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Amazon is doing more clearing the decks with the cancelation of three comedy series, Tig Notaro’s One Mississippi, Jill Soloway’s I Love Dick, and Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Jean-Claude Van Johnson.

One Mississippi was canceled after two seasons, while I Love Dick and Jean-Claude Van Johnson were axed after one.

“This is part of a move towards bigger, wider-audience series,” an Amazon insider told Deadline. Notaro’s semi-autobiographical One Mississippi has garnered strong...

In case there’s any confusion over the matter, Danny Masterson is in every episode of “The Ranch” Season 4. Despite a highly-publicized controversy that ended in the series regular being fired from Netflix’s Emmy-winning sitcom, that decision took place after filming had been completed on “Part 4.” The new episodes that were released Friday, December 15 are just like the first three seasons: Masterson, as the older brother, Jameson “Rooster” Bennett, is heavily integrated into every half-hour installment.

So fans have a choice to make: Watch “The Ranch” and try to overcome the building rage of watching an alleged rapist goof around or skip 10 episodes and pick the show back up once Masterson is gone for real.

Read More:The Best TV Performances of 2017

For many, this isn’t much of a choice. With so many truly excellent TV shows out there, “The Ranch” isn’t exactly at the top of many Netflix subscribers’ must-see list.

It’s hard to imagine the indefatigable Jean-Claude Van Damme ever tapping out, but after wrapping his new Amazon series, Jean-Claude Van Johnson, the actor needed time to recharge after a surprisingly emotional experience on what, on the surface, seemed like a lighthearted action-comedy show.

“I truly believed in every one of those characters, and it destroyed me -- physically, mentality. It ripped me up,” Van Damme recalls to Et. “At the end of the show, I was very tired, like, ‘Aaaahhh.’”

Most action stars of the ‘90s traded on a grim stoicism, dispatching enemies and saving nations with little more than a grunt. But Van Damme was different, using a light touch and a charming personality to go along with his spinning jump kicks to become an international superstar, one equally at ease with kicking a mascot in the face in Sudden Death and swapping jokes with the Friends gang.

“The thing that always...

“Gunpowder” invites a lot of comparisons to “Game of Thrones.” Much of the three-hour series is spent watching Kit Harington swing his sword around, sport period garb while walking through castles, deliver stirring motivational speeches, and recruit an army to defend his fellow men from persecution. Future generations can look at .gifs of a grimacing Harington and guess, “‘Game of Thrones’ or ‘Gunpowder’?”

As fun as that sounds, the limited series deserves slightly more respect than such frivolity implies. It’s an earnestly made, well-told, true story about a group of 17th century Catholics who rebelled against a Protestant king that saw their faith as a threat and wanted them eliminated. Dragons do not belong here, nor should one wish for them to fly in and set the world ablaze.

But while “Gunpowder” tells its story clearly and respectably — previously unaware British viewers will see Guy Fawkes Day differently — its...

Jean-Claude Van Damme discusses how he learned not to take himself so seriously in the new Amazon series, 'Jean-Claude Van Johnson.' Graham Walzer/Redux

Jean-Claude Van Damme – the kickboxing King of the Splits, the street-fighting inspiration for the game Mortal Kombat, the fabled flexing "Muscles From Brussels" – can get seriously silly.

"I like to make voices with my kids," he says nonchalantly. "You see a cartoon and you do one." Then Van Damme asks, "Can you make a voice for me? Make a voice for me." After a few increasingly goofy back-and-forths,...

Jean-Claude Van Damme discusses how he learned not to take himself so seriously in the new Amazon series, 'Jean-Claude Van Johnson.' Graham Walzer/Redux

Jean-Claude Van Damme – the kickboxing King of the Splits, the street-fighting inspiration for the game Mortal Kombat, the fabled flexing "Muscles From Brussels" – can get seriously silly.

"I like to make voices with my kids," he says nonchalantly. "You see a cartoon and you do one." Then Van Damme asks, "Can you make a voice for me? Make a voice for me." After a few increasingly goofy back-and-forths,...

