of the upcoming Max season.

The Matrix’s Joe Pantaliano, Venom: The Last Dance actress Alanna Ubach, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s Ben Ahlers, Hettienne Park of Hannibal, Robert John Burke of Boston Strangler, as well as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds actor Noah Lamanna, will join Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the upcoming season.

Pantoliano will play Eugene, a very minor character from The Last of Us Part II video game that only appears in a photograph, but whose role has been expanded in the series. Burke plays Seth, who runs a bar in the Jackson community where Joel and Ellie reside at the start of Season 2. Lamanna plays Ellie’s ex, while Park, Ubach, and Ahlers will play original roles for the series.

Also returning to The Last of Us Season 2 are Gabriel Luna as Tommy, and Rutina Wesley as Maria. Kaitlyn Dever also joins as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, and Danny Ramirez as Manny. Big-hitters Catherine O’Hara and Jeffrey Wright will also guest star.

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres from April 13th.

MONOPOLY Film Finds Its Writers

monopoly board game

John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are moving on from the world of Dungeons & Dragons and stepping onto the boardgame, with news that they’ll write a Monopoly feature. Lionsgate is behind the project that is being produced by Barbie‘s LuckyChap and Hasbro Entertainment.

Lionsgate has long been trying to figure out a movie based on the beloved game, with another version of the project having had Kevin Hart attached to star, with Tim Story directing.

Monopoly has become a part of international popular culture, since its creation in 1935 by the Parker Brothers. Parker Brothers was eventually absorbed into Hasbro in 1991. As of 2015, it was estimated that the game had sold 275 million copies worldwide, and printed into more than 46 languages. Fun fact, the original game was based on the locations in Atlantic City, New Jersey (with the exception of Marven Gardens, which is in the adjacent Ventnor City.

Daley and Goldstein are best known for 2023’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, but they’ve also directed the action comedy Game Night and the upcoming Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh action adventure Mayday.

There’s currently no information about who might direct the feature, nor who will star, but stay tuned as we hear more.

Exclusive: Check Out the Trailer for Fairy-tale Horror RUMPELSTILTSKIN

A twisted version of the beloved fairy-tale, writer/director Andy Edwards (Punch) is bringing Rumpelstiltskin to horror fans at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow this Saturday and we have an exclusive reveal of the trailer of this new horror spin on the story below!

Synopsis: Once upon a time, a greedy miller (Mark Cook) promises to marry off his beautiful daughter, Evaline (Hannah Baxter-Eve), to the King (Colin Malone). But things don’t quite go to plan when his lies are uncovered and the pair are about to be locked up in a tower forever.

So, they make a bold promise to the King, that Evalina will spin straw into gold using a spinning wheel… but that’s easier said than done and they realise that they’ve made a promise they can’t keep. That is until a mischievous masked creature (Joss Carter) appears from nowhere with the offer of help. But help comes with a cost…

When the woman fulfills the task, the King becomes seduced by greed and wants more gold. In an act of desperation, she pleads with the fiendish imp, and they make a deal… her firstborn child for more gold.

But everyone gets more than they bargained for when the Devil gets involved and all hell breaks loose.

Rumpelstiltskin has its world premiere as the closing film of Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow on March 8th, followed by a home release on April 7th from Miracle Media.

Krysten Ritter Gets Murderous In DEXTER: RESURRECTION

krysten ritter in jessica jones

Jessica Jones and Breaking Bad star Krysten Ritter has joined the cast of Dexter: Resurrection. Deadline reports that she’ll recur as Mia Lapierre, a renowned sommelier who may be hiding a serial killer secret.

Currently in production in New York City, the continuation of the recent Dexter: New Blood series is due to premiere as early as this summer on Paramount+ and Showtime.

Michael C. Hall will reprise his iconic role as serial killer Dexter Morgan alongside David Zayas as Angel Batista, Jack Alcott as Harrison Morgan, and James Remar as Harry Morgan. Peter Dinklage is also on board to play the season’s villain, a billionaire venture capitalist named Leon Prater, as well as Uma Thurman as Charley, a former Special Ops officer who serves as his right-hand woman.

Also joining the series opposite Krysten Ritter are Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Kadia Saraf, Dominic Fumusaand, and Emilia Suárez. Clyde Phillips returns as showrunner and executive producer.

