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After 24 years, “Gladiator II” is finally here. Ridley Scott’s sequel to his Best Picture-winning historical epic opens Nov. 22 with Paul Mescal in the lead role and Denzel Washington supporting. Critic reviews are now being published. The gathering consensus is that it’s…pretty good. The reviews are generally positive, praising Washington’s performance and its entertainment value above all else. But many critics in reviews both positive and negative report not feeling much emotional connection to the story, and no one seems to think it’s as good as the original.

“It’s a Saturday-night epic of tony escapism. But is it great? A movie to love the way that some of us love ‘Gladiator’? No and no,” Variety’s Owen Gleiberman writes. “It’s ultimately a mere shadow of that movie. But it’s just diverting enough to justify its existence.”

“A lot of ‘Gladiator II’ is familiar to the point of redundancy,...

Gladiator II, directed by the legendary Ridley Scott transports us back to Ancient Rome with remarkable authenticity and gripping storytelling. The film is a sequel to Scott’s multi-award winning film Gladiator, released in 2000, and was written by David Scarpa and Peter Craig. It stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) and Fred Hechinger. Meanwhile, legendary stage and screen actor Derek Jacobi and Danish actress Connie Nielsen reprise their roles from the first film.

Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus, Lucius (Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his North African home of Numidia is conquered by the tyrannical forces of sadistic Emperors Geta (Quinn) and Caracalla (Hechinger) who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart at the loss of his wife in a deadly battle against Roman general Marcus Acacius (Pascal), Lucius must look to...

They say “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” But the Romans gave a thumbs down when they didn’t like a gladiator. I’m not legally allowed to do that for Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” because somebody trademarked “thumb reviews”, but let’s just say the temptation was there. “Gladiator II” isn’t a complete fiasco, and God knows there are worse sword-and-sandal movies, but it isn’t a worthy follow-up to the original.

We’re going to need to play a little catch-up here, because “Gladiator II” assumes you remember the plot of the original. Russell Crowe starred as Maximus, a Roman General who — thanks to the murderous schemes of Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) — became a slave, and then worked his way up to the most famous gladiator in Rome. Maximus’ popularity and open defiance of the Emperor was dangerous to Commodus’ regime, so he challenged...

Sir Ridley Scott didn’t make his first feature film (1977’s The Duellists) until he was 40 years old. The director, turning 87 at the end of this month, has not wasted any time making up for that late start with a remarkable array of landmark films including Blade Runner, Alien, Thelma and Louise, The Martian, Black Hawk Down and on and on.

Coming off the massive Napoleon, he jumped right into another epic project with a sequel 24 years after 2000’s Gladiator became his only Best Picture Oscar winner (though he lost Best Director to the double-nominated Steven Soderbergh that year). Scott generally has resisted going the sequel route to his films, with his 2012 Prometheus and 2017 Alien: Covenant proving the exceptions, though those two films completing his so-called Alien trilogy came respectively 33 years and 38 years after his much-imitated 1979 hit, Alien. In between he left it to others including James Cameron to take...

CBS has announced that The Making of Gladiator II, a special examining the process of bringing the long-anticipated Paramount Pictures sequel to life, will premiere on the network at 10:30 p.m. Et/Pt on Monday, Nov. 18, also streaming on Paramount+.

This inside look, produced by Paramount Pictures, offers unprecedented access encompassing all aspects of production, from the grand scope of the sets — including reconstructing Ancient Rome — to characters, combat training, costumes, historical accuracy, scoring and more. The footage captured on the set of Gladiator II offers unparalleled, exclusive access to filmmaker Ridley Scott’s inner circle, and insights into his creative process.

Marking the follow-up to Scott’s 2000 Best Picture Oscar winner Gladiator, the sequel continues an epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced...

CBS will present The Making of Gladiator II, a special behind-the-scenes look at the making of Paramount Pictures’ Gladiator II. The special will give both nostalgic fans and newcomers to the franchise an epic, never-before-seen look at the making of the film.

The Making of Gladiator II will air on Monday, Nov. 18 (10:30-11:00 p.m. Et/Pt) on the CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).

This inside look offers unprecedented access encompassing all aspects of production, from the grand scope of the set – including reconstructing Ancient Rome – to characters, combat training, costumes, historical accuracy, scoring, and more.

The footage captured on the set of Gladiator II reflects unparalleled, exclusive access to the principal cast and crew, Ridley Scott’s true inner circle, and insights into his incredible filmmaking.

At 86 years old, Ridley Scott is on the cusp of yet another major blockbuster (Gladiator) and shows no sign of slowing down as a director. Not only that, but he's also got a robust slate of projects he's involved with through his Scott Free production company where he's a producer...

Screenwriter Peter Craig, who co-wrote the upcoming Gladiator II, and producer Bryan Unkeless, known for such fare as I, Tonya and Project Power, have teamed up to launch film and television production banner Night Owl.

