News

The prestigious Bulgarian event showcases work by filmmakers from south-eastern Europe.

Debut features by filmmakers from Ukraine, Israel, Bulgaria and Georgia are among more than 30 film and TV projects being pitched to potential backers at the Sofia Meetings in Bulgaria from June 9 – 12.

Producer Andriy Kornienko of Kyiv-based Good Morning Films and director Ivan Orlenko will be participating online from Ukraine to present the dystopian drama Madagaskarplan.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian-born editor-director Svitlana Topor and producer Vasyl Malko of Warsaw-based Emily Production will be onsite in Sofia to pitch the debut No Smoking At The Border which is described as “a drama with...

Fremantle has appointed a Group Head of Strategy to support growth after striking a range of partnerships and buying up labels over the past year.

Gabriella Carriere joins from Sky Italia, where she held the positions of Sky Wifi Marketing Senior Director, Media and Commercial Partnerships Director and Strategy Director since joining in 2016. She replaces Van Truong, who has been doing the role for the past five years and is moving to become Head of Special Projects.

Carriere will oversee strategy for the American Gods and The Hand of God producer-distributor, which is on a growth path.

During the past months, Fremantle has struck significant talent deals with Angelina Jolie and Escape at Dannemora EP Nicholas Weinstock, while taking majority stakes in Conversations with Friends producer Element Pictures, The Responder indie Dancing Ledge and veteran Italian shingle Lux Vide.

Carriere will report into Fremantle Group COO Andrea Scrosati, who described her as an “exceptional talent.

Actor Fred Ward, who was best known for playing gruff tough guys in a variety of action and thriller films, died at the age of 79 on May 8, according to his publicist. Ward’s place and cause of death were not disclosed in the announcement. His breakout role came in the 1979 film Escape From […]

The post Fred Ward, ‘Tremors’ & ‘Escape From Alcatraz’ Actor, Dies At 79 appeared first on uInterview.

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Metallica have unveiled the latest expression in their Blackened American Whiskey line, dubbed “Rye the Lightning.”

The new Kentucky straight rye whiskey is a play on words, inspired by Metallica’s sophomore album, Ride the Lightning. The new expression is finished in Madeira and rum casks, and undergoes the same “Black Noise” sonic-enhancement process (where the barrels are pummeled by low hertz frequencies of Metallica’s music) as...

Composers Robin Carolan (Tri Angle records) and Sebastian Gainsborough (Vessel) were given a task of epic proportions when director Rob Eggers asked them to create the soundtrack for his ambitious and highly anticipated new film The Northman, releasing on April 22nd via Back Lot Music and physically on July 1st via Sacred Bones Records. The Northman, Eggers action-filled epic, follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder and stars Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.

“Robert wanted the world of The Northman to feel harsh and uncomfortable, and for everything to feel like it was caked in mud and dry blood, so it was crucial for the score to mirror that” said the composers.

They needed to make a soundtrack that both honored the immense research that had gone into the authenticity of this Viking-era story...

‘The Worst Person In The World’ opens in 126 sites for Mubi.

Universal’s action blockbuster Ambulance will look to end the three-session run of The Batman on top of the UK-Ireland box office chart this weekend; whilst Mubi sets The Worst Person In The World as one of its biggest-ever openings.

Directed by Michael Bay, Ambulance stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza Gonzalez, in a story about two robbers in LA who steal an ambulance after their heist goes awry. It opens in 595 locations.

Ambulance is the 15th film directed by the polemical Bay; it is his first for Universal,...

Fourteen years after Kaskade and Deadmau5 collaborated for the first time, the two Edm stars are uniting under the name Kx5. On Friday, the duo dropped their dance-ready, progressive first single, “Escape” featuring Hayla.

The track taps into the nostalgia of the early 2000s with a “throwback to that kind of minimalistic approach to that melodic sing-songy house,” Deadmau5 told Dancing Astronaut.

The collaborative project has been years in the making — and for the duo, it just made sense. “I mean after Covid, I’m just like, I want do stuff that I want do.

Paramount Home Entertainment just released Escape from L.A. (1996) on 4K Ultra HD and its darkness has never been clearer. In it, former marine commando and all-around badass, Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), is captured by the New Moral America and dropped into the country’s immoral detention center to steal a doomsday device designed to douse all power on the planet. The film marked John Carpenter’s first sequel, following up on the iconic dystopian satire, Escape from New York (1981), with even more nihilistic bite, and an ending darker than a fade to black.

Directed from a screenplay Carpenter co-wrote with Debra Hill and Russell, Escape from L.A. concludes with Snake Plissken pressing the button on the biggest remote control ever made. Every screen, all communications, and total power is cut. It is one of the biggest cliffhangers because, after an apparent off-screen debacle in Cleveland and two urban prison breaks,...

