Julia Roberts has been cast to star in Bones and All director Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming feature for Amazon MGM Studios, a thriller set in the world of academia. Guadagnino will direct After the Hunt from a script by first-time screenwriter Nora Garrett, which centres on a college professor who faces a crossroads in confronting her own dark past when a standout student makes an accusation against one of her colleagues.
Additional cast members will be announced at a later date. Garrett will executive produce with Karen Lunder for Imagine Entertainment, with the company’s executives Brian Glazer and Allan Mandelbaum producing the film with Guadagnino on behalf of his company, Frenesy.
Julia Roberts was recently seen in romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise with George Clooney, and in last year’s post-apocalyptic thriller Leave the World Behind from Netflix, opposite Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke. Guadagnino is best known as the Academy Award-nominated director of Call Me by Your Name, but has made waves in the genre sphere with films like the Dakota Johnson-starring remake of Suspiria, as well as the cannibal romance Bones and All starring Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell. His other film for Amazon MGM, Challengers, releases later this month.
We couldn’t resist the tagline of ‘You’ve heard of Elf on the Shelf, now prepare for Santa’s Little Helper’ and had to check out the Kickstarter for a new short film that promises to be ‘Gremlins meets Child’s Play’.
The project is halfway to its goal with just under a week to go, and your help could get it over the finishing line. It’s also been given the ‘Kickstarter Project We Love’ badge. Santa’s Little Helper is a short horror film written and directed by Lucy Foster, who has a diverse body of much-lauded work spanning feature and short film screenplays, stage plays, and audio series. She was a winner of the ‘New Blood’ award at 2023’s FrightFest Film Festival and a Killer Shorts semi-finalist.
The official synopsis is Santa’s Little Helper is both a parent’s best friend – and their worst nightmare. A cute way to see in the Christmas season, Santa’s Little Helper is a festive gnome that sits around your house, watching over your kids and ensuring they behave… Or else risk being put on Santa’s naughty list.
This is the first year Carol is ‘doing’ Santa’s Little Helper for her daughter. It’s a massive faff, but every parent is doing it, so surely she has to as well? But Carol is shocked when she wakes up one morning to find the helper has moved all by itself. Santa’s Little Helper seems to have a mind of its own… with terrifying results.
It’s being produced by Crossroad Pictures – the production company behind the multi-award-winning feature film Walking Against The Rain, and a whole host of other celebrated UK-based short horror projects.
You can find out more about it and pledge to the crowdfunding effort over Kickstarter.
You can now get your first look at the upcoming disturbing kitchen sink horror film CARA, directed by Hayden Hewitt (Lips) and starring Ellie O’Hara, Johnny Vivash, Laurence R. Harvey, Michaela Longden, and James Dreyfuss.
Synopsis: A history of abuse, a roommate who is coming apart, a failing career in online sex work, a father who can’t communicate and a mother who reaches out but says nothing. Cara’s [O’Hara] misery is wrapped up in the fear that her doctors are planning on sending her back to Sunnyside. An institution she believes allowed her to be horribly abused. Cara has been putting together a plan, a plan to make sure she doesn’t find herself institutionalized once again. A chance to break free of the chains binding her. Cara uses her broadcasts to fund her and viewers to help her make her plan a reality at a terrible cost.
CARA is produced by Black Octopus Production and will be released later in 2024.
Three sequels and a spinoff-crossover film wasn’t enough for the 1997 creature feature Anaconda, which not only has a new movie in development, but is getting a Chinese remake! From directors Xiang Qui Liang and Xiang He Sheng, the upcoming Anaconda film has just released its first trailer, complete with lots of giant snake-caused chaos.
In the 1997 original, a film crew is taken hostage by an insane hunter who forces them along on his quest to capture the world’s largest, and deadliest, snake. From the trailer, this Chinese remake looks to follow a similar storyline, centred on a reptile known as the Scarlet Naga. As a fun twist from the original movie though, this one appears to feature zombies.
The synopsis reads: “A group of circus performers, on their way to what they think is a new performance location, become stranded in a lush rainforest after the boat they were on, and the captain leading the way, are eaten and destroyed by an anaconda. They cross paths with a deadly poacher who is hunting the anaconda, who realizes that he might now have enough bait to catch him. But being circus performers, they have a few survival tricks up their sleeves.”
Terence Yin and Nita Xia lead the cast, starring alongside Paul Che, Jiu Kong, Ken Lok, Wang Xing Chen, Wang Gang, Wang Zi Run, Xu Shao Hang, and Wu Hao. Bloody Disgusting first reported the news.