It’s no small flex to launch a shingle in the current Hollywood climate, but the two players have extremely enviable track records and, more importantly, come with several projects already zipping along the development tracks.

There’s the adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s wildly popular novel Remarkably Bright Creatures, which is set up at Netflix with Where the Crawdads Sing filmmaker Olivia Newman attached to direct and Sally Field attached to star. (Fun fact: Craig is Field’s son.)

There’s Tropical Underworld, a crime drama series set in Hawaii and based on a Bloomberg article written by Chris Pomorski. The project sold in a competitive bidding war to Fifth Season, which beat out such companies as A24,...

Back in 2000, director Ridley Scott took us back to 180 Ad for Gladiator, which told the story of Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius (played by Russell Crowe), who is favored by Emperor Marcus Aurelius to be his successor because his own son, Commodus, is unfit to rule. Commodus disagrees, so he murders his father, has Maximus arrested, and has Maximus’s wife and son killed. While Commodus establishes himself as the new emperor, Maximus escapes from captivity – only to be captured again, this time by slavers who sell him off to become a gladiator. Soon he’s fighting in front of Commodus in Rome’s Colosseum… and it all builds up to Commodus challenging Maximus to a duel. Gladiator was a major box office success and racked up multiple Academy Award wins, including Best Picture. So there was already talk of a sequel in 2001, but it ended up taking more than...

Decca Records US is set to release the soundtrack to Ridley Scott’s highly-anticipated Gladiator sequel on November 15, 2024. Gladiator II: Music From The Motion Picture by composer Harry Gregson-Williams features an epic orchestral score, comprised of over 100 musicians and singers from across the globe, and meticulously crafted to accompany the blockbuster new movie starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington.

The soundtrack also includes the timeless hit song “Now We Are Free” composed by Hans Zimmer for the original Gladiator film almost 25 years ago and featuring singer Lisa Gerrard.

From legendary director Ridley Scott, and a screenplay by David Scarpa, story by Peter Craig and David Scarpa, and based on characters created by David Franzoni, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered...

Writer-director Cord Jefferson won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2024 Oscars for turning Percival Everett‘s novel “Erasure” into the critically acclaimed film “American Fiction.” That marked the fourth time in a decade that a film based on a novel won this award. The others: “Women Talking” (Sarah Polley), “Jojo Rabbit” (Taika Waititi), and “Call Me By Your Name” (James Ivory). This is the most common form of adaptation to win. Indeed this award, which dates back to the first Oscars in 1928, has gone to the adapters of 48 novels over the year. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2025 Oscar predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay.)

Peter Straughan reaped an Oscar bid in 2012 for his adaptation of John le Carre‘s spy tale “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” His screen version of Robert Harris‘ taut thriller about Vatican intrigue should bring him back to the Oscars.

“Sing Sing” was written by director Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley.

“Lucius. Take your father’s strength. His name was Maximus, and I see him in you.”

From legendary director Ridley Scott, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.

The a-list cast includes Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington.

While the first teaser was more than a little underwhelming, this is fantastic! Along with the score from Hans Zimmer,...

While Thunderbolts* is likely to dominate headlines today, Paramount Pictures has just shared an epic new trailer and poster for Gladiator II. One watch of this, and it's clear Sir Ridley Scott is upping the ante nearly two and a half decades after helming 2000's Gladiator starring Russell Crowe.

Despite this being yet another teaser revealing perhaps a little too much about the plot, the visuals are nothing short of spectacular and Scott has pulled out all the stops for a follow-up which has a lot to live up to given how beloved the first movie remains.

A new legacy or rebellion? That's also teased in this preview, and it's no secret that the filmmaker is already planning a third instalment...assuming Gladiator II is a success, of course. There are hints here that this could be the start of what may be a much bigger story.

The long-awaited Gladiator...

Prepare to be entertained, promises the new look at Ridley Scott’s much-anticipated follow-up, Gladiator II.

In a second epic trailer, Paul Mescal’s Lucius forms an uneasy alliance with Denzel Washington’s Macrinus, a Roman power player who uses the former’s fury as a tool for his own aims. “I will never be your instrument,” Lucius says in the new spot, teased yesterday, “but I will have my vengeance.”

The movie stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Connnie Nielsen, who reprises her role from the original pic.

The film’s first trailer, dropped in early July, became one of Paramount Pictures’ top performers, ahead of another hyped sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, racking up more than 180 million views in a little over 48 hours.

Gladiator II, which comes 24 years after the original starring Russell Crowe as a revenge-seeking general-turned-slave, will debut Nov. 22, a week ahead of Thanksgiving.

A new “Gladiator 2” trailer is here, offering a more extensive preview of Paramount’s epic sequel to the Best Picture-winning 2000 film.

