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The 1996 version of The Island of Dr. Moreau, which was directed by John Frankenheimer (who replaced Richard Stanley after half a week of filming), is a well-known disaster, but that was just one of many cinematic adaptations H.G. Wells’ 1896 novel has received over the years. That novel has inspired the 1932 classic Island of Lost Souls, 1959’s Terror Is a Man, 1972’s The Twilight People, a 1977 film that actually kept the The Island of Dr. Moreau title, the Full Moon production Dr. Moreau’s House of Pain, and more. Now we can add another title to the list, as Deadline reports that Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins has signed on to star in the The Island of Dr. Moreau reimagining Eyes in the Trees.

Timothy Woodward Jr., who most recently directed the horror comedy Til Death Do Us Part, will be directing Eyes in the Trees from a screenplay by...

Top Gun: Maverick delivers biggest opening for Cruise film in 32 international markets.

World Box Office May 27-29

Rank

Film

(distributor)

3-day

(world)

Cume

(world)

3-day

(int’l)

Cume

(int’l)

Territories

1.

Top Gun: Maverick

(Paramount)

248m 248m 124m 124m 63

2.

Doctor Strange 2

(Disney)

39.3m 868.7m 22.9m 497.9m 50

3.

The Roundup

(various)

17.5m 47.3m 17.4m 46.9m 5

4.

Bob’s Burgers:

The Movie

(Disney)

13.3m 13.3m 0.7m 0.7m 9

5.

The Bad Guys

(Universal)

10.4m 197.6m 5.8m 116.2m 71

6.

Downton Abbey:

A New Era

(Universal)

8.1m 69m 2.2m 40.5m 54

7.

Sonic The

Hedgehog 2

(Paramount)

6.4m 384.9m 3.9m 199.8m 56

8.

Everything

Everywhere

All At Once

(various)

4.2m 72.5m 1.6m 15.7m...

Top Gun: Maverick has delivered the biggest opening for a Cruise film in 32 international markets.

World Box Office May 27-29

Rank

Film

(distributor)

3-day

(world)

Cume

(world)

3-day

(int’l)

Cume

(int’l)

Territories

1.

Top Gun: Maverick

(Paramount)

248m 248m 124m 124m 63

2.

Doctor Strange 2

(Disney)

39.3m 868.7m 22.9m 497.9m 50

3.

The Roundup

(various)

17.5m 47.3m 17.4m 46.9m 5

4.

Bob’s Burgers:

The Movie

(Disney)

13.3m 13.3m 0.7m 0.7m 9

5.

The Bad Guys

(Universal)

10.4m 197.6m 5.8m 116.2m 71

6.

Downton Abbey:

A New Era

(Universal)

8.1m 69m 2.2m 40.5m 54

7.

Sonic The

Hedgehog 2

(Paramount)

6.4m 384.9m 3.9m 199.8m 56

8.

Everything

Everywhere

All At Once

(various)

4.2m...

Fandom is a funny thing. If you love something enough, whether it be a superhero, a wizard, or any other pop culture icon, you can forgive some pretty egregious things. You know, like the idea of an entire franchise created by an openly transphobic author who spouts hateful things on social media frequently. But, by golly, people love Harry Potter and the Wizarding World, and they’re eagerly anticipating the release of the new film, “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”

Read More: Ralph Fiennes Defends J.K.

Continue reading ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’ Teaser: WB Wants You To Remember Your Love Of Harry Potter Before The New ‘Beasts’ Film Arrives at The Playlist.

In addition to directing "No Time to Die," Cary Fukunaga is serving as one of four credited co-writers on it, along with "Fleabag" luminary Phoebe Waller-Bridge and James Bond series veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. The film has already been released in the U.K. and it's coming to U.S. theaters on October 8, 2021, but it's been a long road to that release date, with a few bumps and Boyles along the way.

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle was originally set to helm the 25th Bond movie, but he ultimately left the project over textbook creative differences. In stepped Fukunaga ("True Detective," "Beasts...

The post No Time To Die Director Cary Fukunaga Describes The Last-Minute Scramble Of Replacing Danny Boyle appeared first on /Film.

Female sexuality and desire take center stage in the new drama Sex/Life, premiering this Friday on Netflix.

Sarah Shahi (Person of Interest, Chicago Fire) stars as Billie, a wife and mother who, after growing tired of her dull suburban life, begins journaling and fantasizing about her past sexual exploits with hunky ex-boyfriend Brad (Adam Demos). Her whole life is blown up when her husband Cooper (Mike Vogel) reads those steamy entries, which then kickstarts a complicated love triangle after her ex finds his way back into her life.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Netflix’s Sex/Life Trailer, Goode to Godfather...

