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Russell Crowehas had one of the most interesting careers of any actor working in Hollywood today. While there was an era where his performances in modern classics such as Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander: Far Side of the World, and Cinderella Man suggested that he could become one of the greatest actors of all-time, Crowe has spent the last few years making poorly-received genre films; while there may be fans of The Pope’s Exorcist and Unhinged that claim that they are “guilty pleasures,” they certainly don’t compare to the brilliance that Crowe displayed in The Insider and American Gangster. However, there was a brief period in which Crowe would take on these seemingly straightforward genre projects and elevate them into truly thought-provoking pieces of drama. The Next Three Daysis an inventive thriller about the origin of criminality, and gave Crowe the rare opportunity to team up with Liam Neeson.

Oscar and BAFTA winner “Conclave” is one of a kind, but TheWrap decided to bless you with a list of “Conclave”-like movies to watch if you couldn’t stop praising the mysery-thriller.

From straight-forward pope films to men of faith questioning their religion or stories that portray a transition of power after a predecessor’s fall, all of these flicks follow the commandments of what makes “Conclave” a thought-provoking and fun watch.

Before or after you watch the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, check out these films that will answer all your prayers, just like “Conclave.”

“The Two Popes” (Netflix) “The Two Popes” (2019)

In Fernando Meirelles’ biographical drama, “The Two Popes” departing Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and his successor Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce) must work together despite their conflicting views and move on from their past mistakes to secure the future of the Catholic Church. Like “Conclave,” the film...

Netflix produced its first non-documentary feature in 2015. It was called Beasts of No Nation, and it was fine. However, the film did not get nominated for an Academy Award. Lots has changed in the last decade.

Your favorite streamer often gets nominated for major awards each year. 2025 is no different. Emilia Pérez has 13 nominations alone, including one for Best Picture. So far, Netflix has yet to get a win in that category, and Emilia Pérez is not the favorite this year, either.

In fact, Netflix has also almost been entirely shut out of wins in the acting categories. Only Laura Dern won, and that was for Best Supporting Actress in 2020. But the streamer does do well in some other categories. Those might not be part of the Big 6, but when it comes to documentaries, Netflix knows what it is doing. Just see below, and you'll know.

The 2025 Oscars will be held on Sunday,...

Paul Giamatti, who co-hosts his own podcast about all things high strange, is set to play paranormal broadcaster and author Art Bell in an upcoming biopic, Deadline reports.

The site notes that the package comes courtesy of the Radio Silence team, with Amazon and Warner Bros. among those currently interested.

Deadline details, “The pitch is a biopic about the late paranormal DJ Art Bell, who would broadcast his radio show from his home studio 65 miles west of Las Vegas, fielding unscreened telephone calls in a five-hour show on Knye-FM called Coast to Coast.”

“Guests would offer up eyewitness stories on Bell’s show about alien encounters, past lives, time travel and more X-Files-like situations,” Deadline’s article this week continues.

The aforementioned podcast Chinwag similarly features Paul Giamatti and co-host Stephen Asma covering the very same topics, so this project is very much in the actor’s wheelhouse.

Sam Chalsen...

Sony Pictures Classics has announced that it will release its dramedy The Penguin Lessons, starring Academy Award nominees Steve Coogan (Philomena) and Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes), in theaters nationwide on March 28.

The film is set to open against Focus Features’ Sundance entry The Ballad of Wallis Island, starring Carey Mulligan; Universal’s horror thriller The Woman in the Yard, A24’s Death of a Unicorn, starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd; and Amazon MGM’s Jason Statham action thriller A Working Man, among other titles.

Based on Tom Michell’s 2016 memoir of the same name, The Penguin Lessons is inspired by the true story of a disillusioned Englishman who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. Expecting an easy ride, Tom (Coogan) discovers a divided nation and a class of unteachable students. However, after he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach, his life is turned upside-down.

Russell Crowe is one of the most distinguished actors of his generation. Recently, Crowe's career has deviated towards the horror genre — with two similar roles in The Pope's Exorcist and The Exorcism. Crowe was nominated for Best Actor three years running during the 2000s for his lead role in Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, and The Insider. While Crowe has experienced notable highs in his career, he has encountered significant setbacks, too. Poker Face sits at Crowe's lowest critic score on Rotten Tomatoes with a meager 9%, and his most recent slate of films has not performed well.

In 2023, Crowe portrayed the real-life Vatican exorcist in The Pope's Exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth. Months later, Crowe featured in The Exorcism, where he depicts a single father and recovering addict, starring on a cursed film set. The comparisons between The Pope's Exorcist and The Exorcism were addressed by the writer, who believes "it's sort of a happy accident.

We present our interviews for the new take on William Tell from the film’s UK Premiere. The film stars Claes Bang, Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Academy-Award nominee Jonathan Pryce and Academy-Award winner Ben Kingsley.

Written by Nick Hamm, adapted from Friedrich Schiller’s world-renowned classical play. The narrative unfolds in the 14th Century amidst the waning days of the Holy Roman Empire where Europe’s nations fiercely vie for supremacy and the ambitious Austrians, desiring more land, encroach upon Switzerland, a serene and pastoral nation.