Ridley Scott is back in the director’s chair for the aptly named “Gladiator II,” which finds Paul Mescal playing the grown son of Connie Nielsen’s character from the first film, Lucius. In an epic journey that mirrors the one Crowe’s Maximus went on in “Gladiator,” the sequel finds Mescal crossing paths with those who wronged him in the gladiatorial arena with an A-list ensemble that includes Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington. “With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people,” the official synopsis states.

David Scarpa, the screenwriter behind Scott’s “Napoleon” and “All the Money in the World,” wrote the...

Paramount Pictures has revealed the new trailer and poster for Gladiator II, which will open in theaters on November 22, 2024. Ridley Scott directed the sequel.

Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the revered hero Maximus’s death at his uncle’s hands, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist.

With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return Rome’s glory to its people.

The anticipated film stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, and Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington. It has been rated R for strong, bloody violence.

Douglas Wick, Ridley Scott, Lucy Fisher, Michael Pruss,...

The Batman's official credits state that Matt Reeves and Peter Craig wrote the movie; however, Terminator Zero showrunner Mattson Tomlin made key contributions to the script which a WGA arbitration ultimately decided wasn't enough to also earn him a credit.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, the Mother/Android writer revealed that he'd learned he wouldn't be getting a credit on The Batman when he started work on Terminator Zero. As you might expect, that left him feeling in "a kind of downturn."

However, Reeves later turned to Tomlin to co-write The Batman II, and he tells the trade that, not only did this mend any hard feelings, but it's now given him the opportunity to show the world what he can do in the Caped Crusader's corner of the DC Universe.

The writer started by explaining how it felt to learn his name wouldn't be linked to The Batman:

"Yeah,...

Who doesn't love a good book-to-movie adaptation? We do, and it looks like Netflix does as well. The streamer just recently announced a new film adaptation of the wholesome mystery novel Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, and we've got all the juicy deets!

2x Academy Award-winning actress Sally Field is reportedly in talks to star in the Netflix feature adapted from the popular octopus book. She's a well-known actress whose most recent project was the sports comedy film 80 for Brady, which also starred fellow seasoned actresses Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Rita Moreno.

American film director and screenwriter Olivia Newman is signed on to direct the adaptation from a screenplay she's co-writing with John Whittington. Newman is best known for writing the script for and directing the Netflix drama film First Match as well as helming the mystery drama movie Where the Crawdads Sing. Whittington, on the other hand,...

Anyone looking to pick a fight with Gladiator II‘s Pedro Pascal may want to think again, according to his co-star Paul Mescal, who speaks about the actor’s physical prowess in a new interview with Empire.

“I think I’d win in a fight between me and Pedro, but he’s deceptive,” said Mescal. “Pedro is one of the funniest men that I know, but he could f**k s**t up. Like, absolutely categorically. There’s a beast in there for sure.”

Mescal’s comments echo those of Pascal, who in an earlier interview with Vanity Fair, said he came to refer to his co-star as “Brick Wall Paul.”

“He got so strong,” recalled the actor. “I would rather be thrown from a building than have to fight him again. To go up against somebody that fit and that talented and that much younger….”

Empire’s cover story...

Für Netflix wird Olivia Newman die Verfilmung von Shelby Van Pelts Debütroman „Remarkably Bright Creatures“ inszenieren. Für die Hauptrolle ist Sally Field im Gespräch.

Sally Field ist für die Hauptrolle in „Remarkably Bright Creatures“ im Gespräch (Credit: Imago / NurPhoto)

Die zweifache Oscargewinnerin Sally Field soll die Hauptrolle in der Romanverfilmung „Remarkably Bright Creatures“ übernehmen.

Wie US-Branchenmedien berichten, soll Olivia Newman nach einem Drehbuch, das sie zusammen mit John Whittington geschrieben hat, Regie führen.

Produziert wird „Remarkably Bright Creatures” von David Levine, Bryan Unkeless und Sally Fields Sohn Peter Craig für Netflix.

In ihrem Debütroman erzählt Shelby Van Pelt die Geschichte einer ungewöhnlichen Freundschaft zwischen der Witwe Tova Sullivan, die nach dem Tod ihres Mannes nachts als Hausmeisterin in einem örtlichen Aquarium arbeitet, und der Riesenkrake Marcellus. Das Tier hilft Tova dabei, die Wahrheit über das Verschwinden ihres Sohnes auf See vor 30 Jahren herauszufinden.

Sally Field is in talks to star in “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” a film adaptation of the novel by Shelby Van Pelt.

Netflix has acquired the project, which is in early stages of development. Olivia Newman, the filmmaker of last summer’s sleeper hit “Where the Crawdads Sing,” is directing the movie. “Where the Crawdads Sing,” starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, was based on the best-selling novel by Delia Owens and grossed $144 million at the global box office. Newman is also co-writing the screenplay with John Whittington.