Three executives discuss their plans with Screen.

Independent UK distributors are feeling positive heading into the reopening of cinemas across the territory from next week (May 17), while noting ongoing confusion about the theatrical windows across different exhibitors.

“For the next few weeks, we’re fully concentrated on the theatrical experience,” says Rupert Preston, CEO at Vertigo Releasing which is distributing Oscar winner Sound Of Metal from Monday. “Digital and everything else will follow in a month or two.”

Sound Of Metal, starring Riz Ahmed as a heavy metal drummer who suffers sudden onset deafness, will play in 300 cinemas by the end of May.

The attack took place at a Glasgow flat in 2017.

UK actor Kevin Guthrie has been jailed for three years for sexually assaulting a woman at a flat in Glasgow in 2017.

Guthrie denied the charge but was found guilty after a four-day trial in Glasgow and placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Guthrie’s credits include Entertainment’s Sunshine On Leith, Netflix’sThe English Game, and Warner Bros’Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them and Dunkirk.

As has always been the plan, Fantastic Beasts 3 director David Yates is planning on helming all five entries in the franchise, according to star Katherine Waterston. Thanks to his experience with the original run of Harry Potter movies, Yates is very well-versed in the wizarding world, and while the Harry Potter franchise brought in a variety of different filmmakers for each installment, Yates is hoping to be the only one to guide the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

"I think he is meant to direct them all. I think it's very interesting. He's worked very closely with [franchise creator] J.K. Rowling for a long time and very few people have access to her because she's quite insulated and so I can't really imagine how it could work any other way frankly."

Yates clearly loves working the world of Harry Potter, having directed the likes of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,...

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has unveiled “longlists” that narrow the field in 24 categories at the Ee British Academy Film Awards. The longlists were part of an overhaul of BAFTA voting procedures instituted in September to increase the diversity of nominations. Longlists existed in BAFTA voting prior to 2012 but were eliminated that year.

Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” led all films by being longlisted in 15 different categories, buoyed by four different cast members in the Best Supporting Actor category. It was followed by David Fincher’s “Mank” with 14, Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” with 13 and Paul Greengrass’ “News of the World” with 12.

Other films that hit double digits included “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “The Mauritanian” and “Saint Maud,” which were each shortlisted in 11 categories.

The lists cast a wide net, with Best Film semifinalists including everything from “Da 5 Bloods,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom...

The third Fantastic Beasts film has shut down its shoot in the U.K. after a member of the production testing positive for Covid-19.

“A team member from Fantastic Beasts 3 has tested positive for Covid-19,” Warner Bros. told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement, without confirming the team member’s identity. “The diagnosis was confirmed as a result of required and ongoing testing that all production employees receive, and the team member is currently in isolation. Out of an abundance of caution, Fantastic Beasts 3 paused production and will be back up in accordance with safety guidelines.”

The as-yet-untitled ...

The third Fantastic Beasts film has shut down its shoot in the U.K. after a member of the production testing positive for Covid-19.

“A team member from Fantastic Beasts 3 has tested positive for Covid-19,” Warner Bros. told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement, without confirming the team member’s identity. “The diagnosis was confirmed as a result of required and ongoing testing that all production employees receive, and the team member is currently in isolation. Out of an abundance of caution, Fantastic Beasts 3 paused production and will be back up in accordance with safety guidelines.”

The as-yet-untitled ...

The poster is an incredibly important aspect of a movie's marketing campaign. But more than that, it manages to tell the story of a film in a single set of images. It's a powerful tool for any filmmaker to use in order to drum up a conversation about an upcoming project.

Related: Harry Potter: 10 Things That Only Book Fans Know About The Ministry Of Magic

For the Wizarding World, which includes both the Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter franchise, the posters offer narrative hints as to what themes and plot points these films might be exploring. While the Harry Potter posters may even link into the books themselves, the Fantastic Beasts posters go one better giving the fans the first look at a story they've never been told before.

Warner Bros veteran Berger has worked on over 350 theatrical releases.

Josh Berger, president and managing director of Warner Bros UK, Ireland and Spain and president of Harry Potter Global Franchise Development, has decided to leave the company in December after over 30 years of working there.

Berger will remain as an advisor to senior management until the middle of 2021 in his role as an executive producer on the third Fantastic Beasts film and BBC documentary Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History.