The film is in cinemas from the 17th of January, 2025. Colin Hart and Abigail Shii were on the red carpet, here are their interviews.

William Tell UK Premiere Interviews

The post William Tell UK Premiere Interviews: Claes Bang, Ellie Bamber, Emily Beecham, Connor Swindells & more appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Conclave is one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2024, and while you wait on the film to hit streaming, you should watch Netflix's similar Oscar-nominated drama from six years ago. Conclave is all about the Catholic group who elects the next Pope, with the film chronicling the politics and drama that surround the nomination and election process in the wake of the previous Pope's death. Due to Conclave's popularity, many viewers are looking for similar movies, with another incredible drama about the transition between two Popes being a huge Netflix hit from a few years ago.

As of the writing of this article, Conclave is not available to stream on any streaming services yet, meaning that viewers who are hoping to catch up on the 2024 movie are still out of luck. While Conclave can be purchased digitally on some platforms, it can't be rented or viewed as part of a subscription.

Roland Emmerich, the US-based German director of The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day,is teaming with The Theory Of Everything and The Two Popes writer Anthony McCarten for what he hopes will be his next feature, Exodus, a Sudan-set action title.

New Zealand-born McCarten’s credits also include Darkest Hour and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Emmerich described Exodus as set in the not-so-distant future where the population is battling climate catastrophe and brutal militia.

“Two fearless kids, armed with a smartphone and unyielding courage, team up with a rogue pilot and a defiant doctor to expose a global conspiracy, racing through...

Industry veterans Lloyd Braun, Sarah Bremner and Noah Oppenheim have launched Prologue Entertainmentbacked by Jeff Zuckerand RedBird Capital Partners.

Prologue will develop and produce features and premium scripted series and has boarded several projects including Kathryn Bigelow’s untitled White House thriller at Netflix, written by Oppenheim and expected in 2025.

The Root Of All Evil at Atomic Monster and Blumhouse is a psychological thriller based on Ravi Somaiya’s reporting on an exorcism in Mexico City. Sean Tretta is adapting the screenplay.

Rounding out the initial slate is female survival thriller Trapped, based on Jill Blankenship’s Black List screenplay.

Industry vets Lloyd Braun, Sarah Bremner and Noah Oppenheim have announced the launch of Prologue Entertainment, an independent production studio.

The indie studio, with financial backing from Jeff Zucker and RedBird Capital, will develop and produce premium scripted series and film content.

Upcoming projects for the studio include:

Zero Day (Netflix) starring Robert De Niro: A six-episode series co-created, and executive produced by Oppenheim, Eric Newman and New York Times reporter Michael S. Schmidt. The series will debut on February 20, 2025. Untitled Kathryn Bigelow Film (Netflix): Now in post-production, the film is written by Oppenheim and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The Root of All Evil (Atomic Monster/Blumhouse): A psychological thriller based on Ravi Somaiya’s reporting on an exorcism in Mexico City. Sean Tretta is adapting. Trapped: A female survival thriller, screenplay by Jill Blankenship. Named to the 2024 Black List earlier this week.

“We’re thrilled to...

What’s a suitable next act for a former ABC executive turned talent agency chief, a former NBC network news division executive that also pens screenplays and a veteran film and television producer?

For Lloyd Braun, Noah Oppenheim and Sarah Bremner it’s putting together their own production banner to finance and co-finance feature films and scripted TV series, with cash provided by Jeff Zucker’s vast war chest courtesy of RedBird Capital. “My investment philosophy has always been driven by working with the best in the business. Lloyd, Sarah and Noah are prime examples of that, and they fit into our growing portfolio well,” stated Zucker on Thursday.

The trio have sealed a deal to formally unveil their shingle, Prologue Entertainment, and reveal an initial slate of three features that the company is going to market with.

There’s Kathryn Bigelow’s untitled Netflix feature, which centers on White...

A trio of entertainment veterans — Lloyd Braun, Sarah Bremner and Noah Oppenheim — have come together to form independent production studio Prologue Entertainment, with an investment from Jeff Zucker and RedBird Capital Partners.

Prologue, with offices in New York and L.A., is set up to develop and produce premium scripted series and film content, and will house existing projects that are already under way. According to the company, it will be able to finance and co-finance productions. Braun, a longtime TV exec, most recently was chairman of WME; Bremner is a former Netflix film executive and most recently served as president of Ava DuVernay’s Array Filmworks; and Oppenheim was formerly president of NBC News.

The amount of RedBird Capital’s investment in Prologue is not being disclosed. RedBird’s investment will be overseen by Zucker, the former CEO of CNN who is an operating partner at RedBird.

“We’re...