Netflix declined to comment.

“Remarkably Bright Creatures,” Van Pelt’s debut novel, was released in 2022 and became a best-seller. The story follows a lonely widow’s unlikely friendship with a giant octopus. After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she begins working the night shift as a janitor at a local aquarium. At work, she becomes acquainted with an eight-tentacled animal named Marcellus, who helps Tova uncover...

That octopus book is heading to the screen.

Netflix has picked up a film package that adapts Remarkably Bright Creatures, the wildly popular novel by Shelby Van Pelt.

Sally Field, the veteran actress last seen in 80 for Brady, is in talks to star in the feature that is to be directed by Olivia Newman, perhaps best known for helming Where the Crawdads Sing. Newman is also writing the script with John Whittington.

Producing the adaptation will be David Levine via Anonymous Content along with Bryan Unkeless (I, Tonya) and Peter Craig, the established screenwriter of The Town and The Batman. Craig is also Field’s son.

The novel tells of the unique relationship between a lonely woman working as a janitor at an aquarium and a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus living at the facility.

The woman is grieving the death of her husband and also still processing the disappearance...

The Instigators is a heist action comedy film directed by Doug Liman from a screenplay co-written by Chuck Maclean and Casey Affleck. The Apple TV+ film follows the story of a former marine and an ex-con as they team up for a heist. When their plan goes awry they have to run and they drag one of their therapist in the process. The Instigators stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in the lead roles with Hong Chau, Paul Walter Stuhlbarg, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Toby Jones, Jack Harlow, and Ron Perlman starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the action, comedic banter, and heist drama in The Instigators here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Logan Lucky (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Bleecker Street

Logan Lucky is a heist comedy-drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh from a screenplay by Rebecca Blunt. The 2017 film follows the story of Jimmy Logan,...

24 years after Russell Crowe delivered entertainment in the Roman Colosseum in Ridley Scott's Best Picture-winner "Gladiator," the director is back with a sequel that will be hitting theaters in November. We finally got a look at the "Gladiator II" trailer today and to say that it looks wild would be an understatement. Scott has upped the action while assembling a stellar ensemble cast led by Paul Mescal ("All of Us Strangers"), Pedro Pascal ("The Mandalorian"), and Denzel Washington ("The Equalizer").

While Scott clearly isn't going for overall historical accuracy here, these films are based loosely on what happened in Ancient Rome during these storied gladiator battles. The trailer features some particularly wild moments, including a rhino being let loose in the arena. But the wildest moment comes early when the arena is flooded to simulate a navy battle, with huge war ships and dozens of men duking it out for the Romans to watch.

Paramount Pictures has revealed the official trailer and poster for Gladiator II, which will open in theaters on November 22, 2024. Ridley Scott directed the movie.

Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the revered hero Maximus’s death at his uncle’s hands, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist.

With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return Rome’s glory to its people.

The anticipated film stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, and Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington.

Douglas Wick, Ridley Scott, Lucy Fisher, Michael Pruss, and David Franzoni are the producers. Walter Parkes,...

Es ist der ganz große Titel im diesjährigen Line-Up von Paramount: Ridley Scotts Fortsetzung zu seinem Meisterwerk aus dem Jahr 2000. Jetzt wurden erste Szenen aus dem Monumentalwerk veröffentlicht.

Paul Mescal in „Gladiator II“ (Credit: © 2024 Paramount Pictures)

Gestern wurden das Poster und erste Szenenbilder aus „Gladiator II“ veröffentlicht – heute folgte der Hauptgang: Die Veröffentlichung des ersten Trailers zum kommenden Monumentalwerk, das erneut von Ridley Scott inszeniert wird. Die Hauptrollen wurden mit Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz und Derek Jacobi besetzt, mit an Bord sind auch Connie Nielsen (die schon im ersten Teil mitwirkte) und Denzel Washington.

Der erste Trailer zu „Gladiator II“ im Original – die deutsche Sprachfassung finden Sie unten (Quelle: YouTube/Paramount-Kanal)

Der Film, der in Deutschland am 14. November startet, war schon bei den Leitmessen CinemaCon und CineEurope das Herzstück (sprich: der krönende Abschluss) bei den Präsentationen von Paramount. Der Vorgänger „Gladiator“ schaffte alleine...

Here it is — the first trailer for Ridley Scott’s anticipated Gladiator II, starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington.

Paramount dropped the trailer this morning. Accompanying captions on socials read: “From director Ridley Scott, watch the new Official Trailer for #GladiatorII starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, and Fred Hechinger – Only in theatres November 22.”

