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The grand-scale Biblical epics that midcentury Hollywood churned out to roaring box-office returns had many drawcards as (so to speak) mass entertainment — brawny action, transporting spectacle, then jaw-dropping effects — but a sense of humor, by and large, wasn’t one of them. That’s something British musician-turned-filmmaker Jeymes Samuel attempts to rectify in his offbeat messiah story “The Book of Clarence,” a newly invented tale that runs parallel to the life and death of Jesus in ways both blithely blasphemous and sincerely Christian. Following on from Samuel’s debut, the rollicking hip-hop western “The Harder They Fall,” with its flagrantly anachronistic remix of genre traditions and a predominantly Black cast, “Clarence” clearly seeks to be the first film loosely of its type to make any pop-cultural impact since Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” nearly 20 years ago.

It’ll certainly prove a hard sell to the U.S.

Jeymes Samuel’s star-packed The Book of Clarence will open in theaters Sept. 22, Sony announced Thursday. The Legendary Pictures movie is written and directed by the multihyphenate British filmmaker and singer-songwriter, who made his feature debut when helming the acclaimed 2021 Western The Harder They Fall.

Inspired by Hollywood epics set in biblical times, Book of Clarence stars Lakeith Stanfield as a down-on-his-luck denizen of Jerusalem who attempts to capitalize on the influence of the Messiah for his own personal gain. It’s a journey that instead leads him on an exploration of the idea of faith.

The movie’s high-profile cast includes Omar Sy, Rj Cyler, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Anna Diop, Teyana Taylor, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Additional cast includes Caleb McLaughlin, Babs Olusanmokun, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Nicholas Pinnock, Micheal Ward, Chase Dillon, Tom Glynn-Carney and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.

In addition to helming, writing and composing the score,...

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Jeymes Samuel has added a novel’s worth of actors to The Book of Clarence, his follow-up to his smash feature debut, 2021 Western The Harder They Fall.

Rj Cyler, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy, Titans TV star Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard and Marianne Jean-Baptiste have joined Lakeith Stanfield and Omar Sy in the production, which hails from Legendary Pictures and began production Monday in Italy.

But wait, that’s not all.

Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin, Teyana Taylor (Coming 2 America), Babs Olusanmokun (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), Eric Kofi Abrefa (Bmf), Nicholas Pinnock (Counterpart), BAFTA winner Micheal Ward (Empire of Light), Chase Dillon (The Harder They Fall), Tom Glynn-Carney (House of the Dragon) and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Ebony Maw in Avengers: Endgame) have also been added to the roll call.

According to Legendary, Clarence is inspired by classic Hollywood epics set in...

The Set Decorators Society of America, which celebrates excellence in the art of set decoration for film, announced its nominees Monday. The Decor/Design categories highlight feature-length films of the 2021 season, which were voted on by Sdsa members.

Here is the full list of Nominees:

Best Achievement In Decor/Design Of A Contemporary Feature Film

Don’t Look Up

Set Decoration by Tara Pavoni with Production Design by Clayton Hartley

Hand of God

Set Decoration by Iole Autero with Production Design by Carmine Guarino

The Lost Daughter

Set Decoration by Christine-Athina Vlachos with Production Design by Inbal Weinberg

No Time To Die

Set Decoration by Véronique Melery Sdsa with Production Design by Mark Tildesley

Best Achievement In Decor/Design Of A Period Feature Film

Being The Ricardos

Set Decoration by Ellen Brill Sdsa with Production Design by Jon Hutman

House of Gucci

Set Decoration by Letizia Santucci Sdsa with Production Design...

Peter Walpole has been working with the Wachowskis for over 15 years. The co-production designer of "The Matrix Resurrections" first collaborated with Lana Wachowski on the film adaptation of Alan Moore's "V for Vendetta." Walpole spent years as a set decorator, helping to create the vast worlds presented in "Speed Racer," "Cloud Atlas," and "Jupiter Ascending." He stepped into the role of production designer for the series finale of "Sense8," and all of that work led to the glorious vision that is "The Matrix Resurrections." 

Walpole and Hugh Bateup, another key voice in the Wachowskis' filmography, sought to create a more...

The post The Matrix Resurrections Production Designer Peter Walpole on Turning San Francisco Into The Matrix [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

Are you ready to enter the Matrix again? From visionary filmmaker Lana Wachowski comes “The Matrix Resurrections,” the long-awaited fourth film in the groundbreaking franchise that redefined a genre. Set to release on December 22nd worldwide, the new film reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous, Neo and Trinity.