A year and a half ago, it was announced that Neill Blomkamp, the director of District 9, Elysium, Chappie, Demonic, and Gran Turismo, was preparing to go into production on an alien abduction thriller called They Found Us, which had Joel Kinnaman of The Suicide Squad and the RoboCop remake attached to star. At first, the plan was to film in Australia, but then the decision was made to film in Saudia Arabia instead. About seven months after the first announcement, pre-production shut down so the project could rework its financial structure while hostility in the region where filming was going to take place increased due to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Now, Deadline reports that They Found Us is moving forward again, with the filming location shifting back over to Australia and Julius Avery of Overlord and The Pope’s Exorcist replacing Blomkamp as director.

When Blomkamp was at the helm,...

An exorcism movie starring Russell Crowe has climbed the streaming charts yet again. Crowe was born in New Zealand in 1964 and became a rising star off the back of prominent movies including 1992's Romper Stomper, 1997's L.A. Confidential, and 1999's The Insider before being launched as a superstar with his Oscar-winning performance in Ridley Scott's Best Picture-winning 2000 movie Gladiator. Crowe has been nominated for two other Oscars (for The Insider and A Beautiful Mind) in addition to winning one BAFTA and two Golden Globes.

Russell Crowe movies have occupied many different genres in the more than two decades since he won his Oscar. In addition to his comfort zone of dramas, he has also appeared in comedies, Westerns, comic book movies and a musical (Les Misrables). Crowe has also dabbled in the horror and thriller genres multiple times with titles including Unhinged, The Mummy (2017), and The Exorcism.

The...

Over the past couple of years, Netflix has been encroaching on the Hallmark Channel’s holiday season chokehold.

Writer Russell Hainline is no stranger to the Christmas movie, having penned several titles for Hallmark, including The Santa Summit and In Merry Measure. This week he debuted his first Netflix entry, the delightfully named, Hot Frosty.

The movie stars Hallmark company player Lacey Chabert as Kathy, a widow and beloved local who wraps a magical scarf around a sculpted snowman with an eight-pack who becomes a real — and very naked — man named Jack. Hijinks ensue with naive and preternaturally good-natured Jack (Dustin Milligan) being ogled by the local women and helping plan the high school’s winter formal, all the while being pursued by the cops for the initial display of public indecency. The film has earned an overwhelmingly positive critical response and is currently sitting at Netflix’s No. 1 most-streamed movie in the U.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike, and Anthony Hopkins have joined Guy Ritchie’s Wife & Dog for Black Bear.

Ritchie wrote the screenplay and will once again dive into the world of back-stabbing British aristocracy he explored in The Gentlemen film and TV series. Production is scheduled to begin in the UK in February 2025.

The filmmaker is producing alongside his producing partner Ivan Atkinson and Black Bear’s John Friedberg. Executive producers include Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler for Black Bear, which launched sales on the project in Cannes.Black Bear and Ritchie have collaborated on The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare and In The Grey.

Faith is an incredibly hard subject to depict on screen, as it is notoriously challenging for viewers to approach the subject without bringing in their own subjective beliefs. That being said, films about the Catholic Church are critical in understanding how this particular leadership shapes the thoughts and opinions of a significant portion of the worlds population. Conclave imagines a fictional scenario in which the death of the Pope leads to a suspenseful election where a new leader is chosen to push the church in a more progressive direction as it responds to routine criticism. However, the real-life selection of the current Pope was the subject of the Academy Award-nominated drama The Two Popes.

Russell Crowe hasn't often appeared in horror movies, yet after the failure of his 2017 remake, The Mummy, his recent exorcism movies have partly made up for his horror losses. Crowe's acting career first began in 1990 when he featured in the Australian drama, Prisoners of the Sun. In the intervening years, Crowe has led some truly iconic films, from Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind to Robin Hood and Les Misrables. Though Crowe has certainly proved his chops as a dramatic actor, one genre he has not yet mastered is the horror movie, though this may be changing.

The most notable horror entry in Crowe's career is The Mummy. This 2017 movie is a reboot of the original 1932 Mummy franchise, and was meant to be a part of Universal's Dark Universe, which included remakes of Universal's classic monster movies. However, The Mummy did not perform nearly as well as hoped. Though the movie grossed around $410 million,...

When director Paolo Sorrentino’s hit series The Young Pope debuted in 2016, it took the Vatican a year to grudgingly bless his imagined and occasionally blasphemous portrayal of the pope. Not so for Sorrentino’s latest film Parthenope, which has gotten an early thumbs-down from Italy’s Catholic Church.

That has only seemed to pique interest in the film, driving it to the top of the box office here for Italian films since its release in theaters last month.

Set in Sorrentino’s native Naples, the film is a lush meditation on beauty, love and death, drawn from the Greek myth of the siren Parthenope, who throws herself into the sea after she fails to entice Odysseus with her song. Parthenope is closely affiliated with Naples, such that the city is sometimes called “Partenope” and its people “Partenopei” in Italian.

The film is by no means about the church, but toward the end,...

Will the Oscars answer “Conclave’s” prayers?