In his time at Warner Bros, he worked on over 350 theatrical releases as country manager for the UK and Ireland. He...

Warner Bros. issued a statement on Wednesday in response to the recent controversy about “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans tweets.

“The events in the last several weeks have firmed our resolve as a company to confront difficult societal issues. Warner Bros.’ position on inclusiveness is well established, and fostering a diverse and inclusive culture has never been more important to our company and to our audiences around the world,” the company said in a statement. “We deeply value the work of our storytellers who give so much of themselves in sharing their creations with us all. We recognize our responsibility to foster empathy and advocate understanding of all communities and all people, particularly those we work with and those we reach through our content.”

Warner Bros.’ most recent Rowling-related news came late last month when the company’s new HBO Max streaming service surprised subscribers by offering all...

Shining bright among the nine titles in the French agent’s line-up are Rascal by Peter Dourountzis and Beasts by Naël Marandin, awarded the Official Selection and Critics’ Week labels respectively. The French international sales agent Kinology, steered by Grégoire Melin, will have an impressive hand to play at the Cannes Film Festival’s Online Marché du Film (running 22 – 26 June), flaunting a line-up of nine films which perfectly epitomise the great strategic divide brought about by the health crisis, with some titles launching this season and others pushed back to 2021. Shimmering in the showcase are two French feature films awarded a Cannes Label and which will enjoy private (specially chosen) screenings, ahead of premieres set to unfurl in September. Standing tall under the “Official Selection Cannes 73” banner is Peter Dourountzis’s Rascal (news), a first feature film starring Pierre Deladonchamps, Ophélie Bau and Sébastien Houban. The story follows...

Part of the Critics’ Week selection: Beasts (La Terre Des Hommes), a second film by Naël Marandin with Diane Rouxel Photo: Unifrance After the unveiling yesterday of the Cannes Official Selection for the Covid-19 special edition, the Critics’ Week (La Semaine de la critique) followed suit with an offering of five features and 10 shorts that will be given a label and support to accompany them in cinemas and festivals at home and abroad.

The five features for the Week’s 59th edition include four from France. They comprise: Gold For Dogs (De l’Or Pour Les Chiens) by Anna Cazenave Cambet, about a young woman in the South of France who follows her love to Paris with unexpected results; Skies Of Lebanon (Sous le ciel d’Alice) by Chloé Mazlo takes place in Lebanon with Alba Rochwacher as a woman trying to hold on to a relationship against the backdrop...

The Critics’ Week, the parallel Cannes Film Festival strand dedicated to first and second films, has revealed the features and shorts that will get the 2020 Critics’ Week label.

Critics’ Week was canceled along with all other Cannes festival strands due to the coronavirus.

The lineup consists of only five features. Four of them are French.

The selected films are Anna Cazenave Cambet’s Gold For Dogs, Just Philippot’s The Swarm, Chloé Mazlo’s Skies Of Lebanon, Naël Marandin’s Beasts and Aleem Khan’s After Love.

The French films are expected to get world premieres at the upcoming Angouleme Film Festival at the end of August.

Skies Of Lebanon stars Alba Rohrwacher as a young Swiss woman who falls in love with a Lebanese man during the war in 1975. The film is sold by Charades.

Sold by Wild Bunch, The Swarm is a genre film following a single mother...

Parallel section unveils slimmed down, France-focused 2020 selection.

Cannes Critics’ Week has unveiled the five features and ten shorts selected for its special 2020 Semaine de la Critique label, created in response to the fact that its 59th edition could not take place this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Four of the five features hail from France with UK-Pakistani filmmaker Aleem Khan’s After Love the only non-French title in the selection.

Three of the French selections are first films: Anna Cazenave Cambet’s Gold For Dogs, Chloé Mazlo’s Skies Of Lebanon and Just Philippot’s The Swarm. They are...

While the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival was announced yesterday, Critics Week, the strand dedicated to first and second films which traditionally runs parallel to the fest, has unveiled the titles that will get the “2020 Semaine de la Critique” label.

Critics Week was canceled along with with Directors Fortnight and Acid in April due to the coronavirus crisis, but the strand’s artistic director Charles Tesson and his committee went ahead and selected five movies and 10 shorts that will receive a label.

As with Cannes’ Official Selection, the roster of this year’s Critics’ Week boasts a strong French presence with four local-language films out of the five. These are Anna Cazenave Cambet’s “Gold For Dogs,” Just Philippot’s “The Swarm,” Chloé Mazlo’s “Skies of Lebanon” and Naël Marandin’s “Beasts.” Aleem Khan’s U.K. film “After Love” rounds up the pack.