Ben Stiller’s new TV project finds him working off-screen: He’s an executive producer and primary director on the thriller Severance. The ensemble cast features some pretty big names, including Adam Scott, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette. Stiller is a big fan of Arquette’s, having directed her in the 2018 Showtime miniseries Escape at […]

The post Ben Stiller & Patricia Arquette Reconnect In ‘Severance’ appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Exclusive: J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the creator-EPs behind Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, have set up their 2017 Black List screenplay Escape with The Hideaway Entertainment (Cherry), tapping James Watkins to direct.

The action-adventure pic is inspired by the true story of convicts Robert Greenhill and Alexander Pearce, and their sensational journey of survival after escaping from prison, which scandalized the Victorian-era world. While the story has previously inspired songs, works of fiction and non-fiction, news articles, tall tales, art, illustrations and other printed materials, it has never before been adapted as a large-scale feature film.

When the wrongly-accused Greenhill is shipped to the harshest Tasmanian penal colony in the 1820s, he quickly realizes his only chance of survival is to partner with the notorious murderer Pearce and five other hardened criminals in order to escape.

Many people, myself included, are still staying inside due to the pandemic and virtual events have still been a regular part of me connecting with friends and family. I'm very excited that Mixtape Massacre is bringing back their virtual game night this March! Here are all the details and a fun announcement trailer for Mixtape Madness 2: Escape from Tall Oaks:

The fan favorite virtual game night returns! And this time with a twist. Grab your copy of Escape from Tall Oaks and join us March 12, 2022 at 9Pm Est for a night of ghouls, guts, and games.

The event is open to anyone who wants to participate. All they need is a copy of the Escape from Tall Oaks base game and a couple friends or family. At 9Pm Est, head over to the Mixtape Massacre Youtube page for the premiere of Mixtape Madness 2: Escape from Tall Oaks, and let the fun begin!

I must have at least 7 home video releases of John Sturges’ classic, starting from VHS, but they’ve come up with a good reason to return: a 4K transfer with color and contrast grading that to me better represents the movie. The thrilling, not-too-violent escapades of Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Garner, David McCallum, James Coburn, Charles Bronson & James Donald are no longer timed so that everything looks like a washed-out high noon: both the 4th of July and much of the mad-dash escape scramble are meant to take place near the crack of dawn. In this case ‘Much darker’ is much richer; faces don’t get blown out. And I do see more detail in the enhanced image. So here we go again, happily.

The Great Escape 4K

4K Ultra HD

Kl Studio Classics

1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / Street Date January 11, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95

Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner,...

Hello, dear readers! With December officially here, that means that the 2021 holiday shopping season is well underway as we’re now only a little over three weeks away from the Christmas holiday weekend. For today’s installment of Daily Dead’s 2021 Holiday Gift Guide, we’re taking a look at a bunch of great horror games and puzzles that would make for killer gifts to find under the tree this year.

Check out our highlighted horror games and puzzles below and be sure to head back here tomorrow for the final installment of our 2021 Hgg.

Happy Shopping!

Games:

Mixtape Massacre

Mixtape Massacre is a tabletop board game where up to 6 players play as slasher archetypes and compete in a fictional 1986 killing spree to be remembered. With tons of jokes and references to 1980’s pop-culture and horror tropes – Mixtape Massacre will have you laughing while you’re slashing!

Escape from Tall...

ITV Studios America, New Republic Pictures and Cate Blanchett’s Dirty Films have teamed up to adapt The Champions, the 1960s British TV series from Dennis Spooner.

2x Oscar winner Blanchett will star alongside Primetime Emmy winner Ben Stiller, who is set to direct and produce the adaptation through his Red Hour Productions. The adaptation of The Champions is being set as a feature.

In The Champions, a plane carrying three Un agents crashes in the Himalayas. The agents aboard are rescued by an advanced civilization secretly living in Tibet who grant them enhanced intellectual and physical abilities. When the agents return to the outside world, they use their new superhuman powers to become Champions of Law, Order, and Justice.

The Champions was produced by Lew Grade’s Itc Entertainment and aired 30 episodes in the UK on ITV from 1968-69. NBC aired the series in the summer of 1968. Episodes were...

Dun, dun! Tonight, Oct. 21 marks the 500th episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and so, we can't help but think about the thousands of actors that have made an appearance on the storied procedural show. Though Mariska Hargitay is the face you think of when Svu pops into your mind, we want to remind you that countless celebrities have acted opposite her over the years. Stars who have gone on to lead their own shows once had guest starring roles on the series. For instance, before Milo Ventimiglia captured our hearts as Jack Pearson on This Is Us, he appeared as an abuse victim in a 2003 episode, called "Escape." There's also Sarah Hyland, who appeared...