In “The Matrix Resurrections,” return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a physical or mental construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. And if Thomas…Neo…has learned anything, it’s that choice, while an illusion, is still the only way out of—or into—the Matrix. Of course, Neo already knows what he has to do. But what he doesn’t yet know is the Matrix is stronger,...

A brand-new trailer is here for the highly anticipated The Matrix Resurrections.

From visionary filmmaker Lana Wachowski comes “The Matrix Resurrections,” the long-awaited next chapter in the groundbreaking franchise that redefined a genre. The new film reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous, Neo and Trinity.

In “The Matrix Resurrections,” return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a physical or mental construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. And if Thomas…Neo…has learned anything, it’s that choice, while an illusion, is still the only way out of—or into—the Matrix. Of course, Neo already knows what he has to do. But what he doesn’t yet know is the Matrix is stronger,...

A new trailer for “The Matrix Resurrections” has landed, bringing with it more eye-popping action sequences and more questions about Lana Wachowski’s big return to the iconic action franchise. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are back as franchise protagonists Neo and Trinity, but the characters no longer remember each other following the events of the original “Matrix” trilogy. Franchise newcomer Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Morpheus, but he’s not Lawrence Fishburne’s iteration of the character that fans love.

“I think what the script provided was a new narrative and some new opportunities that did make room within the Matrix universe for a new Morpheus,” Abdul-Mateen II teased to Entertainment Weekly in October. “I play a character who’s definitely aware of the history of the Matrix [and] the history of Morpheus. This character is on a journey of self-discovery. There’s a lot in our story that’s about growth,...

The Matrix Resurrections opens in Theaters and HBO Max on December 22.

Recently the actor was interviewed by Esquire magazine for the Winter 2021 issue. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a38241136/keanu-reeves-interview-2021/

The star of Constantine, John Wick, The Lake House and Speed, among a multitude of others, loves movies. “When he’s home for a stretch and has a day with nothing to do, he sometimes goes to the movie theater and sees two, maybe three movies in a day. He loves, loves, loves movies. Even on an off day while he’s working—he went to see Dune the other night in Paris. (“Awesome.”)”

Watch the Q&a video with this delightful, funny actor.

Reeves stars in the highly anticipated and long awaited film reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous, Neo and Trinity.

The film also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (the “Aquaman” franchise) Jessica Henwick,...

Warner Bros. Pictures has released a first teaser poster along with the website for The Matrix Resurrections, prior to the first big trailer release this Thursday. In the original movie, Neo (Keanu Reeves) was told by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne): “You take the blue pill…the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill…you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Neo chooses the red pill and joins the rebellion.

http://whatisthematrix.com/

The long-awaited fourth film in the “Matrix” universe, the groundbreaking franchise that redefined a genre, “The Matrix Resurrections” reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss as Neo and Trinity, the iconic roles they made famous in “The Matrix.”

The film also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (the “Aquaman” franchise) Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris (“Gone Girl”), Priyanka Chopra Jonas,...

Oscar-winning set decorator Michael Ford, who worked on franchises including Star Wars, Bond and Indiana Jones, has died aged 90.

During a glittering career, Ford won Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration in 1982 for Raiders Of The Lost Ark and in 1998 for his work on Titanic. He also received Academy Award nominations for his work on Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi.

Born in the UK, Ford’s career began in the 1960s. Early movie credits in the 1970s included comedies Up The Front and The Alf Garnett Saga while popular TV shows from the same decade included Space: 1999 and The New Avengers. In the 1980s he worked on movies such as The Living Daylights, six-time Oscar-winner Empire Of The Sun and Licence To Kill while in 1995 Ford worked on his third Bond title, GoldenEye. His final film was adventure sci-fi Wing Commander in...

Ford’s credits included Titantic and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.

Michael Ford, the two-time Oscar-winning set decorator whose credits included Titanic, several James Bond films and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back has died at the age of 90.

Ford began his career in the early 1970s, working as an assistant art director on several UK features including Up The Front and The Alf Garnett Saga. He also held the same position on TV series The New Avengers.

In 1980, he took up the position of set decorator on sci-fi blockbuster Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,...

Ford’s credits included Titantic and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.

Michael Ford, the two-time Oscar-winning set decorator whose credits included Titanic, several James Bond films and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back has died at the age of 90.

Ford began his career in the early 1970s, working as an assistant art director on several UK features including Up The Front and The Alf Garnett Saga. He also held the same position on TV series The New Avengers.

In 1980, he took up the position of set decorator on sci-fi blockbuster Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,...