Tesson said the...

In his latest podcast/interview, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks with filmmaker and author Sean Hogan about his new book, the metacritical review of British horror films since 1945 – England’S Screaming & his European semi-sequel Three Mothers, One Father. Both of which are out now.

What connects Duc de Richleau (The Devil Rides Out), Julian Karswell (Night Of The Demon), and Damien Thorn (The Omen)? Carol Ledoux (Repulsion) and Dr. Channard (Hellbound: Hellraiser II)? Jo Gilkes (Beasts) and Angel Blake (Blood On Satan’s Claw)? How is Karswell linked to Hugo Fitch (Dead Of Night) and Emily Underwood (From Beyond The Grave)? What connects Dorothy Yates (Frightmare) to the deaths at Russell Square (Death Line)? How and why does Damien Thorn know Julia Cotton (Hellraiser)? It’s a common thread of Film Criticism to note the influences and precursors of one film to another, especially in relation to genre: by definition,...

Fantastic Beasts gave Harry Potter fans a look at some of the wizards they'd only heard about through the original Harry Potter saga. Newt Scamander and Gellert Grindelwald, for starters, but it also allowed for some lesser-known characters to steal the spotlight, and no one did that better than the distinctly muggle Jacob Kowalski.

Jacob first runs into Newt when applying for a bank loan and proceeds to get wrapped up in the plot to eradicate the muggle world.

Related: 15 Craziest Theories About Aurelius Dumbledore

However, being a muggle, Jacob is left to his own devices and often finds himself at the disposal of his magic-wielding friends. So let's explore what might have happened if Jacob had been a wizard by way of five reasons he should have been, and five reasons he is perfect the way he is.

The Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts introduced viewers to two wizarding couples that broke the Harry Potter stereotype of "all couples are just childhood friends." And while Fantastic Beasts has had it's fair share of criticism, one thing they did quite well is establishing handfuls of characters that fit into the wizarding world and gave viewers plenty of reason to care.

The primary core of characters is built around four people, two couples—on the one hand, Newt and Tina, both wizards, both with their own individual issues. On the other hand—Jacob and Queenie, one wizard and one muggle. With very few individual issues and moreso issues as a unit.

Related: 10 Women In Harry Potter Who Deserved Better Storylines

So let's talk about which couple was better, assuming that Jacob and Queenie can still be a couple after the events of The Crimes Of Grindelwald.

Chicago – The Peter Pan mythos is as well known as any legend, ever since J.M. Barrie invented the character in 1904. Through nearly a hundred versions in virtually all media, the theme remains the same … what happens if we never grow up. Benh Zeitlin adds his spin in “Wendy,” the follow-up to his Oscar nominated “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (2012).

The Explorer: Devin France is the Title Character in ‘Wendy’

Photo credit: Searchlight Pictures

“Wendy” focuses on the title character, portrayed with wide-eyed wonder by Devin France. She is portrayed as the modern-day daughter of a single mother, flanked by her twin brothers Douglas and James (Gage and Gavin Naquin). The austere family lives by a train depot, and the three siblings are tempted by a mysterious child rail rider named Peter (Yashua Mack) to run away. They travel to a mysterious island, where the inhabitants never grow up. The...

“Emma” (Focus) had a strong initial second weekend expansion, but the top news comes from two unexpected niche releases. The top 10 successes of “My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising” (Funimation) and the second weekend of “Impractical Jokers: The Movie” (truTV) suggest new paths to theatrical success.

An exclusive date for “Saint Frances” (Oscilloscope) stood out in a weekend that saw poor initial play for “Wendy” (Searchlight) and “Greed” (Sony Pictures Classics) — films with top directors and mediocre or worse reviews.

Opening

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (Funimation) – Metacritic: 71

$5,109,000 in 1,260 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $4,054; Cumulative: $8,482,000

Where did this come from? This second film from the popular Manga action comic opened on Wednesday from Funimation, a Sony Pictures-related company, with the top gross opening day. But rather than just play like an event as similar films, it continued its run to end up as the surprise #4 film overall this weekend.

Impractical Jokers: The Movie isn’t pranking us when it comes to their box office performance. After having a stellar opening last week, the big-screen adaptation of WarnerMedia’s truTV prank show expanded from 357 to nearly 1,800 theaters and earned an estimated $3,545,000, to bring its cume to $6.6 million. The movie has now cracked the top 10 at the box office, right behind Birds of Prey and ahead of 1917.