Amazon Studios has released a trailer for Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos,” starring Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem.

The film follows Hollywood couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, played by Kidman and Bardem respectively, during a production week on the set of “I Love Lucy.” Throughout a Monday table read all the way through an audience shot on Friday, both Ball and Arnaz face challenges that could end both of their careers and their marriage.

In the trailer, quick glimpses of the couple’s whirlwind life are shown accompanied by Kidman’s voiceover, with the first clear look at Kidman coming via the recreation of Ball’s iconic grape stomping scene.

Sorkin has written the screenplay and helms the film for Amazon Studios and Escape Artists. Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch of Escape Artists are producers. Escape Artists’ Jenna Block and David Bloomfield serve as executive producers,...

How did your parents meet? We're guessing not quite like Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova did. As fans well know, the 46-year-old singer and the 40-year-old tennis star met on the set of the sizzling music video for his 2001 hit "Escape." And during a recent episode of SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show, Iglesias revealed that their children have seen the video. "I think my kids have already seen—well, I think, no, I know my kids have already seen that video," the father to 3-year-old twins Nicholas and Lucy and 20-month-old Mary, said. "And they're putting two and two together. Like, 'Oh,...

Restoration

The 20th anniversary 4K restoration of David Lynch‘s iconic surrealist mystery-drama is to get a home entertainment and limited theatrical release from Studiocanal and the Criterion Collection.

20 years after the film’s world premiere at Cannes in 2001, the restoration, supervised by Lynch himself, premiered at the Cannes Classics selection earlier this year. In 2001, Lynch won best director at Cannes, an award he shared with Joel Coen for “The Man Who Wasn’t There.”

The film will be released on home entertainment, formats including a 4K Uhd limited collector’s edition with a new artwork by Krzysztof Domaradzki rolling out across Studiocanal’s territories in November, with additional theatrical releases planned in France and Germany.

“Mulholland Drive” stars Naomi Watts (“The Impossible”) in her breakthrough double-role as well as Laura Harring (“Love in the Time of Cholera”), Justin Theroux (“The Girl On The Train”) and Melissa George (“Hunted”).

Streaming

Streamer...

Exclusive: Fictionz, a female-centric narrative podcast subscription app, is launching in mid-October with dramas featuring Judy Greer (Halloween Kills) as a manic Hollywood agent, Jeanine Mason (Roswell: New Mexico), Max Greenfield (The Neighborhood), and Michael Trevino (Roswell: New Mexico).

Also voicing content are Meghan Reinks (The Honor List), Bahni Turpin (The Help), Sierra Swartz (Cheaper by the Dozen), Kylie Sparks (Squaresville), Adam J. Harrington (Bosch), and musicians Kori Withers, Soufia Toufa, and Chester See (Rock of Ages).

Run by former Untitled Entertainment and Relativity Media exec Kendall Rhodes of Paraluman Media and finance partner Greg Lawrance of Ready Go Ventures, the company is adapting short stories and originals into narrative audio stories that put diverse female protagonists at the forefront. The dramas are predominantly written by female authors and directed by women.

Releasing a new series every two weeks, the first seasons of each series will run between three...

“Shang-Chi And The Legend of The Ten Rings” held on the top place at the South Korean box office for the second weekend. But it failed to sustain overall cinemagoing in what used to be, pre-covid, the world’s fourth largest theatrical market.

“Shang-Chi” earned $2.63 million in its second weekend for a market share of 50%. Its drop from the opening weekend was an okay 44%. And after twelve days on release, it has amassed $10.6 million according to data from the Korean Film Council’s Kobis tracking service. Kobis also shows it to be only the tenth film in Korea this year to attract more than one million spectators.

But “Shang-Chi” alone was not enough to prevent the overall weekend from dipping significantly. Nationwide aggregate cinema business amounted to just $5.26 million this weekend. That was down 35% week-on-week and was the lowest weekend score for more than two months.

The slack levels of...

Beverly Hills Cop 4 is one of nearly two dozen movies revealed to start shooting soon in California with Netflix moving forward on the action-comedy sequel. Back in 1984, series star Eddie Murphy debuted as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop who heads to Beverly Hills to investigate a crime. He would return for the sequels Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987 and Beverly Hills Cop III in 1994, and it's been reported Murphy will be back as Axel for a fourth time in Beverly Hills Cop 4.