When the pilot for Jean-Claude Van Johnson first popped up on Amazon in August of last year, I have to admit I liked the Dave Callaham-created project, but I really didn't think it could work as a series. Well, now that the six-episode first season of the series starring Jean-Claude Van Damme is set for a December 15 launch, it’s time for me to admit I was so wrong on that one. Funny, smart where you don't expect it, a bit shameless, framed literally and figuratively like…...

Fans of Tropic Thunder will immediately feel a kinship towards Jean-Claude Van Johnson, a spoof of action movies and the bulky stars who lead them. The Amazon series reintroduces us to “the Muscles from Brussels,” Jean-Claude Van Damme, who we soon learn has been using his celebrity as a cover for covert operations that include taking down an international drug ring. Jean-Claude Van Johnson is one of Amazon’s 2016 pilots that was voted on to be made into a series, and its brief six-episode has the beats of the action movies it spoofs. In that …...

In 2017, there’s a show for everyone, and typically that’s a good thing. There’s so much demand for fresh content and so many content providers looking to stand out, fresh stories from distinct voices populate an ever-diversifying television landscape. In other words, this is a world that could easily have room for a show where Jean-Claude Van Damme plays Jean-Claude Van Damme, a movie star who’s also a highly trained international spy.

But for as nutty as “Jean-Claude Van Johnson” sounds, its execution feels too familiar to earn its spot. Though the story-building in the pilot is clever enough to provide ample opportunity for good old-fashioned fun, too many easy jokes and half-baked movie homages keep the six-episode first season from fulfilling its potential as the sharp meta successor to “Episodes,” “The Comedians,” or even Van Damme’s 2008 film, “Jcvd.”

For starters, “Jean-Claude Van Johnson” has nothing to say about the industry,...

Louisa Mellor Dec 13, 2017

We’ve taken a highlighter to this year’s Christmas and New Year TV schedules and circled what we’ll be watching this festive season…

Amid the cosy repeats and cranberry-stuffed cookery shows on TV over the next few weeks are a few gems. There’s no Sherlock or Charlie Brooker’s TV Wipe this year, but there are plenty of treats, not least the return of The League Of Gentlemen for a three-part anniversary series and Peter Capaldi’s last hurrah in the Tardis in the Doctor Who Christmas episode.

See related 26 new TV shows to watch in 2017

Over on Netflix, six new episodes of Black Mirror are coming to usher in the New Year, two days into which we welcome the return of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s genius anthology Inside No. 9.

Not to gloss over a spooky M.R. James night on BBC Four,...

Last year’s Amazon Pilot Season included Jean-Claude Van Johnson. Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in the self-referential comedy, where Van Damme movies are only the cover for his real mission: he is actually a super spy. The full first season premieres this month on Amazon Prime. Van Damme has already revealed some mild spoilers […]

The post Jean-Claude Van Damme on ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson,’ Playing Dual Characters, and Doing the Splits [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

Matt Edwards Dec 14, 2017

As action comedy thriller Jean-Claude Van Johnson arrives on Amazon Prime Video, Matt looks at the history of action movie star satire...

In the new Amazon series Jean-Claude Van Johnson, action star Jean-Claude Van Damme attempts to relaunch his career by playing a fictionalised version of himself. In the show, Jean-Claude goes to Bulgaria to star in a movie which has been set-up to allow him to undertake covert missions for the agency as his alter-ego name Jean-Claude Van Johnson.

See related The Oa: 10 questions (sort of) answered The Oa: Netflix renews for season 2 Netflix's The Oa: spoiler-free review

This might all seem a bit familiar, for a couple of reasons. Of course, it’s not the first time that hyper-flexible jaw-punter Van Damme has relaunched his career by playing a fictionalised version of himself. 2008's excellent Jcvd, where he plays a down-on-his-luck version of himself who...