The pic debuted to an impressive $2.6 million and had the highest per-screen average among major releases at $7,302. The audience response gave it enough of a boost to expand in its second week out, adding 1,493 theaters in 210 markets. On Friday, it slipped 6%, but then jumped a massive 51% on Saturday from last week.

As much as it seems that the performance of Impractical Jokers was out of nowhere, it really isn’t. The Jackass movie franchise is cut from the same cloth as the prank-driven Impractical Jokers,...

Beasts of the Southern Wild was the indie darling of 2012 having racked up prestigious festival wins en route to four Oscar nominations. Despite being credited to “Court 13” as a collective at the beginning of the end credits, the driving force behind the film was New York native and current Louisiana resident Benh Zeitlin. He earned two of those nods as director and co-writer while also serving as co-composer alongside Dan Romer. It was the type of whirlwind ride that propels many filmmakers straight to Hollywood and yet Zeitlin chose a different path.

That brings us to his sophomore effort, Wendy—a film eight years in the making that carries so many parallels with his acclaimed debut from its non-professional actors, child narrator, and do-it-yourself aesthetic. Conceived alongside his sister Eliza from their childhood memories appropriating Peter Pan into their own imaginative world, the project took cast and crew to exotic...

Who knew that “Beasts of the Southern Wild” was not just a nervy, thrilling debut film, but a design for living?

Director Benh Zeitlin suggests as much with “Wendy,” his second feature, which arrived eight years after “Beasts” took the 2012 Sundance Film Festival by storm on its way to Best Picture and Best Director Oscar nominations.

That film was the uproarious chronicle of a feral young girl, Hushpuppy, who lived in a ramshackle community (“the Bathtub”) in the swamps of the southern U.S., resisting the constraints of civilization at every turn. “Wendy,” which also premiered at Sundance, begins on the outskirts of civilization, in a small diner right by the side of the train tracks, and then finds a way to escape into a wild, exuberant and dangerous utopia.

Oh, and it’s a riff on “Peter Pan,” and on the whole idea of storytelling and the power of myth.

It has taken eight years for Benh Zeitlin to deliver the follow-up to his Oscar-nominated 2012 feature debut “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” But you could say the idea for “Wendy,” which reimagines the classic “Peter Pan” from the viewpoint of his female friend (played by first-time actor Devin France), has been percolating far longer than that.

Zeitlin wrote the film with his sister, Eliza Zeitlin, who also serves as production designer on the movie, a tale that started with puppets when the Zeitlins were growing up and has stayed with them into adulthood. “When I was brought home from the hospital, Benh had prepared a puppet show for me,” quips Eliza. “It was our very first interaction on Earth.”

As with “Beasts,” the idea for “Wendy” was to eschew VFX and stunt doubles. In the two years it took for the duo to write the story, there were many discussions...

After hitting indie gold with their beloved 2012 drama “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” filmmaker and composer Benh Zeitlin and composer Dan Romer have reunited to craft another sweeping score for Zeitlin’s much-anticipated followup film. More than seven years in the making, “Wendy” finally premiered at Sundance in January and is gearing up for a theatrical release at the end of the month.

Per the film’s official synopsis, it’s “the classic story of Peter Pan wildly reimagined in this ragtag epic … Lost on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, Wendy must fight to save her family, her freedom, and the joyous spirit of youth from the deadly peril of growing up.” Zeitlin has again utilized a cast of youngsters and newbies to sell his vision of a Peter Pan story of a different stripe.

For film fans who loved “Beasts,” the film promises more...

Will everyone be a winner on Oscar night except one man? As in “The Irishman”? Our odds forecast a golden night for eight of the nine Best Picture nominees to score at least one award, with just “The Irishman” left out in the cold.

Here’s how it looks like it’s going to shake out:

“Ford v Ferrari” (4 nominations): editing

“The Irishman” (10): nothing

“Jojo Rabbit” (6): adapted screenplay

“Joker” (11): actor, score

“Little Women” (6): costume design

“Marriage Story” (6): supporting actress

“1917” (10): picture, director, cinematography, sound editing, sound mixing, visual effects

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (10): supporting actor, production design

“Parasite” (6): original screenplay, international feature film

See Jack Mathews: How ‘The Irishman’ went from Oscars frontrunner to a possible shutout

Since the academy expanded the Best Picture lineup 10 years ago, only twice have all the Best Picture nominees taken home at...