On Monday, California's Film & TV tax credit program unveiled a list of 23 new movies, including 10 studio movies and 13 indie features, to be developed in the state. This includes some notable big budget productions like Jean-Marc Vallée's untitled John Lennon and Yoko Ono biopic for Universal and Zack Snyder's sci-fi movie Rebel Moon for Netflix, the latter's next project following the success of Army of the Dead.

As Axel Foley would say: “Okay, everybody’s ready here, okay.”

Everybody is here to the tune of almost $15.8 million for Netflix and Paramount’s Beverly Hills Cop 4 with Eddie Murphy and producer Jerry Bruckheimer to be specific. That’s the amount the long-awaited sequel will be getting in tax credits from California, it was revealed today.

Beverly Hills Cop 4 joins 13 independent and nine other “non-independent projects,” as the California Film Commission terms them, from the likes of Aziz Ansari (Untitled Aziz Ansari Project), Kenya Barris (Untitled Jonah Hill Project and White Men Can’t Jump), Brian Grazer and Salma Hayek (Escape), Jonah Hill (Dixon), Karyn Kusama (Untitled Karyn Kusama Project) and Kobi Libii (Untitled Kobi Libii Project).

Check out who conditionally got what below:

Adding up to $138.7 million in tax incentives, the 23 allocations emerged from a total of 56 features that applied for the credits late last month. Putting that investment back into circulation,...

Netflix was the big winner as the California Film Commission awarded a record-setting $138.8 million in film tax credits on Monday.

The streaming service got $43.3 million for three projects, including $18.5 million for the Zack Snyder sci-fi epic “Rebel Moon.” Its other winning projects are “Beverly Hills Cop 4,” which was awarded $15.8 million, and an untitled feature with Jonah Hill, which got $9 million.

The $138.8 million total shattered the previous record for single round of film subsidies, which was $109 million awarded in August 2016. The commission increased the amount this round due to a sizable rollover of unused credits from previous rounds. Many projects were either canceled or relocated due to the pandemic.

For film credits, the commission typically awards anywhere from $40 million to $80 million per round, with two or three rounds per fiscal year. This round actually exceeds the state’s annual allocation to film projects, which is $132 million — or 40% of the total program,...

Exclusive: Logan Miller, who starred in both Escape Room movies including most recently this summer’s Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, has signed with ICM Partners. The action horror movies have grossed more than $189 million at the global box office to date.

Miller’s other film credits include in Fox’s Love, Simon, Universal’s A Dog’s Purpose, IFC Films’ The Stanford Prison Experiment and Paramount’s Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.

On the TV side, Miller has appeared on AMC’s flagship The Walking Dead and voiced Nova on Disney Xd’s animated Marvel series Guardians of the Galaxy.

Miller continues to be repped by Atlas Artists and Hirsch Wallerstein.

Exclusive: Brian and Mark Gunn are set to adapt the screenplay for Sony Pictures and Escape Artists’ The Kaiju Score based on the AfterShock Comics’ series by James Patrick and artist Rem Broo.

The feature’s plot is being kept under wraps. In the comic book series, The Kaiju Score follows four characters who are attempting a dangerous heist during a giant monster (kaiju) attack. Patrick has described the comic as “a Quentin Tarantino film taking place in some corner of a Godzilla movie.”

Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch are producing, along with Tony Shaw who initially brought the property into Sony. AfterShock Media’s Lee Kramer and Jon Kramer will also produce.

Jiao Chen is overseeing the project for Sony Pictures.

Rive Gauche negotiated the deal with Sony Pictures on behalf of AfterShock Media.

As Deadline first reported, Sony acquired the film rights to The...

The company behind the so-called “escape rooms” of the Escape Room movies is called Minos. King Minos, the Cretan of myth, fed children to his minotaur as a matter of rite. So it’s no wonder that a company taking his name would be heavy on sacrifice, low on ethics, and altogether suspicious; it’s no wonder these games aren’t much fun.

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is exactly what its title says it is: A gathering of escape room champions, only two of whom — Zoey (Taylor Russell) and...

Exclusive: Christiana Dell’Anna (Gomorrah), John Lithgow (The Crown), David Morse (The Green Mile), Rolando Villazón (La Bohèmme) and more will star in an Untitled Cabrini Film from Alejandro Monteverde.

The film tells the story of Francesca Cabrini, one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 19th Century, who began with nothing and created the largest multinational charitable empire the world had ever known, her accomplishments equaling those of Vanderbilt and Rockefeller. While Cabrini was faced in her time with the sexism and virulent anti-Italian bigotry of 19th century America, she overcame every obstacle through relentless perseverance and business skill, eventually building schools, orphanages and hospitals that transformed the lives of immigrants worldwide.

The Untitled Cabrini Film also stars Montserrat Espadalé, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Patch Darragh, Jeremy Bobb, Virginia Bocelli, Andrew Polk, and Giampiero Judica.