When historians look back at the cosmic coincidences that made up the annus miserablis that was 2017, they will likely skip over the fact Netflix released a movie named Bright and a German horror series titled Dark within mere days of one another. We, however, are happy to celebrate such a glorious irony right here and now. The streaming service is also dropping a pair of stand-up specials from heavyweight talents (and supposedly the new season of Black Mirror, which is scheduled for "late 2017" ... so, um, soon?). Meanwhile Amazon is keeping...

On this episode of Collider TV Talk (October 20th, 2017), Josh Macuga, Grace Hancock and Sinead de Vries discuss: The new Jean-Claude Van Johnson trailer Arrow review Mindhunter full series review De Vries Style - We’ve Got Time Twitter Questions Pick of the Day - If you could pick a candy to write a sitcom about, what candy would you pick? [caption id="attachment_670235" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image via The CW/caption]…...

"This isn't a game." Amazon has just released the official trailer and release date for their upcoming TV show Jean-Claude Van Johnson.The comedy “stars global martial arts and film sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme as “Jean-Claude Van Damme,” a global martial arts and film sensation… and, operating under the simple alias of ‘Johnson,” the most dangerous undercover operative in the world.”Read More…...

A full trailer has been released for the Jean-Claude Van Damme parody series Jean-Claude Van Johnson and it looks hilarious! If you've ever enjoyed a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, you're gonna enjoy this! The new series is set up at Amazon and it follows Van Damme's life as a martial artist and film sensation, who also happens to be a dangerous undercover agent. In the series, he's looking to get back in the game and as you'll see int he trailer, he's a little rusty. Here's the synopsis:

Jean-Claude Van Johnson stars global martial arts and film sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme as “Jean-Claude Van Damme,” a global martial arts and film sensation…and, operating under the simple alias of “Johnson,” the most dangerous undercover operative in the world. Unhappily retired, he’s now whiling away his days in superficial Hollywood… until a chance encounter with a lost love lures him back into the game,...

Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme has made a meta film commenting on his career before with 2008’s Jcvd, but now the Muscles from Brussels is heading to Amazon for a new action comedy series where he takes it to the next level. Jean-Claude Van Johnson stars Jcvd as a version of himself that takes acting gigs as a cover for […]

The post ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’ Trailer: Van Damme Makes Fun of Himself and Saves the World appeared first on /Film.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming Amazon Prime series Jean-claude Van Johnson, simply for its audacious premise. Basically, Jean-Claude Van Damme is actually a kick-ass super spy, who only acted in films as a cover for his ops. Not only that, but the pilot that was screened last year was actually funny! It wasn't perfect (the whole "go at him one-at-a-time" joke fell pretty... Read More...

Jean-Claude Van Damme may be a famous martial arts expert and movie star, but in the new series “Jean-Claude Van Johnson” he’s also a dangerous spy. The new Amazon series features Van Damme starring as a version of himself, who also happens to be a retired undercover operative. After an encounter with a lost love, […]...

I don't want to hype Jean-Claude Van Johnson too much, but this could be one of my favorite series of the year. Maybe. I've only seen the pilot, sure, but I believe in Jcvd! The first full trailer for the series introduces us to the man behind the actor behind the spy, as Jcvd is revealed as using Hollywood as a cover for his spycraft activities. The satirical series is not only a send-up of Hollywood action films, but of "one last mission" stories, and even an examination of fame. The trailer repeats a lot of …...

I feel like I’ve been hearing about “Jean-Claude Van Johnson” forever by this point, so I’m kind of surprised to learn that the first season hasn’t arrived yet. At any rate, the high concept comedy literally packs a punch, and it’ll be interesting to see how Jean-Claude Van Damme pokes fun at his action hero legacy.

Created and written by Dave Callaham (“The Expendables“) and directed by Peter Atencio (“Keanu“), with Ridley Scott surprisingly among the producers, the series follows Van Damme (playing “himself”), who uses his Hollywood fame as cover for dangerous, undercover missions.

Continue reading ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’ Trailer: Jean-Claude Van Damme Goes Undercover at The Playlist.