Edward Berger’s mystery thriller has been one of the buzziest films to emerge from the fall festivals. Adapted from Robert Harris’ 2016 novel, the film premiered at Telluride, where it received raves from attendees. Since then, its awards prospects have grown, especially following its Audience Award wins at the Mill Valley and Middleburg fests. Those regional accolades helped propel future best picture nominees such as “American Fiction” (2023) and “Belfast” (2021) and best picture winner “Green Book” (2018). “Conclave” has popular appeal, but will its religious themes be an advantage or a potential hurdle in the Oscar race?

Read: You can see all Academy Award predictions in all 23 categories on one page on the Variety Awards Circuit.

Rossellini with “Conclave” director Edward Berger

Films that explore issues of faith, and the Catholic Church’s tangled history, have long held a unique place in Hollywood. Critics, and sometimes audiences,...

Published in 2019, Lucia Peters’ Dangerous Games to Play in the Dark is headed for the screen with a movie adaptation from director Angel Gomez (Arachnid), Deadline reports.

Evan Spiliotopoulos (The Pope’s Exorcist) wrote the upcoming supernatural horror movie adaptation of the book, which is currently going by the title Dangerous Games to Play.

The team behind the movie explains to Deadline, “The source material is a collection of spine-chilling games based on urban legends from around the world.

“While these games might seem like simple dares or tests of bravery, the book warns those who risk playing should remember: What they summon may not want the games to end…”

Deadline’s report also notes, “Altitude Film Sales will introduce the project to buyers next week at the American Film Market, with CAA Media Finance handling domestic rights. The team is eyeing a spring 2025 production start. Casting discussions are underway.

This post contains spoilers for "Slow Horses" season 4.

The recently concluded fourth season of the spectacular Apple TV+ spy series "Slow Horses" continued to prove that it's one of the best shows on television, with the season culminating in a big revelation about River's parentage, a literally explosive climax, and a fatal shootout at Slough House. But one of the saddest scenes of the season comes just moments before the finale's end credits, when MI5 agent River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) moves his confused grandfather, former agent David Cartwright (Jonathan Pryce), into an assisted living facility because the man has been increasingly suffering so acutely from dementia. It turns out, the only reason it played out in that fashion was because of a different moment that happened in the previous season.

I spoke with the Emmy-winning showrunner of "Slow Horses," Will Smith (no, you'd probably have heard about it if...

Amid the struggles and uncertain future surrounding Horizon: An American Saga, Kevin Costner steps away from the saddle and takes up a surfboard for his next project. The award-winning actor and director boards the upcoming surfing thriller, Headhunters, which sees him take up multiple roles.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Costner will act, produce and star in Headhunters, a collaboration between his Territory Pictures imprint and Scott Steindorff's Stone Village Films. Acclaimed cinematographer Steven Holleran will make his directorial debut in Headhunters, having conceived the original idea and co-written the screenplay with Costner. Studios and streamers are in contention for the movie's rights, with Station's Eleven and The Pope's Exorcist star Daniel Zovatto starring alongside Costner.

Related One of Kevin Costners Best Westerns Isnt One He Directed

Kevin Costner is known for his incredible skill as a director, but one of his most impressive Westerns came when he...

Exclusive: Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights to writer-director Nick Hamm’s medieval action-drama William Tell, which has its world premiere tonight in Toronto.

Starring are Claes Bang (The Square), Connor Swindells (Sex Education), Golshifteh Farahani (Extraction), Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid), Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals), Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) and Emily Beecham (Little Joe), with Oscar winner Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes).

The deal was negotiated by Miles Fineburg from Samuel Goldwyn Films and WME Independent on behalf of the producers. The release is being lined up for early 2025.

Inspired by the legendary tale, Claes Bang takes on the role of William Tell, a noble huntsman whose peaceful life is shattered when the ruthless Austrian Empire invades his homeland of Switzerland. Unwilling to bend the knee before his country’s oppressors, William Tell is thrust into a perilous trial,...

Exclusive: Nick Hamm’s action-packed adaptation William Tell, starring Claes Bang and Golshifteh Farahani, has sold to the UK & Ireland and Germany-speaking territories ahead of its world premiere in Toronto next week.

Munich-based sales company Beta Cinema unveiled the all-rights deals to Altitude (UK & Ireland) and SquareOne Entertainment for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, following the film’s well-attended press and industry screening in Toronto on Thursday.

Both distributors are targeting a release date in Q1 2025.

Beta Cinema has already announced deals with Sf Studios, Beta Fiction (Spain), Eagle Pictures (Italy), Dutch Filmworks (Benelux), Pris Audiovisuais (Portugal), Monolith Films (Poland), Cinemart (Czech Republic), Blitz (Former Yugoslavia), Ads (Hungary and Romania), Beta Film (Bulgaria), Tfg (Greece), Ukraine (Top Film) and The Plot Pictures (Middle East & Turkey) earlier this year.

Director Hamm’s adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s classic play is fresh out of post-production.

Bang stars as titular hero opposite Farahani as his wife. They are joined by Connor Swindells, Jonah Hauer-King, Ellie Bamber, Rafe Spall and Emily Beecham, with Academy-Award winner Ben Kingsley and Academy-Award nominee Jonathan Pryce.