The Francesca Films pic’s producers include Academy Award and BAFTA Award winner Jonathan Sanger and Leo Severino. Rod Barr wrote the script; he collaborated on the story with TIFF’s People’s Choice Award winner Monteverde.

The film is currently in production in New York; the shoot will wrap up in Rome this fall. The project was the brainchild of financier Eustace Wolfington, whose passion for the story of Francesca Cabrini began over 60 years ago.

“The minute I learned of Cabrini’s life story, I realized this was a story that deserved to be brought to the big screen,” said Wolfington. “As a pioneer of human rights long before today, her story will be an inspiration to today’s pioneers of human rights which makes her story and unprecedented accomplishments as relevant today as ever.”

“As an immigrant myself, I am honored to be able to shine a light on the astonishing story of a true warrior of social justice who transformed the lives of immigrants worldwide,” said Monteverde. “Cabrini was a pioneer of women’s empowerment, making her story as relevant today as in the 1890’s. This picture – like Cabrini herself – is surprising, courageous, gritty… and deeply inspirational.”

“In a time when the achievements of women in every sphere of life have inspired a new generation, it is fascinating to contemplate the work of Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who came to New York in 1889. She would fit perfectly as a leader in today’s world,” added Sanger.

Christiana Dell’Anna’s film credits include Tensione superficiali, Mr. Happiness and more. She has appeared on the small screen in such series as Gomorrah (HBO Max) and Trust (FX). She’s represented in the U.S. by Cavalry Media, and by Volver Consulenze Artistiche in Italy.

A two-time Oscar nominee, John Lithgow recently earned his 13th Emmy nomination for his supporting turn in HBO’s reimagining of Perry Mason. He’ll next appear in Showtime’s Dexter revival, reprising his role as Arthur Mitchell (aka The Trinity Killer), and in FX’s The Old Man. His recent film credits include Bombshell, Late Night and Pitch Perfect 3. Additional TV credits include The Crown, Trial & Error and 3rd Rock from the Sun. Lithgow is repped by UTA, Anonymous Content and attorney Don Steele at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman.

Two-time Emmy nominee David Morse will soon appear in Netflix drama The Chair, opposite Sandra Oh. His recent TV credits include The Good Lord Bird, Blindspot, The Morning Show, The Deuce and Escape at Dannemora. Recent film credits include Thank You for Your Service and Concussion. Morse is repped by UTA, Kipperman Management, Arcieri & Associates, and attorney Diane Golden at Katz Golden Lerner.

Rolando Villazón is an opera singer and director whose credits include Mozart in Prague: Rolando Villazón on Don Giovanni, La Bohèmme and La Traviata. He is repped by Columbia Artists Management.

Monteverde is represented by Sentient Entertainment and attorney Sean A. Marks of Marks Law Group.

Escape from New York came out 40 years ago this week. Released on July 10, 1981, director and co-writer John Carpenter’s sardonic sci-fi action thriller is set in a future United States where the rise of rampant crime has led to Manhattan Island being walled off and turned into a gigantic supermax prison.

When Air Force One is hijacked and forced to crash land on the island, the federal government turns to ex-Special Forces soldier-turned-criminal Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) to get onto the island and rescue the President (Donald Pleasance) in under 24 hours.

At stake: the president’s life and his appearance at a critical peace summit with China and the Soviet Union. If Snake succeeds, he gets a full pardon for his crimes. If he doesn’t, a device attached to his neck explodes and kills him.

Carpenter and his friend Nick Castle (who played The Shape in the original Halloween...

Summer’s here and time is right for dancing … on the deck of a large nautical vessel. During the late Seventies and early Eighties, the radio was dominated by silver-tongued white-dude crooners with names like Rupert and Gerry, emoting over balmy R&b beats, swaying saxes, and dishwasher-clean arrangements. Though it didn’t have a name, the genre — soft rock you could dance to — was dismissed by serious rock fans as fluffy and lame. But thanks to a web series in the mid-2000s, the style — belatedly named “yacht rock...

You can run, you can hide, but ultimately there's no escaping Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova's love. The Grammy-winning singer and the tennis champ first met in late 2001, when Kournikova took the role of Iglesias' love interest in the steamy music video for his hit "Escape." And while there were some things to sort out before they could be together forever... It was game, set, perfect match. "She's beautiful, talented, great tennis player," Iglesias said appreciatively but nonchalantly about his co-star in a Making the Video feature, adding, "It doesn't take a good actor to kiss Anna and try to make it...