From director Ridley Scott, watch the new Official Trailer for #GladiatorII starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, and Fred Hechinger – Only in theatres November 22. pic.twitter.com/4BtyPbkGjd

— Gladiator Movie (@GladiatorMovie) July 9, 2024

Written by David Scarpa from a story he created with Peter Craig, the Gladiator sequel is set years after the original film and has Mescal taking over the role of Lucius that Spencer Treat Clark portrayed in the 2000 movie. Lucius is the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and the nephew of Commodus,...

We finally have the first poster for Gladiator II (via SFFGazette.com) and with that comes confirmation a trailer is set to be released tomorrow.

While a handful of stills recently offered a sneak peek at what's to come, fans of Sir Ridley Scott's 2000 classic have been eager to see footage for quite some time (especially after clips shown during press preview screenings received rave reviews).

The sequel centres around Paul Mescal's Lucius, the son of Connie Nielsen's Lucilla. Decades have passed and he's come of age far away from his mother after she sent him to the northern coast of Africa to escape the reaches of the Roman Empire.

He's grown up resenting his mother - not understanding she had good reason for sending him away - but now has a peaceful life with a wife and child of his own...until the Romans invade. As a result,...

Paramount Pictures on Monday debuted the first poster for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, slated for release on November 22, which sees Paul Mescal prepare for battle. Check out the images below.

In the film following up Scott’s classic historical epic from 2000, which won five Oscars from 11 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Russell Crowe, Mescal plays Lucius, son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) — the second daughter of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius — who now is a grown man in a story taking place years after the first film ended. As you’ll recall, Lucius is also the nephew of Marcus’s son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who murdered his father in order to seize the throne.

In Gladiator, Commodus wound up in the gladiator ring with Maximus — who, though mortally wounded, skewered the emperor before fading into the great beyond to reunite with his slain wife and son. Maximus saved...

Exclusive: Spenser Granese (Little Death) has landed a role opposite Kiernan Shipka, Kiefer Sutherland and Krysten Ritter in Stone Cold Fox, the ’80s action thriller marking the directorial debut of Sophie Tabet, on which we were first to report.

The revenge tale watches as the defiant Fox (Shipka) breaks out of an abusive commune in search of her family, but when the queenpin (Ritter) kidnaps her little sister and sends a crooked cop (Sutherland) after her, Fox has no choice but to infiltrate the very place she escaped.

Granese plays Ricky, the devious right-hand man to Ritter’s villainous Goldie. A man who loves the sound of his own laugh, Ricky is famous for doing Goldie’s bidding, namely kidnapping Shipka’s younger sister and taking her back to their seedy commune, setting the film’s plot in motion.

Written by Sophie Tabet and Julia Roth, the film also stars Lorenza Izzo,...

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

"2020 at the box office will be known as the 'year of the asterisk,' with virtually every known measure and metric for box office performance being completely rethought and recalibrated." These were the words of Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian speaking to CNN in October 2020. At that time, the industry was contending with a months-long, global shutdown, with movie theaters on life support as the pandemic raged on. Yes, every title released in 2020 will always come with an asterisk but even with that, one movie had to come out on top during Hollywood's lost year. That movie was "Bad Boys for Life."

Action director extraordinaire Michael Bay helmed 1995's "Bad Boys" and 2003's "Bad Boys II," with the first film ranking...

Back in 2022 former freelance artist for DC Comics, Christopher Wozniak sued Warner Brothers for apparently plagiarising his work. Not long after ‘The Batman’ premiered, Wozniak expressed shock at Warner Bros., Matt Reeves, and Peter Craig, alleging they copied his story ‘The Ultimate Riddle,’ renamed ‘The Blind Man’s Hat.’ Wozniak promptly hired a lawyer, leading to a copyright infringement lawsuit dubbed “Batmangate.”

The original lawsuit, filed in October 2022, led to Warner Bros. countersuing Wozniak, arguing his story infringed on their copyright by including Batman characters without permission. Despite Wozniak’s defense, the judge ruled in DC’s favor, stating Reeves and Craig didn’t plagiarize Wozniak. Instead, Wozniak was found guilty of copyright infringement for using DC characters without authorization.

In a 45-page decision, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer concluded that Warner Bros. and ‘The Batman’ writer/director Matt Reeves did not copy Christopher Wozniak’s story ‘The Ultimate...

Although it has been a while since Matt Reeves’ The Batman premiered in theaters, the movie is still a hot topic as the 2022 lawsuit filed by Christopher Wozniak, a screenwriter and former freelance artist for DC Comics, has finally been settled. And while this news won’t overshadow recent production information on the upcoming sequel to Reeves’ hit film, it will certainly make the whole series an even hotter topic than it already is. In short, a judge ruled that The Batman is not a plagiarized version of Wozniak’s earlier story and that, in fact, it was Wozniak who committed an act of copyright infringement by using DC Comics characters in his story without, as it seems, clear permission.