“My name is Jean-Claude Van Damme. I used to be super famous.” But things have changed. So begins the official trailer for Amazon’s upcoming series Jean-Claude Van Johnson. It stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jean-Claude Van Damme, a global martial arts and film sensatio — except he’s operating under the simple alias of 'Johnson.” Unhappily retired, he's now whiling away his days in superficial Hollywood… until a chance encounter with a lost love lures him back into the…...

Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot is in talks to star in director Justin Kurzel's World War II thriller Ruin, which, if her deal is finalized, will be shot early next year, before the actress gets to work on Wonder Woman 2. Warner Bros confirmed during Comic-Con 2017 that the Wonder Woman 2 release date has been set for December 13, 2019, and with shooting on the superhero sequel not expected to happen until next summer, that gives the actress time to shoot Ruin before returning as Diana of Themyscira. Unfortunately, no details about Gal Gadot's character have been revealed at this time.

The project is set in the aftermath of World War II, and is said to be a gritty period revenge thriller in the same vein as Inglorious Basterds and Fury. The story follows a "nameless ex-Nazi captain" who wanders through the ruins of Germany following the war's end. Wanting...

True crime and supernatural enthusiasts alike can get on board with Amazon’s latest series, “Lore,” premiering this Friday, October 13. The six-episode series, based on Aaron Mahnke’s brilliantly chilling podcast of the same name, will bring the most unsettling folklore to life.

In a recently released video teaser, Aaron Mahnke narrates the story of a man named Thomas Bradford, an engineer and psychic who was so devoted to his studies around the afterlife that he killed himself. However, he did so with a specific purpose that could only be achieved once he had died.

In the video below, it’s easy to see how “Lore” transitioned from podcast to TV show. From haunted dolls to possessed daughters, “Lore” tells the terrifying tales of the past and present. The most unnerving part about it all? Every story is true. In each episode, Mahnke’s calm demeanor introduces a common truth...

“My name is Jean-Claude Van Damme. I used to be super famous.” These are the opening lines of the pilot for Jean-Claude Van Johnson, an upcoming Amazon original series we exclusively told you about early last year. The pilot performed well enough with viewers to warrant a series order, and the first season is officially on the […]

The post ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’ Teaser: Jcvd Welds a Statue of Himself appeared first on /Film.

Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kat Foster star in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video original series Jean-Claude Van Johnson. Jean-claude Van Damme & Kat Foster On Jean-claude Van Johnson The cast of the new series met at Beyond Fest for a screening and panel discussion of the project. Van Damme plays himself, a martial arts and film star, under […]

Source: uInterview

The post Jean-Claude Van Damme & Kat Foster Speak At ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’ Screening At Nyff appeared first on uInterview.

"This was a terrible idea." Amazon has just released a new teaser for their upcoming TV show Jean-Claude Van Johnson. The comedy "stars global martial arts and film sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme as "Jean-Claude Van Damme," a global martial arts and film sensation... and, operating under the simple alias of 'Johnson," the most dangerous undercover operative in the world."Read More…...

Jean-Claude Van Damme has a new series coming to Amazon called Jean-Claude Van Johnson, and today we've got an amusing teaser trailer for you to watch and a poster! The show is basically a parody of Jean-Claude Van Damme and his life as a martial arts and film sensation, who is also secretly a dangerous undercover agent. Here's the synopsis:

Jean-Claude Van Johnson stars global martial arts and film sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme as “Jean-Claude Van Damme,” a global martial arts and film sensation…and, operating under the simple alias of “Johnson,” the most dangerous undercover operative in the world. Unhappily retired, he’s now whiling away his days in superficial Hollywood… until a chance encounter with a lost love lures him back into the game, eventually forcing him to confront the greatest enemy he’s ever faced: a Bulgarian drug cartel. Just kidding, it’s himself.

The teaser for...