Eight long years after “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Benh Zeitlin brings that same rust-bottomed sense of magical realism to the legend of Peter Pan, reframing J.M. Barrie’s Victorian classic through the eyes of the eldest Darling. “Wendy,” as the indie-minded not-quite-family-film is aptly titled, re-envisions its title character as a working-class kiddo raised at a whistle-stop diner, who witnesses one of her young friends disappearing on a passing freight train and a few years later decides to follow it to the end of the line, where runaway urchins don’t age and the Lost Boys live like “The Lord of the Flies.”

Although the director’s feral energy and rough-and-tumble aesthetic make an inspired match for a movie about an off-the-grid community doing everything it can to resist outside change (that was essentially the gist of “Beasts” as well), cinema has hardly stood still since Zeitlin’s last feature.

The lyrical whimsy of 2012 breakout “Beasts of the Southern Wild” owed some measure of influence to “Peter Pan,” so it’s no surprise the classic tale of a boy who won’t grow up provides the foundation for director Benh Zeitlin’s long-awaited followup, “Wendy.” Seven years have passed since “Beasts” became a surprise cultural phenomenon, blending evocative visuals and an imaginative swampy backdrop with complex emotional themes. It seems Zeitlin has been trapped in a Neverland of his own making all along, because “Wendy” feels as if no time has passed at all.

Zeitlin’s wondrous “Pan” riff feels like such a natural continuation of the “Beasts” experience that it practically unfolds in the same immersive universe — pensive voiceover paired with overwhelming, expressionistic bursts of storybook imagery — taking this unusual epic into abstract places where fantasy gives way to the ominous challenges of the adult world.

As usual, mileage...

Benh Zeitlin was always going to take his time. Seven years ago, his dazzling first feature “Beasts of the Southern Wild” became the breakout story of the year, premiering to raves and a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It scored distribution with Fox Searchlight and a first-look deal for its director, who eventually landed an Oscar nomination. The success was unusual considering that the dreamlike project had been made by Zeitlin and his New Orleans-based Court 13 collective on a shoestring budget with non-professional actors, mostly children. But the next step in his story was even more unconventional.

Once the excitement around “Beasts” died down, Zeitlin went right back to work, and never really stopped until a few months ago. At this year’s Sundance, he’ll finally premiere “Wendy,” a freewheeling, ethereal reworking of “Peter Pan” with a cast of energetic children making their acting debuts. Shot...

The Harry Potter series reigned supreme for a decade as the biggest and most popular franchise in the industry and became a global phenomenon in the process, capturing the hearts and minds of fans across the world as well as earning billions of dollars at the box office. The final installment may have been released nine years ago, but the brand still retains an enormous fanbase, so it was hardly surprising that Warner Bros. decided to announce multiple spinoffs in order to keep milking their most lucrative cash-cow.

Unfortunately, Fantastic Beasts hasn’t fared anywhere near as well as the Wizarding World‘s previous adventures, with many critical of the studio’s decision to make five prequel movies based on a 128-page fictional textbook that was originally written to raise money for charity. While Newt Scamander’s first adventure scored generally positive reviews from critics and earned $814 million at the box office,...

Seventeen years is a long time in Hollywood, and with the Marlon Brando / Val Kilmer version of The Island Of Dr Moreau now just a distant and surreal memory, Warner Bros. have decided to once again dust off the Hg Wells classic. Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way production company is behind the "contemporary re-imagining".Wells' 1896 novel sees narrator Edward Prendick shipwrecked and rescued, only to then be taken to the remote Noble's Isle. Here, the bizarre Dr Moreau is conducting vivisection experiements to create beast-hybrids like the Leopard-Man and the Hyena-Swine, but his creations aren't all entirely happy with the process. There may be trouble ahead...It's been filmed a few times before. 1932's Island Of Lost Souls, with Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi, is probably still the best version. There's also The Twilight People (1972) with John Ashley and Pam Grier, and The Island Of Doctor Moreau (1977) with Burt Lancaster and Michael York.

The drive-in/grindhouse scene has lost a true legend as Filipino filmmaker Eddie Romero, creator of some of the most infamous films to ever shine on the sliver screen, passed away yesterday at the ripe old age of 88.

The man's career spanned over 60 years, and in that time he turned out several vintage horror and exploitation flicks including The Mad Doctor of Blood Island in 1968, along with Beast of Blood and Brides of Blood. He also spent a great deal of time working with the legendary B-movie icon Roger Corman on other projects such as Black Mama, White Mama and The Twilight People.

