Star-Studded English Voice Cast Announced For THE BOY AND THE HERON

still from the boy and the heron

Distributor Gkids has announced a staggeringly talented English voice cast for Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s new Ghibli feature (and his first project in ten years!), The Boy and the Heron. The dubbed version of the film (originally in Japanese) will feature the voices of Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh.

Specifically, Bale will voice the character of Shoichi Maki, while Bautista appears as The Parakeet King, Chan as Natsuko, Dafoe as Noble Pelican, Fukuhara as Lady Himi, Hamill as Granduncle, Pattinson as The Gray Heron and Pugh as Kiriko. Luca Padovan has also joined as Mahito Maki.

The Boy and the Heron is set in 1943 Japan, during the Pacific War, and follows Mahito, a young 12-year-old boy who struggles to settle in a new town after his mother’s death. However, when a talking heron informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another fantastical world full of wonders and dangers, allies and deadly foes.

The Boy and the Heron releases in cinemas on December 8th. Check out the gorgeous English-language film poster below, as well as the feature’s official trailer.

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Reveals First Fire Nation Look

daniel dae kim as ozai in avatar: the last airbender

Netflix has released our very first look at some fearsome Fire Nation characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender, a live-action reimagining of the cult animated series of the same name. The photos grant fans their first official view of Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as General Iroh, Ken Leung as Commander Zhao, Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula, and Dallas Liu as fan-favourite Prince Zuko.

Per Netflix’s official synopsis: Water. Earth. Fire. Air. The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world. With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope.

But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang (Gordon Cormier), a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka (Ian Ousley) and Katara (Kiawentiio), siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim). But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko (Liu) determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colourful characters they meet along the way.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is set to premiere sometime in 2024. Check out the new images below:

Daniel Dae Kim as Ozai
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Iroh
Ken Leung as Zhao
Elizabeth Yu as Azula
Dallas Liu as Zuko

Previously released were photos of Aang, Katara, and Sokka, which you can check out here:

Kiawentiio as Katara
Gordon Cormier as Aang
Ian Ousley as Sokka

Atomic Monster Tackling Live-Action GARGOYLES For Disney+

gargoyles animated series to be adapted to live-action by atomic monster

Nearly three decades after Gargoyles premiered, The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Gary Dauberman and James Wan’s Atomic Monster banner will be tackling a live-action adaptation of the cult, animated television series for Disney+.

Dauberman will write, executive produce and serve as showrunner for the series with Atomic Monster, the company run by Wan and Michael Clear, taking on executive producing duties. The project is reportedly in early development at Disney Branded Television.

Gargoyles aired three seasons from 1994 to 1997, and told the story of gargoyle statues moved from a castle in medieval Scotland to modern-day New York City. Once in the Big Apple, the statues awaken from a thousand-year-old spell and take on the mantle of protecting their new home, becoming “stone by day, warriors by night.”

Per the show’s opening narration, “One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age of gargoyles. Stone by day, warriors by night, we were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect, frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years. Now, here in Manhattan, the spell is broken, and we live again! We are defenders of the night! We are gargoyles!”

Dauberman and Wan are best known for their collaborations on The Nun and hit Annabelle trilogy horror movies, part of the latter’s Conjuring Universe.

First Trailer Revealed For Action-Fantasy ASSASSIN’S GUILD

still from action fantasy assassin's guild by stuart brennan

Kaleidoscope Film Distribution has acquired world sales rights to Assassin’s Guild, Deadline breaks, the latest action-fantasy feature from Kingslayer, Plan Z and The Necromancer director Stuart Brennan.

In the aftermath of the brutal Mermaid Wars, the fractured, yet once-great city of Iliad is under siege by dark forces. Distracted by the notorious Goblin Hunter – a lethal killer with a vendetta on her hands – the Guardians tasked with holding the peace turn a blind eye to the scheming, underground city guilds with terrifying results, as the undead start to rise. With the city full of ill will and corruption rife, Death himself is forced to forge a partnership and take matters into his own hands, offering Atticus, an elite fighter killed in the final assault on the sea, a chance to return to the land of the living. But this gift does not come without a cost. 

Assassin’s Guild stars Stuart Brennan, Rosanna Miles, Ryan Gage, Mark Paul Wake, David Hayman, and newcomers Laura Masters and Cellan Scott.