So, what’s the whole story here? Well, not long after The Batman came out, the aforementioned Christopher Wozniak commented how he was stunned Warner Bros., alongside writers Matt Reeves and Peter Craig,...

Sony Pictures has released the official trailer for the action comedy Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which will be opening in theaters on June 7, 2024.

The movie is a follow-up to the 2020 release Bad Boys for Life, which grossed $425.5 million worldwide, with $206.3 million coming from North American theaters and $220.2 million from international markets.

Sony Pictures describes Bad Boys: Ride or Die as follows: “This Summer, the world’s favorite Bad Boys are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your-seat action and outrageous comedy, but this time with a twist: Miami’s finest are now on the run.”

The cast includes Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nuñez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, and Tasha Smith, with Tiffany Haddish and Joe Pantoliano.

Adil & Bilall directed the film, which Chris Bremner wrote. Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Smith, Chad Oman, and Doug Belgrad produced it. Barry Waldman, Mike Stenson,...

The "Hunger Games" movies are having a moment. Again.

Although many would argue that the original series rode the post-Harry Potter YA wave to blockbuster success, this series has stood the test of time while many of its peers have vanished into the ether for one clear reason: These movies are good. Sometimes extremely good. And their dystopian science fiction world -- one that is politically tumultuous and emotionally fraught and deeply interested in the suffering of the innocent and the necessity of revolution in the face of tyranny -- feels more relevant now than it did over a decade ago. The newest film, the grim prequel "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," feels ripped out of our collective consciousness. These movies were blockbusters when they first arrived. Now, they feel like premonitions ... and life rafts.

/Film "Hunger Games" admirers entered the arena to rank the five...

The big movie studios opted out of San Diego Comic-Con 2023, meaning the event didn't have all the air sucked up by the next big Marvel Cinematic Universe news for once. One of the most exciting announcements was "Lazarus," a new sci-fi thriller anime from Shinichirō Watanabe and Studio Mappa.

The announcement came with a teaser trailer; Watanabe's animes always have a musical theme and it looks like "Lazarus" will have the same jazzy score as "Bebop" (this time performed by saxophonist Kamasi Washington). Rather than a U.S. import like most anime, "Lazarus" will premiere on Toonami (the production team is aiming to be finished by the end of 2024). The American influence doesn't stop there, for the action scenes will be designed by "John Wick" director Chad Stahelski. Watanabe crafts animated action with unrivaled fluidity, so him and Stahelski working together is a dream team.

Even before this project,...

The first trailer has landed for director Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, an epic biopic about the French Emperor’s ascension to and fall from power. With a screenplay written by David Scarpa (who is also co-writing Scott’s forthcoming Gladiator sequel with Peter Craig), the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte. Co-starring are Vanessa Kirby as his wife, Empress Joséphine, and Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras, the main executive leader of the post-revolution Directory regime, who helped arrange their marriage and made Napoleon general in the battalion of Italians. An official synopsis reads: Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the […]

The post Trailer Watch: Ridley Scott’s Napoleon first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The first trailer has landed for director Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, an epic biopic about the French Emperor’s ascension to and fall from power. With a screenplay written by David Scarpa (who is also co-writing Scott’s forthcoming Gladiator sequel with Peter Craig), the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte. Co-starring are Vanessa Kirby as his wife, Empress Joséphine, and Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras, the main executive leader of the post-revolution Directory regime, who helped arrange their marriage and made Napoleon general in the battalion of Italians. An official synopsis reads: Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the […]

The post Trailer Watch: Ridley Scott’s Napoleon first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Exclusive: While still in post with Compelling Pictures on the Warhol-Basquiat film The Collaboration, based on the play he directed in both its debut London run and its Broadway transfer, Kwame Kwei-Armah has closed a deal to direct Mission Hill, a Boston-set crime thriller that will mark a reteam with the producer-financier.

Based on an original screenplay by Michael McGrale (The Following), developed by Compelling, Mission Hill is based on a real-life homicide case that brought Boston to its knees in 1989. It follows an up-and-coming police officer and a seasoned detective racing against time to bring a suspect in before the city implodes over racial tensions.

Compelling Pictures will finance and produce the film which is aiming for a late 2023 start date, pending the ongoing WGA strike and potential other labor actions from SAG-AFTRA and the DGA.

Producing alongside Compelling is Peter Craig — who’s coming off his first Oscar nomination for his contributions to the screenplay of Top Gun: Maverick — as well as Jay Giannone. Exec producers are Kwei-Armah and McGrale, Steven Garcia for Compelling, Max Goldfarb for Redefine Entertainment, Marina Cappi for Marina Studios Productions, Ori Allon and Sal Monaco for White Lodge Productions, Tanner Beard, Lexie Beard, Janice Beard, Dennis Casali and Joshua Kushner. Two-time Emmy nominee Kim Coleman (Lovecraft Country) is handling the film’s casting.