We here at Dread Central would like to take this time to offer our sincerest of condolences to Eddie's friends, family, and constituents. God bless you, brother, and thank you for always flying that glorious freak flag which in turn has brought a huge smile to so many faces over the years.

We're sad to report that celebrated Filipino filmmaker Eddie Romero, best known among horror & exploitation fans for the “Blood Island” horror film series and his work with Roger Corman on several Philippines-based movies, passed away yesterday at 88. According to his son, Romero had been hospitalized for much of this month and lapsed into a coma shortly before his death. Romero was a highly honored filmmaker in the Philippines, and was awarded the title of National Artist for Cinema and Broadcast Arts in 2003. Over a sixty-year career, he has directed many acclaimed films in his native country, but fans of vintage horror and exploitation cinema remember him most fondly for the gory “Blood Island” series, which began with the surprise hit Mad Doctor of Blood Island in 1968, and included the sequels Beast of Blood and Brides of Blood; he's also noted for his '70s film collaborations with B-movie icon Roger Corman,...

Eddie Romero dies: Filipino filmmaker best known for his exploitation horror and action movies Eddie Romero, one of most best-known Filipino filmmakers, died of prostate cancer on Tuesday, May 28. Romero was 88. Named a National Artist of the Philippines in 2003, Romero (born on July 7, 1924, in Dumaguete City) began his film career in the late ’40s, when The Philippines were still recovering from the devastation of World War II. His international reputation rests chiefly on his low-budget horror and action movies; usually Filipino / American co-productions made in collaboration with actor-producer John Ashley. Among those are the the horror sci-fier Brides of Blood (1968), featuring veteran Kent Taylor, Beverly Powers, tropical-island natives, and radioactively mutated human-eating plants; Beast of Blood (1971), featuring John Ashley and a headless monster; The Twilight People (1972), which has no connection to either Stephenie Meyer or the Cullen Clan — in the film, reminiscent of Erle C. Kenton’s Island of Lost Souls...

For years now Island Of Lost Souls has been DVD’s most glaring omission from the Golden Age of Horror. It won the Rondo Award several times for Film Most in Need of DVD Released or Restoration , but last October, classic horror fans rejoiced when Criterion finally released the film. They were not disappointed and this year, not surprisingly, Island Of Lost Souls won the Rondo for Best Classic DVD.

Island Of Lost Souls (1932), the first adaption of H.G.Well’s 1896 novel The Island of Dr. Moreau was one several shocking horror films from the early 30′s that helped advance the enforcement of the Hays Code, Hollywood’s self-censoring rules deeming “no picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it.”. It wasn’t Island Of Lost Souls’s radical scenes of horror (like Freaks) or the deviant sexuality (like the Frederick March version of Dr.

With one world, one European and five UK premieres, the UK’s biggest horror fantasy festival returns to its second home at the Glasgow Film Festival for the 6th year with their darkest, deranged and daring line-up ever.

Expect the totally unexpected with this eclectic programme featuring a trilogy of sexual terror, uncut Korean serial killers, psychotic tyres, Polish demons, maniacal matriarchs, crazed war veterans and a terrific schlock doc.

With guest directors and filmmakers from all over world (to be announced soon), surprises on screen and off, and our unique community feeling, FrightFest at the Gff has now become a must-attend occasion on the horror fantasy fan’s calendar.

The full line-up

Fri 25

6.30pm. Little Deaths (World Premiere)

One killer anthology from the UK’s most promising horror filmmakers, Andrew Parkinson (I, Zombie), Simon Rumley (Red, White & Blue), and Sean Hogan (Isle Of Dogs), composed of three disturbingly sensual...

FilmShaft loves FrightFest. The awesome people behind the best horror festival in the whole wide world have announced their Glasgow line-up, so prepare for a scare!

Also there’s the European premiere of Hobo With A Shotgun to look forward to and get excited about.

Below is the full press release and line-up:

“Expect the totally unexpected with this eclectic programme featuring a trilogy of sexual terror, uncut Korean serial killers, psychotic tyres, Polish demons, maniacal matriarchs, crazed war veterans and a terrific schlock doc. With guest directors and filmmakers from all over world (to be announced soon), surprises on screen and off, and our unique community feeling, FrightFest at the Gff has now become a must-attend occasion on the horror fantasy fan’s calendar.”

Fri 25

6.30pm. Little Deaths (World Premiere)

One killer anthology from the UK’s most promising horror filmmakers, Andrew Parkinson (I, Zombie), Simon Rumley (Red, White...