Altitude co-ceo Will Clarke said of the acquisition: “It’s fantastic to be working with such an incredible team of film-makers and our friends at Beta and we can’t wait to bring the epic and thrilling William Tell to audiences in the UK & Ireland.”

For his part, Thomas Sierk, Director of Acquisitions & Sales at SquareOne Entertainment, said: “The production truly succeeds to tell the story of the legendary freedom-fighter William Tell as an exciting, action-packed epic with an outstanding international cast.

Al Munteanu, CEO of SquareOne Entertainment added, “Together with my team, I am thrilled to bring this fantastic production to theaters early next year.”

The narrative unfolds in the 14th Century, when Europe’s nations fiercely vie for supremacy within the Holy Roman Empire. The ambitious Austrians, desiring more land, encroach upon Switzerland, a serene and pastoral nation.

Amidst this backdrop, William Tell, a formerly peaceful hunter, finds himself forced to take action as his family and homeland come under dire threat from the oppressive Austrian King and his ruthless warlords. Leading his fellow countrymen, Tell embarks on a courageous rebellion, seeking to defend their liberty and stand against the tyrannical forces that seek to subjugate them.

Hamm’s previous credits include Driven, which was selected as the closing film at the Venice Film Festival, Netflix’s White Lines and The Journey which premiered at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals.

Piers Tempest and Marie-Christine Jaeger-Firmenich (Gigi & Nate) produce. Executive Producers include Jon Hamm, David Nichols and Francesco Marras.

William Tell is a Free Turn Films / Tempo production in association with Beta Cinema, WME Independent, Prime Focus Studios and Groenlandia and Cineroma Srl. The production is supported by Idm Südtirol and autonomous province of Bozen/Bolzano – South Tyrol and Quebec Film Production Services Tax Credit.

“We are delighted to partner with such highly esteemed distributors for the UK and Germany. The epic tale of William Tell presents a rich tapestry of themes and topics, providing a strong foundation for bold and ambitious theatrical campaigns in these two key European markets,” said Beta Cinema EVP Thorsten Ritter.

The film will world premiere in Toronto as a Gala Presentation next week and will then make its European presentation at the Zurich Film Festival in October. Beta Cinema handles international rights, alongside WME Independent who represent domestic rights.

The drama behind the election of a Pope has been done to various degrees of success by Hollywood before, notably 1968’s pulpy The Shoes of the Fisherman, and 2019’s wonderfully literate The Two Popes with Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins in an imagined story of the rise of the current Pope Francis and retiring Pope Benedict. But now with Conclave, adapted by Peter Straughan from the Robert Harris novel and directed by recent Oscar winner Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front), we have a papal election thriller that rivals anything a political party could dream up. To put it succinctly in literary terms, this one is a real page-turner. In pure cinematic terms it is a barn-burning thriller. A superbly crafted — in every respect — stunning dramatic achievement, this is the kind of well-regarded, praiseworthy adult drama that used to be a staple for studios but now is an increasingly rare bird.

Director Edward Berger, who made one of the best movies of 2022 with a vivid adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, shifts gears rewardingly to a movie set almost entirely inside the Vatican. Conclave, adapted from the popular novel by Robert Harris, demonstrates Berger’s versatility and also offers one of the best roles of his career to Ralph Fiennes, who is supported by an expert ensemble.

The recent Oscar-nominated movie The Two Popes also took us inside the Vatican to examine the true story of the ascension of Pope Francis (played by Jonathan Pryce). That was essentially a docudrama, whereas this film is pure fictional speculation about the behind-the-scenes machinations involved in choosing a new pope after the death of the previous pontiff. Fiennes plays the Dean of the College of Cardinals, who is charged with overseeing the election.

Screenwriter Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) keeps the story moving swiftly.

If you think the American presidential election has been unpredictable, wait’ll you see how capricious things get at the Vatican when the cardinals assemble to choose a new pope in “Conclave.” Adapted from the Robert Harris novel by Edward Berger, who assumes a very different challenge after “All Quiet on the Western Front,” this thinking man’s thriller unfolds like a murder mystery behind the locked doors of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the College of Cardinals is cloistered, except no one suspects foul play in the previous pontiff’s death.

Still, intrigues abound as the papabili — those considered next in line for the job, played by such formidable actors as Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow — pull whatever levers they can to be elected. But “Conclave” obviously concurs with Plato’s adage, “Only those who do not seek power are qualified to hold it,” featuring a host...

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Immaculate.

Immaculate reimagines the immaculate conception trope with a modern twist, creating a thrilling and shocking story. The powerhouse cast and well-written story of Immaculate showcase compelling characters in a disturbing situation. Religious horror movies like Immaculate have gained more popularity, with hits like The Conjuring and The Pope's Exorcist winning over fans.

The horror movie Immaculate, led by Sydney Sweeney, has a powerhouse cast who create complex characters in a horrifying, thrilling story of an immaculate conception. While religious horror movies have always been relatively popular, the genre has gained more traction in the early 2020s, with hits like The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, The First Omen, and The Pope's Exorcist winning over fans. However, one of the best has to be Immaculate, a 2024 horror movie starring actor Sydney Sweeney.