Based on Jeff Lindsay’s novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the original Dexter series ran for eight seasons between 2006 and 2013. It was revived in 2021 with Dexter: New Blood. Most recently, there was the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin, which debuted late last year.

THE PARENTING Horror-Comedy Debuts Trailer

brian cox and lisa kudrow in the parenting trailer

Lisa Kudrow and Brian Cox are stuck in a haunted house in the trailer for horror-comedy film The Parenting. The poltergeist feature from director Craig Johnson, best known for The Skeleton Twins and Alex Strangelove, is set to debut to Max on March 13th. The film also stars Edie Falco, Dean Norris, Nik Dodani, Brandon Flynn, Vivian Bang and Parker Posey.

The Parenting centres on Rohan (Dodani) and Josh (Flynn), a young gay couple who plan a weekend getaway in the country to introduce their respective families. As tensions begin to flare between the more traditional Sharon (Falco) and Frank (Cox) and the laid-back Liddy (Kudrow) and Cliff (Norris), the families soon realise that their rental – managed by eccentric local Brenda (Posey) – is haunted by a 400-year-old, evil entity. When one parent becomes thoroughly possessed, it’s up to the young couple and their meddlesome BFF Sara (Bang) to unite the families and stop the evil entity once and for all. Or, as Flynn succinctly puts it in the trailer, “I’m stuck in a haunted house with my fucking parents”.

Johnson directs the movie from a script by Saturday Night Live veteran Kent Sublette. Chris Bender and Jake Weiner are producers on the project which hails from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. A release date for the picture has been long-awaited since it was filmed in early 2022.

The Parenting releases to Max from March 13th, 2025. Watch the trailer below:

Exclusive: Check Out the Trailer for French Found Footage Film STÉPHANE

Stéphane is set to become your new cult favourite when it hits ARROW and digital platforms on April 4th. Check out the exclusive reveal of the trailer below…

Deftly blending elements of Mark Duplass’ Creep with Man Bites Dog and mismatched buddy movies such as The Cable Guy, Stéphane is a darkly comic thriller set in the world of amateur film-making that is as bleakly funny as it is disturbingly twisted.

When Tim (Bastien Garcia), an ambitious and aspiring filmmaker out making his latest short film, encounters the eccentric Stéphane (played by the film’s co-director, Lucas Pastor), it seems like a match made in heaven. Stéphane claims to be an experienced special effect supervisor and stuntman and, after impressing Tim with his home-made pyrotechnics, the two embark on a journey to Stéphane’s private island to set about making a World War II epic, along with Stephane’s friend, a strange and mostly-mute refugee actress named Bianca (Eva Gregorieff). But as their filmmaking odyssey continues, it soon becomes apparent that neither men may be what they claim, and tensions quickly escalate…

Part found-footage, part sinister thriller and part self-reflexive black comedy, Stéphane is punk filmmaking at its finest and will keep you enthralled right until the final, chilling, post-credits scene.

STÉPHANE will be available to stream on ARROW and Digital from April 4th.

Beth Morris

Zendaya Joins SHREK 5

zendaya debuts as shrek's daughter in shrek 5 teaser

One of the most in-demand stars working in Hollywood today, Zendaya joining the cast of Shrek 5 is undoubtedly a boon for the 25-year-old franchise. She boards the project to voice the daughter of Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz). Also returning is Eddie Murphy as the voice of Donkey.

The feature has a December 23rd, 2026 release date from Universal and DreamWorks Animation, and is the first new release in the main series since 2010’s Shrek Forever After. Shrek veterans Walt Dohrn and Conrad Vernon direct, along with Minions: The Rise of Gru co-director Brad Ableson. Dohrn was a writer on Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, and worked as head of story on Shrek Forever After. Vernon directed Shrek 2, Madagascar 2 and voices Gingerbread Man.

Zendaya has a rather packed release schedule, which includes Dune: Messiah, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the fourth Spider-Man film for the MCU, as well as Euphoria’s third season. Last year, she starred in the tennis drama The Challengers by Luca Guadagnino, as well as Dune: Part Two.

Watch the casting announcement video, featuring some ungodly Shrek memes, below. And before we get too stressed about the new animation style, bear in mind this isn’t footage from the actual film and hopefully doesn’t reflect a new aesthetic choice.

THE ASSESSMENT Sci-Fi Thriller Releases Trailer

alicia vikander as the assessor in the assessment trailer

After premiering at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Magnolia Pictures has finally released a trailer for the sci-fi feature The Assessment.