With one world, one European and five UK premieres, FrightFest returns to its second home at the Glasgow Film Festival for the 6th year with their darkest, deranged and daring line-up ever.

Expect the totally unexpected with this eclectic programme featuring a trilogy of sexual terror, uncut Korean serial killers, psychotic tyres, Polish demons, maniacal matriarchs, crazed war veterans and a terrific schlock doc; and much like it’s southern couterpart FrightFest at the Gff has now become a must-attend occasion on the horror fantasy fan’s calendar. The full line-up:

Friday 25th February

6.30pm. Little Deaths (World Premiere)

One killer anthology from the UK’s most promising horror filmmakers, Andrew Parkinson (I, Zombie), Simon Rumley (Red, White & Blue), and Sean Hogan (Isle Of Dogs), composed of three disturbingly sensual and terrifying tales unified by the twin themes of sex and death. In Sean Hogan’s ‘House and Home’, a...

The Twilight People screens tonight, Wednesday September 29th, at 11:55 p.m. as part of the "Weird Wednesday" series at Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, 320 East Sixth Street in downtown Austin. Submitted for your approval is 1973's  oddity The Twilight People, starring John Ashley, best known as Frankie Avalon's rival in such films as Beach Blanket Bingo and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, who had gone from his '60s glory days as the Ralph Bellamy of Beach Party pictures to starring in a series of made-in-the-Philippines exploitation films.  The Twilight People is pretty...

Fantastic Fest Honors Roger And Julie Corman With

"Syfy Imagine Greater" Lifetime Achievement Award

The Lifetime Achievement Award Will Be Presented Preceding the

World Premiere Gala Screening of “Sharktopus”

One check mark I had the honor of marking off of my bucket list earlier this summer was meeting the living legend Roger Corman at Fright night film Fest!

The 6th annual Fantastic Fest will honor Roger and Julie Corman with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Premiere of their new Syfy movie Sharktopus, starring Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, The Expendables) and Sara Malakul Lane (Belly of the Beast) on Friday, September 24, 2010 at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX. Sponsored exclusively by Syfy, the film will play as the second part of a double feature with the U.S. premiere of Machete Maidens Unleashed!, a documentary about Philippine exploitation films from the 70's and 80's directed by Mark Hartley...

This year’s Fantastic Fest will honor legendary filmmakers Roger and Julie Corman with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Following the award ceremony will be the world premiere of the Cormans’ new Syfy movie Sharktopus. For those who don’t know, the Cormans are the minds behind numerous cult classics including Death Race 2000, X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, and The Little Shop of Horrors. The two also helped discover acting and directing luminaries including Jonathan Demme, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Joe Dante, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Charles Bronson, Robert De Niro, and Sylvester Stallone.

Sharktopus will play as the second-part of a double feature with the U.S. premiere of Mark Hartlety’s documentary about Philippine exploitation films of the 70s and 80s, Machete Maidens Unleashed! (check out the great trailer here). The presentation of the Lifetime Achievement award will take place between the two films. Tickets for...

The 6th annual Fantastic Fest will honor Roger and Julie Corman with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Premiere of their new Syfy movie Sharktopus, starring Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, The Expendables) and Sara Malakul Lane (Belly of the Beast) on Friday, September 24, 2010 at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX. Sponsored exclusively by Syfy, the film will play as the second part of a double feature with the U.S. premiere of Machete Maidens Unleashed!, a documentary about Philippine exploitation films from the 70’s and 80’s directed by Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood), which features Roger Corman prominently. The Lifetime Achievement award ceremony will take place between the two shows, each of which will include classic Corman trailers and surprises.

Roger Corman received an Honorary 2010 Oscar for his contributions to filmmaking, and is the legendary director and producer of numerous cult classics, among them It Conquered the World,...

Island Of Lost Souls (1932), the first adaption of H.G.Well’s 1896 novel ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau’, was one several shocking horror films from the early 30’s that helped advance the enforcement of the ‘Hays Code’, Hollywood’s self-censoring rules deeming “no picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it”. It wasn’t Island Of Lost Souls’s radical scenes of horror (like Freaks) or the deviant sexuality (like the Frederick March version of Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde) that offended but its allegory premise that Man could play God and create Man through surgery by splicing together the flesh of various living animals (….and I’m sure the hints of bestiality didn’t help). Island Of Lost Souls is a movie that hasn’t lost its power to shock and disturb almost 80 years later, but it’s one that is Not available on DVD.