Immaculate is a reimagining of the immaculate conception trope,...

Exclusive: Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) is developing Nineteen Steps, a feature adaptation of her same-name debut novel for Netflix, sources tell Deadline.

Netflix declined comment. But we hear that Brown will produce under her Pcma banner, with an eye to star. Four-time Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything) is set to adapt the screenplay. Jonathan Eirich will produce for Rideback, with Nick Reynolds exec producing for the company.

A New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller published by William Morrow in September 2023, Nineteen Steps is a WWII novel drawing on the experiences of Brown’s own grandmother. Written by Brown and Kathleen McGurl, the story follows Nellie Morris, an 18-year-old girl living in the East London neighborhood of Bethnal Green. Over the course of the book, Nellie navigates the challenges of wartime life, including the threat of bombings, rationing, and the emotional turmoil of being separated from loved ones,...

Watch out Knives Out 3! Another Netflix murder mystery film, The Thursday Murder Club, is in the works from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Netflix, based on a book by BBC game show host and British TV presenter Richard Osman.

The cast was stacked from the start, and production on the film was set to start in June of 2024. Osman confirmed the news of the film’s development on his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment in April 2024.

Read on for everything we know about The Thursday Murder Club movie:

Is The Thursday Murder Club in production?

Yes, filming is underway on the crime comedy film. Osman said on his podcast that production would run from June to September 2024.

What is The Thursday Murder Club about?

Based on the novel by Osman, the story traces a group of old friends who solve murders for fun at their retirement home only to...

“I couldn’t stop smiling,” admits Sir Jonathan Pryce about scoring two Emmy nominations this year. In our recent webchat he jokes, “I thought I could make a living of this [acting] when I got the nominations.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

One nomination is for his supporting turn on past Emmy drama series champ “The Crown.” The cast of the Netflix series reset every two seasons to showcase a different era from the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. For the final two installments of the show, Pryce played the Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. He explains, “I got to play him as an old man, and I don’t know if you noticed, I’m an old man. So, you bring to his life experience all your life experience. As an actor I try to bring the character as close to me as I can.

This article contains mentions of implied child sexual abuse. The following also contains spoilers for The Exorcism.

Tony's possession by a demon forces him to confront his past trauma, leading to a healing journey with his daughter. A theory about Father Conor's possible connection to Tony's past challenges viewers to question the priest's motives. The Exorcism's ending emphasizes forgiveness, acceptance, and healing as Tony confronts his demons and finds peace.

The Exorcism is Russell Crowe's second starring vehicle featuring him in a priest's outfit and becoming possessed by a demon at the end of the film. Unlike Crowe in The Pope's Exorcist, though, in The Exorcism he plays an actor named Anthony "Tony" Miller, who takes on the role of a priest for an exorcism horror movie. As shooting begins for the project, Tony and his daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins) who have a complex relationship after Tony...

Brazilian social impact entertainment company Maria Farinha Films is expanding stateside by opening a Los Angeles office operated by U.S. producer Miura Kite, formerly EVP of global television at Participant, who is joining as president of global content.

Kite’s producer credits at the now-shuttered Participant include the upcoming Taiki Waititi-directed show “Interior Chinatown” that will premiere on Hulu this fall. She previously worked with Maria Farinha Films on “Esperanza,” an adventure drama jointly developed with Participant that tracks the crew of the titular vessel as they fight for environmental and social rights around the world, with award-winning director Fernando Meirelles as co-showrunner.

For the São Paulo-based company that is a leading Latin American studio, known for its hit Globoplay Original “Aruanas,” setting up a Los Angeles outpost is part of a broader expansion plan.

Maria Farinha Films last month announced it had taken a minority stake in Joanna Natasegara...

The Thursday Murder Club comes from Harry Potter director Chris Columbus, and boasts an impressive star-studded British cast. While filming is underway, the movie has added even more star power.

Per Deadline, The Thursday Murder Club cast has grown with even more famous names. The film, which is an adaptation of Richard Osman's eponymous novel from 2020, will follow a group of true-crime aficionado friends in a retirement home who get caught up in a real murder case. The Thursday Murder Club's lead cast is made up of Helen Mirren, who plays ex-spy Elizabeth, Ben Kingsley, who is Ibrahim, a former psychiatrist, Pierce Brosnan, who plays Ron, a former union activist, and Celia Imrie, who plays Joyce, an ex-nurse.

Related Joseph Gordon-Levitt Addresses Making Another Cameo in Third Knives Out Movie

After making cameos in both Knives Out movies, Joseph Gordon-Levitt provides an update on if he will appear for the third film.

It's not uncommon for actors to play similar characters in different films, especially if they are typecast as cops, romantic leads or cowboys. It's a lot stranger when an actor plays a less common type of character more than once. Great actors like Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright and Octavia Spencer have all played strikingly similar characters in completely unrelated movies.