I remember when Jean-claude Van Johnson first appeared as a pilot Amazon Prime let you vote on, and thinking it was alright. I thought the beginning - with sadsack Jean-Claude Van Damme - moping around his house was extremely funny, while a lot of the Hollywood parody stuff (like the ridiculous Huckleberry Finn action film he found himself in) was a little too on the nose. As for the action bits, I thought they were hit-and-miss, and always best when Jvcd was the butt of the jokes. He... Read More...

Belgium martial arts and film sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as none other than martial arts and film sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme, who is also an undercover operative under the alias “Johnson,” in the upcoming Amazon series “Jean-Claude Van Johnson.” Yes, let that sit for a second.

Related:‘The Tick’ Trailer: TV’s Funniest Superhero Plummets Into Action in New Amazon Series

“Jean-Claude Van Johnson” will self-reflexively feature Van Damme as a bored and unhappily retired artist who spends his days brimming with nostalgia of his time working in superficial Hollywood. But his luck changes when he unexpectedly encounters a lost love that will bring him back in business and prepares to face his greatest enemy: himself.

Amid the welding sparks, the show’s new teaser released by Amazon reveals Van Damme welding a statue of himself performing a full-frontal split and flexing his muscles in nothing but his shorts.

Amazon released three half-hour pilots in a batch last year: The Tick (which was great), Jean-Claude Van Johnson (which was also great), and I Love Dick (which I did not love at all). The other two series have already premiered, but we're only now getting our first tease for Jean-Claude Van Johnson, starring martial arts star Jean-Claude Van Damme. The teaser is pretty vague, though does give some sense of the show's satirical bent (you can read my review of the pilot here). The bottom line for me is that the pilot was the …...

The show stars global martial arts and film sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme as “Jean-Claude Van Damme”

The post New Jean-Claude Van Johnson Teaser and Key Art appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Warner Bros. is certainly wasting no time moving forward on Wonder Woman 2. Just two days after Wonder Woman 2 director Patty Jenkins closed her deal to direct the superhero sequel, the studio has brought in writer Dave Callaham (The Expendables) to work on the script with the director and Geoff Johns. Unfortunately, no story details for the sequel have been confirmed, but with a new writer on board, we may hear more about this superhero sequel soon.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news today, revealing that both Patty Jenkins and Geoff Johns had been working on a Wonder Woman 2 treatment for the past several months, and now Dave Callaham will join the writing fold. Patty Jenkins has talked about setting this sequel in two very different time periods. Just after the theatrical release of Wonder Woman, the director stated that she plans to bring the story back to present day for the sequel,...

When Amazon debuted their various pilots up for vote a while ago, I'm glad it wasn't a case of "one over the other", because I loved both Jean-claude Van Johnson and The Tick (and have heard great things about I Love Dick). So it's awesome that Amazon listened to the fans and we were able to have our cake and eat it too! And while this is similar in premise to Jean-Claude Van Damme's previous Jvcd, I... Read More...

A teaser arrives for Jean-Claude Van Damme's upcoming original Amazon television series, which is titled Jean-Claude Van Johnson.

Gabriel Bergmoser Jun 6, 2017

Better Call Saul is gearing up to an explosive end for season three, leaving its audience scared and excited in equal measure...

This review contains spoilers.

See related The Tick (2016) pilot review Jean-Claude Van Johnson pilot review The Tick: creator talks long-term TV plans

3.8 Slip

It’s testament to the deftness of Better Call Saul that it can so easily make the tragic seem exhilarating. After all, for three seasons we have come to fervently hope that Jimmy McGill can hold on to his decency, even knowing that he can’t, and now the slip has happened and the fall is growing faster by the second. And yet, it almost feels satisfying.

There’s a case to be made that Slip offers us a glimpse of the kind of show Better Call Saul could have been. Back in the early days of its inception the general assumption...

Ryan Lambie Jun 6, 2017

District 9 director Neill Blomkamp's launched an "experimental studio" to make short films. Here's a second trailer for Volume 1...