With the summer movie season underway, Cannes now on the horizon, and Tribeca kicking off this month, the film industry turns its gears again after an unprecedented near-dormancy. This month’s lineup of new releases is an eclectic mix of bold horror, mysterious romances, riveting documentaries, and much more.

15. Werewolves Within (Josh Ruben)

After making a delightful impression on Veep and I Think You Should Leave, Sam Richardson is becoming a leading man with the horror-comedy Werewolves Within, which comes from Scare Me director Josh Ruben. Also starring Milana Vayntrub, Harvey Guillén, Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins, and Michael Chernus, the film follows a small community that becomes trapped by a snowstorm and newly arrived forest ranger Finn (Richardson) and postal worker Cecily (Vayntrub) must uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature.

Where to Watch: Theaters (June 25) and VOD (July 2)

14. Sweat (Magnus von Horn)

A Cannes Film Festival selection last year,...

Over the years, Seth Rogen has established a towering presence in the world of slacker comedies. But the actor's work in the action genre has been less well-received, with the most well-known project, The Green Hornet, being deemed a critical and commercial failure. In a recent interview, Rogen revealed that he has been working on a new action movie for the past five years, that is "heavily inspired by Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan."

According to the star actor and producer, the movie, titled Escape, will rely almost entirely on physical comedy instead of dialogs for humor. He has this to say about it in a recent interview.

"In Pineapple Express, the scenes people remember are the fights, the foot through the windshield and, like, with Neighbors, you think of the airbags' - moments, that is, of outsize physical comedy. We were like, 'Why are those just the supporting things?...

In a new profile published by The New York Times, Seth Rogen reveals the existence of a passion project he’s been working on for at least the last five years titled “Escape.” Rogen has been writing the movie with longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg and said he hopes to film it next year. “Escape” is being touted as “a big action movie” that is “heavily inspired by Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan.” Rogen is eyeing a starring role, but he’s not giving up any plot details other than saying the project was originally conceived without any dialogue.

As The New York Times reports: “‘Escape’ grew out of a challenge the duo set for themselves to try and make people laugh without using dialogue. In ‘Pineapple Express,’ Rogen explained, ‘the scenes people remember are the fights, the foot through the windshield and, like, with “Neighbors,” you think of the airbags’ — moments,...

Exclusive: Netflix continues to be aggressive in the material market, making a preemptive deal for the Dan Kunka script Lift, for Simon Kinberg’s Genre Pictures and Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho to produce. Genre’s Audrey Chon and 6th & Idaho’s Adam Kassan are also producing.

Netflix moved quickly, after the spec was sent to every studio last night. There’s a strong part for a lead actress. A female master thief and her ex-boyfriend who works for the FBI team up to steal $100 million in gold bullion being transported on a 777 passenger flight from London to Zurich.

Kunka has several projects set around town. TriStar and Escape Artists have the sci-fi adaptation Cagn, Focus Features and George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse have Water Crisis, based on an investigative journalist who recently documented how the world is running out of water; and Church of Spies has Philip Noyce set to direct.

British broadcaster Channel 4 has said that it will no longer work with Ant Middleton, the star of its successful Sas: Who Dares Wins show, after his comments on the Black Lives Matter movement and the coronavirus pandemic.

Middleton has become a major television star in the UK after first appearing in military survival show Sas: Who Dares Wins in 2015. Since then, he has gone on to front solo projects for Channel 4, including Escape and Extreme Everest. He recently fronted Ant Middleton & Rebel Wilson: Straight Talking for Sky.

But Middleton raised eyebrows last year over comments he made about Black Lives Matter and Covid-19. In a now-deleted tweet posted last June, Middleton wrote: “BLM and Edl are not welcome on our streets, absolute scum. What a great example you are to your future generation. Bravo.”

Middleton later posted an apology video, in which he said he was not referring to the movement as “scum.

Female trauma’s been given a serious workout in cinema, liberally exercised in the fantasy genre of late. The celebrated “Promising Young Woman,” while dark satire, uses hot pink revenge fantasy to acerbically explore unresolved trauma (its we live in a society bias nicely unpacked here), and fellow Sundance film, “The Blazing World,” attempts to fall down the rabbit hole of make-believe and similar flight-or-flight responses to emotional scars, only to grotesquely exploit it with its awkward tumble.

Continue reading ‘Mayday’: Grace Van Patten Shines In A Dreamy Fairy Tale Of Escape & Feminist Revenge [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

Match #1: Candice LeRae def. Shotzi Blackheart The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Shotzi Blackheart may have surprised Candice LeRae early, using mat-based wrestling to ground The Poison Pixie instead of her usual high-flying repertoire. LeRae answered, pulling Blackheart into the Gargano Escape until Blackheart countered with a knee to the face and followed by spiking LeRae with a Ddt. Blackheart looked to be setting up for her top-rope senton before Indi Hartwell distracted her, and LeRae capitalized by hitting a huge spinning neckbreaker off the second rope for the victory.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5

Match #2: The Grizzled Young Veterans def. Ever-Rise in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First-Round Match The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Despite being massive underdogs, Ever-Rise stunned The Grizzled Young Veterans early with a quick start. Zack Gibson & James Drake eventually isolated Chase Parker, but Parker found a way to tag in Matt Martel,...