Many actors stick to the roles that suit them best, but this can lead to actors playing practically identical characters in completely unrelated movies. There are plenty of actors who are known for playing Western gunslingers or film noir detectives, for example. It's a little less common for actors to make two movies where they inhabit a similar niche role, and this leads to some strange coincidences.

Being typecast in Hollywood is one thing, but choosing two weirdly similar roles is far weirder. Any actor can play a gangster or...

This week’s new horror releases bring a hit franchise back to theaters while a few recent theatrical releases – including Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 – slash their way home.

Here’s all the new horror releasing June 24 – June 30, 2024!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

Gravitas Ventures travels ahead to the year 2045 for their latest indie horror effort, with The Hunger Games-meets-slasher Arena Wars released onto VOD outlets this past Tuesday.

In the film from director Brandon Slagle, “In 2045 convicted criminals are given the opportunity to compete on the world’s #1 televised sporting event. They must survive 7 rooms and 7 of the most vicious killers in the country. If they win, they regain their freedom.”

Michael Madsen, John Wells, Robert Lasardo and Eric Roberts star.

Also released onto VOD outlets this past Tuesday is the Korean horror anthology Tastes of Horror, which Well Go USA Entertainment...

Exclusive: Limonero Films has acquired worldwide distribution rights to Blue Carbon, an innovative environmental-themed documentary produced by Make Waves Media that features the participation of Grammy-nominated music producer and DJ Jayda Guy, Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, and Brazilian musician Seu Jorge. Limonero, based in London and Barcelona, will launch sales of the film at Sunny Side of the Doc, the world’s largest documentary-focused market, which kicks off today in La Rochelle, France.

Blue Carbon, directed by Emmy and BAFTA-winning filmmaker Nicolas Brown (The Serengeti Rules) and executive produced by Oscar-nominated director Fernando Meirelles and Sarah Macdonald, premiered on CNN earlier this year.

‘Blue Carbon’

“Filmed in the USA, Senegal, Vietnam, France, Colombia and Brazil, the documentary explores the relatively newly-discovered potential of oceans to absorb much more carbon from the atmosphere than even tropical rainforests,” notes a description of the documentary. “This ‘Blue Carbon’ as scientists are now calling it,...

Joshua J Miller and M.A. Fortin's new horror film, The Exorcism, prompts comparisons to Russell Crowe's previous movie, The Pope's Exorcist, despite different intentions. Miller and Fortin believe that the close release of the two films will actually lead to them having "a conversation" with one another and result in fun double features. With the similar genre movies releasing within one year of each other, eyes are on whether The Exorcism can match The Pope's Exorcist success, and despite poor reviews for the former, the 2023 movie's overcoming of its mixed reviews could see a repeat.

With the two coming out in close succession to one another, Joshua J Miller and M.A. Fortin address the comparisons between The Exorcism and The Pope's Exorcist. The duo, best known for the meta horror comedy The Final Girls and crime thriller Queen of the South, co-wrote the new Russell Crowe horror movie,...

Making a film that trades on the mysterious production problems with the original The Exorcist seems like a good idea. But how to go about such a meta task?

Within the film-within-a-film genre, there’s a sub-genre: think Willem Dafoe as a vampire/actor in Shadow of the Vampire or Nicole Kidman as a witch/actor in the disastrous comedy flop Bewitched.

Obviously, remaking The Exorcist would be a daunting project. But The Exorcism is a film about that daunting project. And the lead character is possessed.

If you were expecting Regan, the girl, to be possessed, I can’t blame you. But no, this time, it’s the priest who is possessed.

The Exorcism has nothing in common with last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist except that RussellCrowe stars in both. It’s also not related to the recent Exorcist: Believer. But since they’re both Exorcist-inspired films with wide release,...

As director Joshua John Miller prepares to release The Exorcism, starring Russell Crowe, comparisons to The Exorcist are inevitable. However, the link is more than coincidental as the 1973 film featured the filmmaker's dad, Jason Miller, as Father/Dr. Damien Karras.

Speaking to ComicBook, Miller recalled what it was like to see his dad in the classic horror film. "I think the first time I saw it was on TV, so it was heavily edited but still creepy," the director said. "I just remember watching it on a tiny TV in my grandmother's living room. I just remember sitting in her living room, and it was a TV on a tray. It was kind of transgressive because it was like, 'Ooooo you're up late watching a dangerous movie."

Related The Pope's Exorcist Finally Gives Exorcism Personality

Several horror movies involve exorcism, but The Pope's Exorcist goes a bit further...

Harry Potter director Chris Columbus's upcoming project is a murder mystery called The Thursday Murder Club, based on Richard Osman's eponymous novel. The first names tied to the project were Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and Ben Kingsley.

Per Deadline, The Thursday Murder Club cast is now complete. Columbus' upcoming film had previously revealed its main cast, consisting of Brosnan, Mirren, Kingsley, and Celia Imrie. The latter's announcement came almost a month after the first actors were announced, and she will play the fourth member of the unlikely group of friends, Joyce Meadowcroft. The upcoming murder mystery is based on the first novel by British TV host and producer Richard Osman, published in 2020. Shortly after the first actors were announced, Netflix also joined the project, which comes from Steven Spileberg's Amblin Entertainment.