“I’m overjoyed to be working with Compelling Pictures again on this amazing project,” said Kwei-Armah. “I couldn’t put it down when I began to read it. Overjoyed.”

“Mission Hill is a passion project for Jeff, Peter, and myself. Having just had the great pleasure of working with Kwame, we couldn’t be more excited to help bring his vision to life,” stated Compelling Pictures principal Denis O’Sullivan. “It all began with Mike’s riveting script, which has been waiting patiently since 2021 for a great director to take the reins. We’re honored to tell this story of a city that has been seen in movies we love, but rarely from this perspective, and we can’t wait for a global audience to experience this epic, propulsive ride.”

Added producer Craig, “Mike Mcgrale’s script is among the best I’ve ever read – and I’m so happy to see it now in the hands of a talented director like Kwame.”

Kwei-Armah teamed with actors Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope on both the stage and screen versions of the Anthony McCarten-penned The Collaboration, which revolves around the relationship between the iconic artists Warhol and Basquiat, starting in the summer of 1984. Otherwise known for stage productions like The Visitor and One Love: The Bob Marley Musical, he also notably co-wrote and exec produced the veteran thriller Breaking starring John Boyega, which world premiered at Sundance and was released in theaters by Bleecker Street.

Headed by O’Sullivan (Bohemian Rhapsody) and and Jeff Kalligheri (I Wanna Dance with Somebody), Compelling Pictures most recently released the McCarten-scripted Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody, starring BAFTA winner Naomi Ackie, which Sony Pictures took worldwide this past Christmas. Helmed by Kasi Lemmons, the film currently streaming on Netflix landed the #1 spot on the U.S. film chart in its first two weeks on the platform.

Kwei-Armah is repped by CAA, United Agents in the UK, Redefine and attorney Linda Lichter; McGrale by APA, Heroes and Villains, and attorney Will Jacobson; Craig by CAA and Grandview; and Compelling by Evan Krauss of Eisner Llp.

Not too many film franchises stick around for more than two decades, but the insanely wild motorized antics of Fast X roar ahead without a thought of applying the brakes.

With its seemingly inexhaustible supply of madly amusing action, this high-octane extravaganza attempts, and not infrequently succeeds, in obliterating any resistance with its disarming, outrageous and self-aware injections of often-hilarious camp. It’s a sometimes jaw-dropping ride that circles the globe in its never-ending search for fresh locations and ways to up the cinematic ante; in the process, it’s able to break down and prevail over its fundamental ludicrousness. It cost a bloody a fortune (reportedly over $300 million) but will make an even bigger one.

The basics remain the same, but the scale of it all is certainly unparalleled for what began 22 years ago as a modest hot rod-racing drama. In the new film, many wonders of the ancient...

In Netflix’s new thriller “The Mother,” Jennifer Lopez plays a military-trained assassin with a complicated criminal past who comes out of hiding to rescue the daughter she gave up years earlier. The premise is essentially a pretext for a series of impeccably staged action sequences that director Niki Caro mounts with the same exceptional precision and professionalism that characterizes Lopez’s shooter; while you may have seen this kind of revenge plot before in the “Taken” and “John Wick” movies, you’ve never seen the gunplay and stunt driving filtered through Caro’s sensibility, and that makes all the difference.

Caro cut her teeth on fight scenes with the elegant martial arts choreography of Disney’s “Mulan,” a film that she credits with giving her the confidence to handle large-scale action. For “The Mother,” however, she wanted something different. “With this one, I just felt like it was gloves off,...

The Mother is a mutha of an intimately scaled action film, a violent female-centric drama about a hardened combat veteran who has great difficulty adapting to being anything other than a tough soldier, and that includes being a mother. Joining Kathryn Bigelow, Patty Jenkins, Gina Prince-Blythewood, Mimi Leder and the Wachowski siblings among women responsible for notable action features, Aussie director Niki Caro has delivered a film that could easily have veered into sentiment at any moment but instead remains tough as nails and doesn’t go soft at the end. The film would surely have an even greater impact on the big screen but, as it is, launched Friday on Netflix.

Perhaps no star as survived more ups and downs in her career than has Jennifer Lopez, and while her performance here mostly calls on her to be lacking anything akin to sentiment, she powers through...

Plot: A deadly female assassin comes out of hiding to protect the daughter that she gave up years before, while on the run from dangerous men.

Review: Since it was first announced over a year ago, I have been mildly intrigued by The Mother. With a mysterious plot featuring Jennifer Lopez as a vengeful parent, I expected this film to be a cookie-cutter action replica of John Wick and the myriad spin-offs and copycats it has spawned. Instead, this film benefits from having a gritty but realistic plot that is accentuated by bursts of violence. With a solid director and the burgeoning talent of writer Misha Green, The Mother is a solid throwback thriller that echoes the action flicks of the late 1990s. With some brutal violence and engaging character development, The Mother is a better offering than the hit-or-miss fare churned out by the Netflix machine.