John Fletcher, who was known by the stage name “Ecstasy” while performing with the early rap group Whodini, has died, according to the group’s Grand Master Dee and numerous friends. He was 56. The cause of death was not revealed.

“One love to Ecstasy of the legendary #Whodini,” wrote Roots drummer Questlove on social media. “This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop. This is sad man.”

Whodini were among the commercial pioneers of rap music as contemporaries of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Kurtis Blow. Their hit singles included “Friends,” “Freaks Come Out at Night,” “Magic’s Wand” and “The Haunted House of Rock.” The group earned one platinum (1 million units sold) and two gold albums.

Tributes poured in for Fletcher on social media.

“[In] 1987 I entered the Def Jam tour,” wrote Public Enemy’s Chuck D.

Update: The family and friends of John “Ecstasy” Fletcher have issued statements on his passing earlier today.

Jonnelle Fletcher, John Fletcher’s daughter, said, “The African and Native American ancestors have gathered around and chosen this day, during the Winter Solstice, Dec 23rd, 2020 to call upon a most endeared, generous, and sincere soul who graced The World’s heart through performance, hip-hop, family, children and grandchildren.

John “Ecstasy” Fletcher was a beloved man, the life partner to Deltonia and ex-husband to Carla, twin brother to Joseph,artist, friend, and lifetime performing partner to the Legendary Jalil of Whodini.

Whodini set a Hip Hop course of legendary status that we are all sure to pass on to our grandchildren.

Please send love and prayers to our family, and with open hearts we ask the ancestors to cover his soul in peace and tranquility. Play his music if it moves you, and...

John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, rapper and founding member of the pioneering hip-hop group Whodini, has died at the age of 56. The group’s Grand Master Dee confirmed Fletcher’s death to Variety. No cause of death was provided.

News of Fletcher’s death was first revealed by the Roots’ Questlove, with many others in the rap community also mourning the death of the Whodini rapper. “One Love to Ecstasy of the Legendary #Whodini,” Questlove wrote on social media. “This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop.

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has snatched up the U.S. distribution rights to Akilla’s Escape, Charles Officer’s crime drama which had its world premiere at this year’s Toronto Film Festival and now has a planned release for Q2 of next year.

Saul Williams (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) stars as Akilla Brown, an urban child-soldier who captures a fifteen-year-old Jamaican boy in the aftermath of an armed robbery. Over one grueling night, Akilla confronts a cycle of generational violence he thought he had escaped.

Thamela Mpumlwana (Star Trek: Discovery), Donisha Rita Claire Prendergast (Marathon + Black Bodies), and Vic Mensa (The Birth of a Nation) co-star.

Officer, who co-wrote the screenplay with Wendy “Motion” Brathwaite, also produced the pic with Jake Yanowski. Executive producers are Martin F. Katz, Karen Wookey, and Michael A. Levine.

“Charles Officer’s daring vision and the thoroughly affecting performances from the entire cast make Akilla’s Escape a boldly entertaining film.

Tagline: "Death is No Escape." Indican Pictures will release Alan Murray's Beyond Hell this December. The film's story involves a hallucinogenic drug and a mind trip to Hell. Murray also wrote the script and the film stars: Sean Rey ("Hemlock Grove"), Sebastian Deery (Pure Pwnage), Dominique Smith (The Charter) and Chris Kapeleris. A preview of the film's home entertainment release is available now. The story focuses on character Maryssa (Kearsten Johansson). After taking the drug Changa, she finds herself face-to-face with Belial. As Belial inhabits her being, this demon forces Maryssa to attack her friends. And, there is only one escape from this evil entity, with time running out. Indican Pictures will begin showing Beyond Hell this December 4th. Beyond Hell will launch on more Digital platforms and in a DVD format on this date. A winner of a "Best Special Effects" Jury Award, Beyond Hell brings an intelligent...

It’s been very strange watching Atom Egoyan—one of world cinema’s finest directors back in the ’80s and ’90s—stumble through the second half of his career, seemingly unable either to find a worthwhile new path or to retrace his steps. Adapting a novel by the guy who wrote “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)”; remaking a…...

