All articles tagged with #film news
Nicolas Cage says Christopher Nolan won’t call him back after he turned down Nolan’s Insomnia, a pattern he notes occurs with other directors; he adds that David O. Russell did eventually offer him another project, proving not all directors take rejection personally. Cage is also promoting Madden (as John Madden) and making his Spider-Verse debut.
Mel Gibson released the first look for The Resurrection of the Christ, a long-gestating two‑part biblical epic that has wrapped filming after 134 days in Italy. However, release dates have been pushed: Part One now opens May 6, 2027 (from March 26), and Part Two shifts to May 25, 2028, with both installments releasing on Ascension Day.
Filmmaker Paul Schrader revealed on Facebook that he procured an online AI girlfriend, but the chatbot terminated their conversation after he probed its boundaries, calling the experience a disappointment; the post comes a short time after his wife Mary Beth Hurt’s death and follows Schrader’s earlier tinkering with AI ideas.
Cannes premiere of Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, a harrowing family drama about a Romanian father and Norwegian mother whose children are removed by the state in a remote village; starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, the film drew a 10-minute standing ovation at its Grand Palais debut.
Elon Musk criticized Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey for casting Lupita Nyong'o as the 3,000-year-old Helen of Troy, framing it as a diversity ploy and railing against perceived misalignment with mythic canon; the piece also notes broader debates about DEI rules and awards, while rounding up other entertainment notes—James Franco’s return in a John Rambo prequel at Lionsgate, Uwe Boll’s unofficial House of the Dead sequel, and Jonathan Majors’ upcoming Dinner At Nick’s for Daily Wire—highlighting ongoing casting and project clashes in Hollywood.
Early reactions to The Mandalorian and Grogu are mixed: some call it a thrilling, fun summer blockbuster with standout Grogu moments, while others deem it one of the weaker Star Wars films and more like an extended TV episode; the film, directed by Jon Favreau, opens May 22 and stars Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver, marking a new Lucasfilm era under Filoni and Brennan.
The FCC released roughly 2,000 complaints about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime, with many critics upset by Spanish lyrics and perceived lewd content despite edits, while other notable stories include Warner Bros.’ settlement with Village Roadshow over The Matrix Resurrections, Guillermo Del Toro’s plans for an adult stop-motion The Buried Giant at Netflix, and Stephen Colbert discussing a potential Lord of the Rings project.
Matt Reeves released a snowy first look at the Batmobile for The Batman: Part 2, signaling winter production; the cast returns with Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred, and Barry Keoghan as the Joker, with Reeves co-writing with Mattson Tomlin, and the film set to open October 1, 2027.
Mortal Kombat II ends with Earthrealm’s hard-won victory after Katana betrays Shao Kahn and delivers the kill, but at great cost: Liu Kang, Jax, and Cole Young die. The film then hints at resurrection and longer-term plans for these characters (via revenants or time travel) and uses the controversy of death to set up a path to Mortal Kombat III, with writer Jeremy Slater confirming big plans for the future and citing fan response as shaping the next installment.
Matt Shakman, who relaunched Marvel’s Fantastic Four franchise with Fantastic Four: First Steps, is set to direct an untitled Planet of the Apes movie for 20th Century Studios with Josh Friedman writing; the project will be an original story not confirmed as a continuation of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Shakman will produce alongside Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.
Kat Graham reveals that her scenes as Diana Ross were cut from the Michael Jackson biopic for legal reasons, making Ross’s absence a notable omission in the final cut; the piece also rounds up other film-news items, including the Power Ballad trailer, Dan Reed’s critique of Fuqua’s Michael, and the Miami Vice '85 casting of Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler.
Paramount confirmed at CinemaCon that a third Top Gun film is in development with a script currently being written; Tom Cruise is expected to reprise Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and producer Jerry Bruckheimer is returning, following the success of Top Gun: Maverick.
Amazon MGM Studios updated on its search for a new James Bond, stressing a careful, respectful process led by Denis Villeneuve with producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman and writer Steven Knight, with no casting announcements yet and news to come when the time is right.
Warner Bros. revealed the cast for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with Leo Woodall making his Middle-earth debut as Halvard alongside Jamie Dornan as Strider/Aragorn and Kate Winslet as Marigol; returning stars Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis will reprise their roles, with Lee Pace back as Thranduil. Directed by Andy Serkis, the story is set during Aragorn’s early pursuit of Gollum to keep the Ring’s location from Sauron, and the film is slated for release on December 17, 2027.
An anonymous Pixar staffer told THR that Disney rejected Be Fri, a female-led teen friendship film, after notes suggested the story wouldn’t appeal to boys. The team reportedly reworked it for six weeks, but Disney ultimately chose to shelve the project.