In an interview with Dread Central, Brennan revealed that Assassin’s Guild is a spin-off to another of his upcoming films, Warchief, an orc thriller in which a group of human messengers get waylaid by a group of orcs.

No release date has yet been confirmed for Assassin’s Guild, but filming has been completed and the project is currently in post-production.

First Look At Ben Wheatley’s Zombie Series GENERATION Z

generation z

High Rise and In The Earth filmmaker Ben Wheatley is making his first foray into television with Generation Z, a six-part, darkly comic zombie series that is currently being filmed in Wales. Channel 4 recently unveiled the first-look at the show, which stars Robert Lindsay, Sue Johnston, and Anita Dobson.

The series centres on the town of Dambury, where an army convoy overturns outside a care home and a chemical leak starts to have an adverse effect on the residents there. The pensioners, led by Cecily (Johnston) and Frank (Paul Bentall) escape the grasp of the army looking to contain their angry, violent, insatiable hunger for human flesh. A group of teenagers become caught up in the situation when one of the gang’s grandmothers becomes infected and attacks her.

Per the logline, “Generation Z is about intergenerational justice and community breakdown that boldly satirizes a world where truth is stranger than fiction, exploring not just the political fault lines in our society but also the very real issues facing teenagers today.”

The cast also includes Lewis Gribben, Jay Lycurgo, Buket Komur, Viola Prettejohn, and Johnny Vegas. Wheatley writes and directs the series, produced by Alex Kazamia. As executive producer, Wheatley is joined by Mark Pybus, George Faber, and Beth Willis.

Check out the first-look images below:

Black Sunday Film Festival Joins Forces with Everyman

The Black Sunday Film Festival is back and in a new venue – and town! The festival has joined forces with Everyman Cinemas to bring their three-day genre celebration to Chelmsford, Essex – beginning January 2024.

Beginning life as a small horror film showcase in London back in 2018 with a mission to spread the love of truly independent genre cinema, with a passion for connecting genre filmmakers and showcasing their films on the big screen, the festival has steadily grown over the years, with the team constantly on the lookout for new ways to grow its genre family.

Having run multiple networking events in Chelmsford throughout 2022 and 2023, the team have experienced first-hand the burgeoning horror scene inside the city, so when the opportunity came to take the festival to a whole new level and move ‘back home’, the decision was an easy one!

The genre celebrations kick off on Thursday, January 25th, with an opening night party hosted by the London Horror Society, followed by a full 3-day event from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th at Everyman Chelmsford.

Festival Founder Scott Lyus stated: “I am beyond excited to team with Everyman, which is the perfect partner for Black Sunday. Everyman is redefining cinema, bringing an innovative lifestyle approach to its venues, where you swap your soft drink for cocktails and a slice of freshly made pizza served to your seat inside a state-of-the-art screening room. Having lived in Chelmsford for a number of years, I know just how hungry its resident horror fans are for a place to celebrate grassroots genre cinema. And that’s exactly what we’re here to help them do. And this is just the beginning of what we have planned for the coming years!”

For filmmakers wishing to submit their work for the January 2024 event, there’s still time – with the final deadline October 31st via the Black Sunday Film Freeway page.

For more information on the Black Sunday Film Festival and its upcoming events, visit http://www.blacksundayff.com

Anime Series SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF Drops Trailer

scott pilgrim takes off anime series preview

Netflix has dropped the full trailer for the upcoming anime series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, who also serves as exec producer, writer, and co-showrunner with BenDavid Grabinski. The series releases on the streamer from November 17th. 

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off follows as Scott Pilgrim meets the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers, and discovers he must defeat her seven evil exes before he can date her. From there, things get even more complicated.

Voices for the anime series see the return of the beloved Edgar Wright film’s cast, which includes Michael Cera as the titular character, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as main love interest Ramona Flowers, with Satya Bhabha (Matthew Patel), Kieran Culkin (Wallace Wells), Chris Evans (Lucas Lee), Anna Kendrick (Stacey Pilgrim), Brie Larson (Envy Adams), Alison Pill (Kim Pine), Aubrey Plaza (Julie Powers), Brandon Routh (Todd Ingram), Jason Schwartzman (Gideon Graves), Johnny Simmons (Young Neil), Mark Webber (Stephen Stills), Mae Whitman (Roxie Richter), and Ellen Wong (Knives Chau). Edgar Wright serves as executive producer on the series.