In February, in order to interview Janelle Monáe for Variety’s Power of Women issue, the two of us did an Escape Room together. Since I am categorically terrible at Escape Rooms, the venue choice was all hers — never would I have suggested such a setting. At the West Hollywood establishment, she was greeted as a regular by the staff, who knew which rooms she had already done. It was intimidating, like I needed to be more intimidated before interviewing Janelle Monáe. It was the night of Feb. 12, and a few days before, Monáe had delivered a rousing performance to open the Academy Awards. We were both feeling the aftereffects of the Oscars.

I had brought hand sanitizer because of my growing fear of coronavirus, and used it liberally. But it was still a month before the global pandemic shut down most of the country, and 115,000 Americans (and counting) died.

Campy. Mysterious. A spooky good time.

Escape the Night blends a fun mix of competitive reality TV and a supernatural TV show.

Started in 2016 by YouTuber Joey Graceffa for YouTube Premium, the series follows a collection of influencers coming together to solve riddles a 2nd survive imminent "death."

There's a creepy story that plagues the setting, and the game becomes more dangerous as the players move deeper into the competition.

Plus, there are a ton of challenges and escape room-like games to get you hooked!

Reality TV is my guilty pleasure, ever since Survivor premiered in 2000 with its competition format. And it's a genre that many fans and TV Fanatics are obsessed with as well. (Check out Sarah Little and Whitney Evans' amazing piece on the debate between Survivor vs. Big Brother.)

Escape the Night is another such series that has grown over the years to be a cheeky and fun cult favorite.

Having made a box-office (and streaming) hit with The Invisible Man, director Leigh Whannell’s next film is rumored to be a remake of the John Carpenter cult classic Escape from New York. The original starred Kurt Russell, and if Escape is made, it wouldn’t be the only Russell remake in the works — a Dwayne [...]

The post In Remakes, Kurt Russell Sees His Career Flash Before His Eyes appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Images from this picture were burned into our Boomer childhood brains … we actually sat still for almost three hours to watch it. John Sturges’ epic show is like a fine-tuned watch — its unbreakable story is populated by ideal characters that become instant heroes, just for acting like normal men that want free of confinement. It’s really about freedom — after two hours in the Pow compound, the fugitives set loose in the wide, green beauty of Germany might as well be escaping into a wonderland of light and space. In its own way this show made our parents’ wartime experience come alive — it’s The picture to interest kids in events of the past.

The Great Escape

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 1027

1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 12, 2020 / 39.95

Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer,...

Scandi major Nordisk Film has acquired a minority stake in leading Norwegian production company Fantefilm, known for successful local blockbusters including The Quake and The Wave.

The parties have also signed a new output deal which will see Nordisk continue as the Nordic distribution and international sales rights partner on Fantefilm’s future slate.

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Fantefilm’s credits also include Ragnarok (2013), Escape (2012) and Cold Prey (2006) as well as the popular Merry Christmas, Mr. Andersen film series. Fantefilm currently has four feature films in production and is also developing a major TV series.

Said Kenneth Wiberg, President of Nordisk Film Distribution and Vice President,...

Netflix's Marvel's Daredevil was canceled in November 2018 after three seasons, to the chagrin of many Marvel fans. Deborah Ann Woll starred on that show, as well as several other of the streaming service's Marvel Comics adaptation, as Karen Page. One would think a high-profile job like that would lead to other opportunities. However, as Woll recently revealed, she hasn't had a single acting job since the show ended.

Deborah Ann Woll was recently a guest on Joe Q's Mornin' Warm Up, which is hosted by Marvel creative director Joe Quesada. During the interview, Woll revealed that she hasn't had an acting job since Daredevil was given the ax. The situation at hand, which has shut down virtually all TV and movie productions for the foreseeable future, certainly hasn't helped matters any. Here's what Woll had to say about it.

"I'm just really wondering whether I'll get to work again,...

Showtime’s head of communications Johanna Fuentes has been named Evp, Worldwide Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Warner Bros. She will start May 4 and be based at Warner Bros’ global headquarters in Burbank.

Reporting to Warner Bros Chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff, Fuentes will overseeing Warner Bros’ communications strategies worldwide. She succeeds Dee Dee Myers, who recently left the studio after five years.

More from DeadlineDee Dee Myers Exiting As Warner Bros Communications BossBrad Pitt's Plan B Inks First Look Deal With Warner Bros.Tom Ascheim Joins Warner Bros As President of Global Kids, Young Adults And Classics

“Johanna is a seasoned executive who brings strategic communications experience, solid media relationships and a sophisticated knowledge of the entertainment landscape to Warner Bros,” said Sarnoff. “As we navigate this next chapter of the evolution of our company, I look forward on relying on her expertise as an integral part of my executive team.