In a not-so-distant future, where resources are scarce and tightly controlled, even the dream of having a child is not a given. Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and Aaryan (Himesh Patel) are one of the few couples allowed to take a mysterious assessment for the right to have a child, having successfully navigated a brutal selection process. Desperate to prove themselves eligible, they face their evaluator, Virginia (Alicia Vikander) —cold, unpredictable, and impossible to read. Subjected to seven gruelling days of challenges, Mia and Aaryan are pushed to the brink. The trials unravel into a psychological nightmare, forcing them to face their deepest insecurities, shaking the foundations of their relationship and what being parents really means to them.

alicia vikander and elizabeth olsen sitting opposite each other in trailer for the assessment film

“Over the next seven days, you’ll undergo close observation and formal testing to ascertain suitability for parenting,” Vikander tells the couple in the trailer. “I want to get to know the real you.”

Rounding out the cast are Minnie Driver, Indira Varma, Charlotte Ritchie, Nicholas Pinnock, Leah Harvey and Anaya Thorley. Fleur Fortuné makes her feature film debut from a script by Dave Thomas, Nell Garfath-Cox and John Donnelly.

The Assessment is set for release in U.S. cinemas from March 21st, 2025. Watch the trailer below:

NYX UK Celebrates Cronenberg and International Women’s Day in March

International Women’s Day and David Cronenberg’s 82nd birthday are cause for celebration in March on NYX UK, with some fantastic movies to terrify viewers.

March 8th sees the International Women’s Day channel premiere of Devanny Pinn’s The Black Mass, which presents serial killer Ted Bundy’s atrocities through the point of view of the victims. There’s also the UK TV premiere of Luna Wold’s short film Siren.

Cronenberg’s birthday, March 15th, will see two of his early films, Shivers and Rabid screened.

Another anniversary is honoured on March 4th, with the classic silent film Nosferatu reaching 102 years old. Not bad for a movie that was almost lost forever if the Bram Stoker estate had their way.

Another new series debuts in March, with The Chainsaw Sally Show beginning on Friday, March 7th.

Galvaston’s Cavern of Creeps continues on Thursday nights with unmissable screenings of Night of the Demon (1957) and Peter Weir’s creepy debut The Cars That Ate Paris (1974). Meanwhile, Tuesday’s Dark Rewind sees channel premieres of Chopping Mall (1986) and Incubus (1982).

Other films to watch out for are Honeymoon, Dread, Count Yorga Vampire, Gnaw, The Bloody Judge, and Midnight Son.

You can tune into NYX UK on Freeview 271, Channelbox App, TCL TVs, and Distro TV app. Find out more at http://www.nyxtv.co.uk/

Genre-bending Short RUBBERS Needs You!

The latest short from Moranic Productions – husband and wife team James Moran and Cat Davies – has launched on Kickstarter and is already over a quarter of the way to its goal. Rubbers is a groundbreaking, genre-bending comedy fantasy short that has already been shot in regular format for festivals and concurrently in immersive 360 format for VR headsets.

Rubbers is a genre-bending comedy fantasy about a neurodivergent woman who struggles to form relationships and explores her ‘special interest’ in stationery to unlock her fantasy world with a dark twist. It stars Rosie Holt (Mina Murray’s Journal), written and directed by Cat Davies (Connie, Blood Shed), and co-produced by James Moran (Cockneys vs Zombies). The visual aesthetic of Rubbers is primarily inspired by The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Amelie, Barbarella and other ‘50s-‘70s films, such as Danger: Diabolik and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Michael Gill Photography (c) Moranic Productions 2025

Speaking of the decision to shoot the short in 360 as well as the conventional way, Davies said: “360 offers the opportunity to invite viewers in to experience my protagonist’s stationery-loving world in a fully immersive, impactful way. It will be available for immersive festivals and exhibitions in parallel with the 2D version of Rubbers for film festivals and then digital platforms, but only once it is beautifully polished with the kind support of Kickstarter pledgers, so we can add the fantastic score by four-time BAFTA-nominated composer Ben Foster, perfect the sound mix and have a colourist work their magic.”

Michael Gill Photography (c) Moranic Productions 2025

The Kickstarter runs until March 27th, allowing the team to complete, polish, and begin distributing Rubbers. There are a host of great rewards on offer for those who pledge.

Head here to pledge and find out more.

Michael Gill Photography (c) Moranic Productions 2025