Related Knives Out 3's Full Cast Officially Confirmed by Netflix

Rian Johnson's first two Knives Out...

A collaboration between Netflix and Amblin Entertainment is set to dive into the murder mystery pool stirred in Richard Osman's 2020 novel The Thursday Murder Club. The project, since its announcement, has drawn in a swarm of A-list stars and its cast is set to expand with the addition of even more impressive performers. David Tennant (Doctor Who), Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes), Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice), Daniel Mays (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget) and Henry Lloyd-Hughes (Killing Eve) are all set to join the upcoming Netflix movie. The Thursday Murder Club is directed by Chris Columbus, whos well versed in steering family-friendly projects, with the Home Alone franchise a credit to his ability.

Back in 2020, it was announced that Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again director Ol Parker would be following that film up by taking the helm of The Thursday Murder Club, an adaptation of the debut novel by Richard Osman (creator and co-presenter of the BBC quiz show Pointless), for Amblin. Given that Parker’s involvement was announced just days before the pandemic lockdowns, it’s not surprising to hear that iteration of the project didn’t hold together… but The Thursday Murder Club is still moving forward. A couple months ago, word came out that Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye), Helen Mirren (The Queen), and Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3) were being eyed for lead roles in the film, which is now coming our way from Home Alone and Harry Potter director Chris Columbus. Now Deadline confirms that Brosnan, Mirren, and Kingsley are on board to star in the film alongside Celia Imrie...

Exclusive: David Tennant (Doctor Who), Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes), Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice), Daniel Mays (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget) and Henry Lloyd-Hughes (Killing Eve) are joining Amblin and Netflix’s movie The Thursday Murder Club.

They join the recently revealed Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie. Filming begins later this month.

Chris Columbus is writer-director on the buzzy crime-comedy, which will follow a group of friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders for fun, but find themselves caught in a real case. The four members of the club will be played by Mirren (ex-spy Elizabeth), Kingsley (ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim) Brosnan (former union activist Ron) and Imrie (ex-nurse Joyce).

Producers are Jennifer Todd and Chris Columbus. Executive producers are Holly Bario, Jeb Brody, Eleanor Columbus and Jo Burn. The film is based on Richard Osman’s 2020 novel of the same name.

“There’s...

The Exorcism is heading into cinemas this week, but Joshua John Miller’s horror film was actually shot all the way back in 2019.

It’s a good week to be a fan of Russell Crowe doing exorcisms on the big screen. Joshua John Miller’s The Exorcism, which was previously known as The Georgetown Project, is heading into cinemas this Friday, but it’s been a long time coming.

World Of Reel reports that the film was actually shot in 2019 and has simply been in post-production limbo ever since. It seems that the studio behind the film, Miramax, wasn’t too keen on the film back in 2019, but the pandemic put a stop to reshoots.

Crowe then went on to do The Pope’s Exorcist which enjoyed moderate success, but it was enough to convince Miramax to get everyone back together for reshoots and the film was finally finished in...

In an alternative reality, there's a version of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in which Fellowship of the Ring member Aragorn is played by Russell Crowe (The Pope's Exorcist). In our timeline, however, the Gladiator star turned down the role in the early aughts, back when the trilogy was taking shape. In an interview with British GQ, Crowe revealed why he ultimately decided to turn down the role and if he regrets it.

James Vanderbilt's Nuremberg seeks to make waves at Cannes, thanks to Rami Malek and Russell Crowe's portrayal of a psychiatrist and a Nazi. The WWII-era film explores the post-war Nuremberg Trials, focusing specifically on the minds behind the German war crimes in Europe. Vanderbilt defers from previous films like Judgment at Nuremberg, focusing mainly on the relationship between Douglas Kelley and Hermann Gring.

One of the more hotly anticipated films at Cannes is James Vanderbilt's Nuremberg. The war film is currently in search of a distributor with an unknown release date. This collaboration between Oscar winners Rami Malek and Russell Crowe takes on familiar territory, examining the legal dissection of the Nazi regime and the policies they set forth that directly led to the Holocaust. Set in the aftermath of the destruction of Europe in late 1945, the two actors square off as reluctant patient and doctor, exploring less...

The Nice Guys is a cult classic with critical acclaim, yet its poor box office performance makes a sequel unlikely. Gosling's recent film The Fall Guy draws parallels to The Nice Guys and sparks interest in a potential sequel. Despite interest from the cast and director, the chances of The Nice Guys 2 happening rely on studio approval.

Ryan Gosling's latest film, The Fall Guy, has been a great reminder of one of his best performances in the 2016 box office flop The Nice Guys. The movie, set in the 1970s, follows two private detectives played by Gosling and Russell Crowe as they investigate the interwoven mysteries of a missing girl and the suspicious death of an adult film star. The film was a critical hit, praised for its hilarious performances and engaging mystery. However, it performed poorly at the box office, grossing a worldwide total of $62.8 million against a production budget of $50 million.