Update: Once again, District 9 and Chappie director Neill Blomkamp has teased his new creative project: Oats Studios, a company dedicated experimental short films. Some may eventualy lead to feature films, others are simply vignettes that show off futuristic, grotesque or plain weird ideas.

See related  The Tick (2016) pilot review Jean-Claude Van Johnson pilot review The Tick: creator talks long-term TV plans

Called Volume 1, the series of short films will take in lizard-like aliens, Sigourney Weaver, the Vietnam War, and lots more besides. You can see the latest trailer below, while the first promo for Volume 1 can be found in our earlier post further beneath.

Our earlier story follows...

Over the past few days, District 9 and Elysium director Neill Blomkamp's been teasing a new creative project over on Twitter.

Women in Horror Film Festival showcases the wonderfully talented female voices in my favorite (and your favorite) film genre, horror. The festival directors have announced that Jen and Sylvia Soska have joined an already rad lineup of appearances, and in today's Horror Highlights is a new clip from The Black Room and a trailer for 4/20 Massacre.

The Soska Sisters to Attend Women in Horror Film Festival: Press Release: "Festival Directors and horror filmmakers Samantha Kolesnik and Vanessa Ionta Wright are thrilled to welcome some amazing guests, panelists and guest judges to the 2017 Women in Horror Film Festival! Guest judges and panelists Marianne Maddalena (Producer of Scream 1,2,3 & 4, The Hills Have Eyes, The Last House on the Left), Heather Langenkamp & Amanda Wyss (A Nightmare on Elm Street). A panel with Jen & Sylvia Soska (Hellevator, American Mary, Dead Hooker in a Trunk). Appearances by Lynn Lowry (The Crazies, Shivers, Cat People) and Sonya Thompson (The Walking Dead,...

Bar Paly is joining the cast of Jean-Claude Van Damme's Jean-Claude Van Johnson TV show at Amazon. According to Deadline, the veteran of the cancelled USA drama The Starter Wife is reprising Krisztina, the role she played in the pilot. The character is a "stunning actress who is the female lead in Jean-Claude’s movie."An action-adventure spoof, Jean-Claude Van Johnson also stars Kat Foster, Moises Arias, and Phylicia Rashad. Peter Atencio, Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, and Van Damme executive produce. Amazon greenlit the series back in September of 2016. The 2017 premiere date is yet to be announced.Read More…...

Seems like each week there's some new article bemoaning the dearth of creativity and risk-taking in film and television. The prevailing sentiment being that Hollywood is only interested in producing sequels, licensed properties, or reboots. Fair enough, lot of truth in that statement. However, when it comes to nerve, hubris, and flat-out aggressiveness for original content, look no further than the fine folks at Netflix. 

Deadline reports that actor Channing Tatum will star as U.S. President George Washington in America: The Motion Picture, a revisionist, R-rated, animated film about the founding of our country; brought to you by the creative teams behind Archer and The Lego Movie. If that doesn't satisfy your need for outside-of-the-box thinking, you might need a little more Vitamin-d in your diet.

America: The Motion Picture is Netflix's first animated feature, and it surely demonstrates their willingness to venture into new genres and categories whether...

Netflix is joining the R-Rated animation club that includes the likes of “Sausage Party,” “Heavy Metal,” “South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut” and anime like “Akira,” “Appleseed” and more.

The streaming service is joining forces with director Matt Thompson and partner Adam Reed, the duo behind IndieWire favorite “Archer,” for the revisionist history tale “America: The Motion Picture.” And no, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke unless Deadline is two days ahead — Channing Tatum will voice George Washington.

Read More: ‘Archer Dreamland’ Review: Season 8 Goes Full Film Noir in Big Gamble That’s Already Paying Off

Dave Callaham, who wrote the script that acted as a starting point for Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables,” will write and produce. He also wrote “Zombieland 2” and acts as the showrunner on Amazon’s similarly themed action-comedy “Jean-Claude Van Johnson.”

Beyond voicing our first president, Tatum will also produce along with...