Another MCU star appears to be taking up the reins for Universal’s new Jurassic World movie: two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to lead the franchise that previously starred her Marvel co-star Chris Pratt.
Gareth Edwards (known for helming Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyand the recent, John David Washington-starring sci-fi epic The Creator) is directing this new chapter in the dino-centric movie series, which has a script from Jurassic Park OG scribe David Koepp. Edwards stepped up to the director’s seat after David Leitch exited the project. Jurassic World trilogy helmer Frank Marshall is also attached to produce alongside Patrick Crowley. Steven Spielberg is, of course, executive producing via Amblin Entertainment.
The new movie is a fresh take on a Jurassic era with Jurassic World cast members Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard not expected to return, nor the original trilogy’s thespians Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern and Sam Neill.
This feature is on the fast-track, having been announced as recently as two months ago, with a planned release to cinemas on July 2nd, 2025. This means we can expect further casting news, and details of the synopsis, very soon.
Scarlett Johansson will next be seen in an Apple feature co-starring Channing Tatum, due out this year, and has a voice role in the animated feature Transformers One.
Titan Comics have exclusively revealed to STARBURST that they’re gearing up to publish the first-ever collection of the hilarious cult digital comic strip 2 Dumb Dinos, and we’re not the only ones excited…
“If you don’t love comic strips that are wildly inventive, absurd, minimalist, surreal and very, very funny,” says genre legend Mark Hamill, “then 2 Dumb Dinos is not for you.”
It’s well known that Hamill, when he’s not busy embodying icons such as Luke Skywalker or The Joker, is a huge connoisseur of pop culture, from movies to television, to toys and comic books. It’s a powerful endorsement indeed, and one that comes with a slight twist, as his son, artist and toy designer Nathan Hamill, is actually one half of the 2 Dumb Dinos duo.
Alongside actor and writer Eric Filipkowski, Hamill has been producing the digital comic strip since 2018, and it’s garnered a huge fanbase over its staggering 230+ entries, fans who will undoubtedly be delighted to see Dingus and Scumbag’s adventures finally collected for the first time in a generous 80-page hardcover. Speaking of the cover, here it is in all its adorable glory, and read on for the official synopsis and more details courtesy of Titan Comics themselves…
Synopsis:
THEY’RE DUMB. THEY’RE DINOS. THERE’S TWO OF THEM!
Welcome to the irreverently silly world of two Dinos with their hooves and claws on the pulse of all things pop-cultury. Referencing everything from BK Joes, to Chinese spy balloons, to missing Top Secret White House documents to the latest Hollywood blockbuster! This collection of the cult digital comic strips, available or the first time ever in book form, is a celebration of the glorious tradition of the American newspaper Funnies immortalized by the likes of Peanuts, The Far Side, Pearls Before Swine and Wizard of Id but skewered by the humor of South Park, SpongeBob SquarePants and Drunk Histories.
It’s an affectionate and downright silly slice of American pie with a side order of Dino guano thrown in for free!
From the Press Release:
Titan Comics is thrilled to announce 2 Dumb Dinos, an irreverent graphic novel that emulates the nostalgia of humorous newspaper strips. Written by Eric Filipkowski (South Park, SpongeBob Squarepants, Drunk Histories), this comedic feast is accompanied by art from Nathan Hamill. The weekly cult digital online comic strip will be available for the first time in print from September 3, 2024.
With over 230 digital comic strips on Instagram over the past 5 years, 2 Dumb Dinos has amassed a sizable fanbase, including a number of high-profile fans with the creation of a theme song, from Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things) and his band Work In Progress.
Welcome to the irreverently silly world of two Dinos with their hooves and claws on the pulse of all things pop-cultury. Referencing everything from BK Joes, to Chinese spy balloons, to missing Top Secret White House documents to the latest Hollywood blockbuster!
“We are excited to bring 2 Dumb Dinos to the printed page and reach the eyeballs of a whole new audience of comic strip fans who have never heard of the internet,” said artist Nathan Hamill.
2 DUMB DINOS is available at bookstores, comic shops, and digital services from September 3rd, 2024. Pre-order now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and Forbidden Planet for UK
Key of Dreams has announced new spaces for its titular immersive luxury horror event. The critically acclaimed company is known for its overnight experiences that dunk you into a strange but familiar world while keeping you in the lap of luxury. You can find out the exact details here.