Check out the official trailer and some first-look images for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off below, ahead of the series premiere on November 17th:

Miramax wins bidding war for HALLOWEEN rights

Since first stalking the shadows and terrifying babysitters on Halloween night in Haddonfield back in 1978 in John Carpenter’s slasher classic, Michael Myers has haunted our screens for generations. But in recent weeks, we have not been wondering when he would come home again, but rather, where that home would be. Now, we have our answer.

After a rather heated bidding war for rights to the Halloween franchise and a new television series based on the iconic mythos, which is intended to kick start a whole new universe on the big and small screen alike for Halloween, we prematurely heard that the acclaimed A24 had won the battle. However, it has been confirmed now that Miramax has secured the rights to Halloween, thus continuing a whole new era in its association with the legendary horror franchise. After overseeing the sequels from 1995 to 2002 and the recent David Gordon Green legacy sequel trilogy alongside Blumhouse.

Miramax Television has signed a new deal for the Halloween series, controlled by Trancas International Films, run by Malek Akkad. Miramax’s Head of Global TV Marc Helwig will be creatively overseeing this new era alongside Akkad, with sights set on making a mark on the small screen but hopefully launching a whole new avenue for Halloween on the big screen off the back of it.

Helwig stated, “We are thrilled to expand our long and successful partnership with Trancas and the brilliant Malek Akkad in introducing this iconic franchise to a new form of storytelling and a new generation of fans.”

We will now have to wait and see what is in store for this next chapter in the Halloween saga, as it has not been confirmed what route is being taken, but after so many years of Myers stalking our fears, it is unthinkable that the bogeyman will not rise again in some way, shape or form.

Disney confirms INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY DVD & Blu-Ray Release

When it was announced earlier this year that Disney was planning on prioritising Disney+ and phasing out physical media releases, it was rightly met with a lot of criticism. Especially the news they were outright discontinuing DVD and Blu-Rays in Australia and New Zealand after the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. After all, this does have a dreadful scent of not being in control of the product you purchase and being dictated to about what you can watch and when by a massive corporation.

The news immediately came with a string of films people were immediately asking the status on. However, in recent months, with physical media releases of Wandavision and The Mandalorian Seasons 1 & 2 announced, and a long awaited release of Hulu’s Prey, it does seem as though the streaming stance is loosening. And fans of a certain bullwhip-twirling, fedora-wearing adventurer can rejoice today, as Disney and Lucasfilm have just announced a physical media release of this year’s fifth and final Indiana Jones film, James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Announced for release on December 5th 2023, the film will receive a DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K UHD release, with a stacked array of bonus features, including a five-chapter making-of and an exclusive score-only version of the film allowing us to revel in the work of living legend John Williams! There will also be steelbook sets.

No word as of yet on whether this release will also apply to all territories, like here in the UK, but chances are strong. Plus, Harrison Ford’s beloved character’s final chapter getting a physical media release at all will be welcome news to all those who thought Disney were going to lock the film away in the House of Mouse warehouse like the Ark of the Covenant.

David Gordon Green may not return to helm THE EXORCIST: DECEIVER?

From the director of the Halloween sequel trilogy, David Gordon Green, The Exorcist: Believer is currently in cinemas. It’s set to be the first in a trilogy of new films that will act as legacy sequels to the late great William Friedkin’s 1973 horror masterpiece, after Universal Studios took a hell of a gamble and purchased the franchise rights for $400 million.

Believer could have been more blessed, after it has faced some fierce reviews from critics, but it has already matched its $30 million budget at the box office in just over a weekend, and its follow-up The Exorcist: Deceiver was already announced for release on April 18th 2025, ahead of Believer’s release. Some have asked whether those plans will still go ahead for Universal and Blumhouse in light of the reviews, but chances look strong that they could.

However, it was previously believed that David Gordon Green would helm all three films, but in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Green seems to have created a sense of doubt, as he stated, “My intention is just to start making things, and as those plans come together, if I find myself in that [The Exorcist: Deceiver] director’s chair, I’d be thrilled. But right now, I’m navigating it from a story perspective and looking at my realities of life as I pivot.”

So we will see whether those Tubular Bells will chime again, and whether Mr. Green will be the one ringing them.