The Mother starts...

Just in time for Mother's Day here comes "The Mother," an action movie where we get to watch Jennifer Lopez kill a lot of people. This is the type of actioner they used to make in the '80s and '90s, and had it been made back then it probably would've featured Steven Seagal or Jean-Claude Van Damme (it's just a little too low-rent for Arnie or Sly). Now we have Lopez stepping into the badass killer shoes, and she's fully convincing as she mows down nameless bad guys who get in her way. She's an unstoppable killing machine, and we buy it, mostly because Lopez is a good actor who clearly went through the movie rigamarole of learning how to handle firearms, lots and lots of firearms.

Lopez's character, credited only as The Mother (hell yeah), was once a military sniper. And she was good — we're told she...

Jennifer Lopez in The Mother Photo: Netflix In the pantheon of female assassin films, many have shown grit and gravitas, but only a handful have nailed their targets. This is especially true in the case of original features for the streaming services. While recent international offerings from Netflix—like Kill Boksoon...

Jennifer Lopez in The MotherPhoto: Netflix

In the pantheon of female assassin films, many have shown grit and gravitas, but only a handful have nailed their targets. This is especially true in the case of original features for the streaming services. While recent international offerings from Netflix—like Kill Boksoon...

Make no mistake, the title character in the enjoyably ridiculous The Mother is given no name, but there’s never any doubt that she’s Jennifer Lopez. From the runway-ready fur hoodie she sports in the Alaskan wilderness to the flawless eye makeup and dewy complexion that withstand everything from childbirth to a knife fight in the snowbound woods, this is a performance so loaded with celebrity baggage it’s never going to be fully convincing as a deadly assassin. Yet JLo of course is the chief reason to watch Niki Caro’s action thriller for Netflix, which is better than average, as star-driven streaming features go.

New Zealander Caro got unlucky with her live-action Mulan remake, when its 2020 theatrical release was delayed and eventually scuttled by the pandemic, leaving the epic’s spectacular visuals to be diminished on Disney+. This latest feature from the director who broke out in...

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first scripted TV series, the Jennifer Lopez-starring action film The Mother and documentaries featuring Anna Nicole Smith and Barack Obama are among the high-profile projects hitting Netflix this month.

At the end of May, the streamer is dropping the Schwarzenegger-starring spy comedy Fubar, in which the former California governor and Top Gun: Maverick’s Monica Barbaro play a father and daughter who discover they’ve each been secretly working as CIA operatives as they’re forced to team up and get to know each other’s true selves.

And earlier this month, in time for Mother’s Day, Lopez plays an assassin who emerges from hiding to protect a daughter she gave up for adoption years earlier in The Mother, streaming this Friday. The Niki Caro-directed action movie also stars Joseph Fiennes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Paul Raci and Gael Garcia Bernal and was written by Andrea Berloff,...

The presence of picketers has temporarily shuttered another production, this time in Philadelphia.

Strike Captain Warren Leight announced via Twitter that Sinking Spring has shut down for the day. A notice went out earlier that encouraged WGA members to picket production on the Apple TV show.

And it looks like "Sinking Spring" has shut down for the day. #WGAStrong #PhillyStrong #1u #IATSE #Teamsters Thanks @Sagaftrany for your support https://t.co/s8bNu5Q1bn

— WGA Strike Captain Warren Leight (@warrenleightTV) May 9, 2023

And another show shut down https://t.co/QCRF47g8DS

— WGA Strike Captain Warren Leight (@warrenleightTV) May 9, 2023

Sinking Spring is a crime series starring Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry. The series is written by Peter Craig and directed by Ridley Scott. Based on Dennis Tafoya’s book Dope Thief, Sinking Spring follows long-time Philly friends and delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob an unknown house in the countryside,...

Jennifer Lopez is the mother in the new Netflix thriller “The Mother” that the streaming service has fittingly scheduled for release on Mother’s Day weekend.

Directed by Niki Caro and written by Misha Green, Andrea Berloff, and Peter Craig, the film finds Lopez playing a deadly assassin who gives up her daughter to escape retribution following a job gone wrong. But 12 years later, Lopez’s character is thrust back into action after her daughter is kidnapped as part of a revenge plot. As Lopez says in the trailer, “I’m a killer but I’m also a mother.”

In an interview with People, Caro said she loved bringing Lopez back to the action genre.

“The only thing that surprised me was that Jennifer hadn’t been an action movie hero her entire career,” Caro said.

Caro added, “Jennifer brings her legendary skill and precision to the action elements, but...