An interactive mystery experience, the Key of Dreams is inspired by classic horror and weird fiction writers such as HP Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, CP Gilman, Lord Dunsany, and Algernon Blackwood. It uses puzzles, paid actors, props, cocktails, good food and the sumptuous surroundings of Treowen Manor in Wales to take you on an unforgettable journey into the unknown.
If all this sounds a little familiar, it might be because this event comes to us from the same folk behind The Locksmith’s Dream, which was raved about by cult superstar Neil Patrick Harris on his website Wondercade, who described the event as ‘Top Notch’ and one that he’ll ‘Remember Forever’.
Immersive events are unlike any other media. While a good book or movie will be memorable, events such as Key of Dreams create unique moments. They are a rare chance to bring the world of fiction into reality in a way that delights all of your senses.
You can also sign up for their newsletter, which not only offers behind-the-scenes info and news details but also discounts on future events. Everyone who signs up for the newsletter gets a chance to win a discount code off a ticket, so sign up here.
Tickets for these events sell pretty quickly, so book now!
We’re well known for our championing of truly independent filmmakers here at STARBURST, so it’s doubly exciting to be writing about one of our own! After joining the crew in 2013, Senior Editorial Assistant Kieron Moore has produced multiple projects when not slaving over the latest issue, including the award-winning anthology short Spectrum in 2019. Following on from its festival run, Secrets of a Wallaby Boy, Moore’s feature film debut as writer/director, is a fabulously funny love letter to the tongue-in-cheek sexploitation cult comedies of ‘70s and ‘80s Britain, but with a refreshing LGBTQ twist and plenty more surprises up its saucy sleeve!
Alongside its stars Brandon McCaffrey as Tim, a newly recruited fast-food courier in over his head, and Billie Hindle as his confidante Jade, Secrets of a Wallaby Boy also boasts Doctor Who’s Colin Baker in an unforgettable voice role, horror legend Laurence R. Harvey (The Human Centipede 2) as the odious Argyle, and Mark Benton (Anna and the Apocalypse) as our hero’s barmy, tech-obsessed father.
Sound good? It is! Want to see it this weekend with assorted cast and crew in attendance, including actor Laurence R. Harvey himself? Read on, you’re in luck…
This Sunday (March 31st), Weird Rainbow Films are teaming up with the renowned Manchester cult movie/TV theme bar FAB Café to host a screening of Secrets of a Wallaby Boy, and STARBURST readers are invited to join in the fun! Even better, the screening and Q&A are completely FREE, all you need to do is register for a ticket at the link below. (But be warned, they’re going fast!)
Doors open at 4pm, with Secrets of a Wallaby Boy beginning at 5pm, and the Q&A following shortly afterwards. FAB Café will then be open late into the night to accommodate anybody wanting to unwind alongside like-minded film fans!
Come join in the fun and celebrate truly independent film on Sunday March 31st at FAB Café! We’ll see you there!
Colin Farrell returns as Gotham City’s answer to Tony Soprano in the first trailer for Max seriesThe Penguin, which spins out of the world of the 2022 DC film The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson.
In the film, The Penguin works as a lieutenant to crime boss Carmine Falcone, the latter of whom meets his maker in said film. Now, it seems our favourite villain, also known as Oswald Cobblepot, is making a play to lead the criminal underworld of Gotham City, in this series from DC Studios.
Both The Batman (and its upcoming sequel, which was recently delayed by a year to release October 2026) and The Penguin are separate from DC Studios’ Warner Bros. division, run by James Gunn and Peter Safran, and take place in their own universe under the Elseworlds banner.
The series cast also includes Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown and Michael Zegen. Executive producers include The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Farrell, with Lauren LeFranc as showrunner and Craig Zobel and Bill Carraro serving as directors.
Max will release the series this autumn, with an exact date to be announced. Check out the The Penguin trailer below:
Almost 40 years down the road, the infamous bio-exorcist finally returns in the first trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 cult classic film. Jenna Ortega (Wednesday, Scream) stars opposite Michael Keaton, who returns as the titular character and Winona Ryder, returning as Lydia Deetz.
Ortega plays Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Ryder’s character, in the horror-comedy. Catherine O’Hara also returns, and is joined by franchise newcomers Willem Dafoe as a B movie actions tar turned ghost detective, Justin Theroux as ‘Rory’, and Monica Bellucci as Mrs. Betelgeuse. Burton directs from a script penned by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.
Per the synopsis, “Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.”
The much-anticipated sequel releases in U.S. cinemas and IMAX on September 6th, 2024, and internationally (UK included!) beginning 4th September 2024. Watch the official teaser trailer below:
