News

The superhero genre has proven itself incredibly diverse and versatile, exploring everything from cosmic saviors like Superman to demonic heroes like Hellboy. However, audiences can sometimes struggle to relate to those heroes, instead gravitating to superheroes with no powers at all. Sometimes, the stories with the highest stakes, the best sense of adventure, and the most engaging plots focus on protagonists who rely on intelligence, technology, and skill to save the day.

From Marvelto DC and everything in between, the comic book medium has given Hollywood decades of source material to choose from when it comes to good, powerless heroes. While not all of these movies land at the box office, they can still offer a fun experience for the audience. Whether animated or live-action, based on a comic or completely original, sometimes superheroes are at their best when they don't have cosmic superpowers to fall back on.

The Rocketeer...

There’s a new sequel to the 1997 slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer (watch it Here) and its 1998 follow-up I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (watch that one Here) coming our way from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge). Robinson’s Do Revenge star Camila Mendes (Riverdale) was attached to star in the film at one time, but had to drop out due to scheduling issues with the Masters of the Universe movie, where she plays the Teela character. Mendes was replaced by Chase Sui Wonders (Bodies Bodies Bodies) – and while speaking to People, Wonders said the new I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel is going to be “really fun.”

Robinson is directing the film from a screenplay by Leah McKendrick (M.F.A.), which has received some rewrites from Robinson and journalist Sam Lansky. McKendrick told Collider a while back that the new...

Best known for his two James Bond movies in the 1980s, Timothy Dalton had a career renaissance in the 2000s, reinventing himself as a villain in films such as Hot Fuzz, and bagging critical praise for his work as the malevolent Time Lord Rassilon in the long-running BBC sci-fi drama Doctor Who, and also as an out-for-himself businessman in Paramount+’s Western drama 1923, the second season of which premiered last week. However, Dalton was no newcomer when it came to playing bad guys, as his excellent work in Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnston's second feature, The Rocketeer, shows. Here’s why his James Bond was good, but his chops as a villain are better.

Exclusive: Callan Farris and Arjun Shah have joined the CBS multi-cam comedy pilot Zarna, alongside lead Zarna Garg, who co-writes and co-executive produces with Darlene Hunt.

Zarna centers on the eponymous heroine Zarna (Garg), a proud immigrant woman raising her American-born kids on Indian values. But now that they’re getting older, it’s time to focus on her American dream.

The story reflects Garg’s own story as an immigrant from India who moves to the U.S. as a teenager. After getting BA and Jd degrees, she spent 16 years as a stay-at-home mom before her children encouraged her to try stand-up, launching her comedy career.

The project also stars Rizwan Manji as Kishore, a successful Wall Street investor and Zarna’s husband of more than 20 years and Chandni Shah as Asha, a freshman at Columbia University and...

There’s a new sequel to the 1997 slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer (watch it Here) and its 1998 follow-up I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (watch that one Here) coming our way from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) – and while Jennifer Love Hewitt, who played heroine Julie James in the first two films, and Freddie Prinze Jr., who was Julie’s boyfriend Ray Bronson in those films, are both back for this sequel, they are not the leads this time around. That doesn’t mean that fans aren’t eager to see their characters again anyway, and Robinson has taken to social media to tease the return of Julie James. Robinson shared an image that shows the character has received a piece of mail in the new film – and the handwriting on the envelope is reminiscent of the notes Julie was receiving from a hook-wielding killer nearly thirty years ago.

Quick LinksWhy Disney's Tall Tale is an Underrated GemHow Tall Tale Represents Some of Disney's Best WorkWhy Disney Needs to Return to Classic American Folklore

Without fanfare or much acknowledgment, 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of Disney's underrated western fantasy, Tall Tale. The 1990s were a distinctive time for Disney films, caught between traditional values and a desire for modern appeal. This era produced a bizarre mix of movies alongside fairy tale classics like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast were odd entries such as George of the Jungle and Flubber. Tall Tale fell into the latter category, a neglected attempt to modernize classic American folklore once beloved by Walt Disney himself. As it reaches its 30th anniversary, its legacy invites a deeper look at what it reveals about Disney's relationship with Americana, the legacy of its characters, and why it deserves to be remembered.

Also known as Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventures of Pecos Bill,...

Did movies for kids peak in the 1990s? It's entirely possible. We arrived at this question after sifting through piles of our old VHS tapes to produce a list of the best '90s kids' movies, noting the amount of high-quality entertainment we had to choose from. Make no mistake, this was a hard list to assemble and required more than a few heartbreaking sacrifices. Even cherished Walt Disney productions like "Mulan" and "Tarzan" were left on the outside looking in, which speaks volumes about the last great decade. "Beethoven?" Nope. "Rookie of the Year?" Nadda. "Angels in the Outfield?" Non. The Lindsey Lohan "Parent Trap?" Nein.

Thankfully, the films that made the final cut are genuinely excellent. So, don't get too mad if your favorite children's flicks are nowhere to be found. Chances are, we love them too but had to make room for those that were marginally better.

There’s a new sequel to the 1997 slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer (watch it Here) and its 1998 follow-up I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (watch that one Here) coming our way from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) – and while Jennifer Love Hewitt, who played heroine Julie James in the first two films, and Freddie Prinze Jr., who was Julie’s boyfriend Ray Bronson in those films, are both back for this sequel, they are not the leads this time around… Which you might have assumed, given the fact that Hewitt’s deal to return wasn’t closed until after filming had already begun.

Prinze confirmed that he and Hewitt are not the leads during an interview on the Scale Talk Podcast with David Miniatures. He said, with thanks to our friends at Bloody Disgusting for the transcription, “[Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson] just took such good care of Love’s character,...

The 1991 spoof Hot Shots! found itself to a small degree mirroring the front pages of the newspapers – and 20th Century Fox was worried.

Save for a few sporadic examples – the first Scary Movie, for instance, and more recently The Goes Wrong Show on the BBC – it feels like the era of the successful screen spoof came to a juddering halt in the 1990s. In 1993, we had the second of two Hot Shots! films, and in 1994 the Naked Gun trilogy came to an end. After those? It was slim pickings.

There were further attempts to breathe fresh life into the spoof – Spy Hard, Jane Austen’s Mafia!, Wrongfully Accused – but nothing that could live up to some of the movies we got in the 80s and early 90s.

In 1991 in particular, the spoof was a box office draw. This was the year when many big budget Hollywood productions came in well below box office expectations.

In the years since he was first cast as Starfleet officer William T. Riker on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Jonathan Frakes has become an integral part of the "Star Trek" franchise not only as an actor but also as a director, shaping things behind-the-scenes. Back when the role was being cast in the late 1980s, however, Frakes wasn't the first pick for the roguishly handsome first officer. In fact, he was actually up against some other very talented performers.

In the end, though, it all worked out and Frakes ended up playing the guy who simply cannot sit in a chair the way it was designed (as "Star Trek: Lower Decks" once poked fun at). Still, things could have been very different on "The Next Generation" if one of the other actors in the running had secured the part. In fact, the person who almost took the role and...

There’s a new sequel to the 1997 slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer (watch it Here) and its 1998 follow-up I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (watch that one Here) coming our way from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) – and Jennifer Love Hewitt, who played heroine Julie James in the first two films, has just confirmed that she will be returning for this sequel! We’ve known that Hewitt was in negotiations to return for a long time, but today she took to social media to announce that the deal has been made and Julie James is back.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jennifer Love Hewitt (@jenniferlovehewitt)

Robinson is directing the film from a screenplay by Leah McKendrick (M.F.A.), which has received some rewrites from Robinson and journalist Sam Lansky. McKendrick told Collider a while back that the new sequel...

"Gilligan's Island" is a fun show about a group of castaways who never seem to get rescued despite nigh-weekly opportunities to make their way back to civilization. It's a premise that requires a certain suspension of disbelief from the get-go, especially by the time you witness the other castaways forgive Gilligan (Bob Denver) for sabotaging their attempts to secure a rescue for the umpteenth time.

However, there's a reason the CBS show is a classic. It carries a rare charm that's able to lull the viewer into said disbelief so easily that whenever you watch the show, it's hard to resist going with the flow from the second you hear that infinitely catchy theme song. This ability to casually sweep the viewer away for 25 minutes of desert island levity helped "Gilligan's Island" become one of the best TV shows of the 1960s, despite the fact that it contains some truly hilarious mistakes.

There’s a new sequel to the 1997 slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer (watch it Here) and its 1998 follow-up I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (watch that one Here) coming our way from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) – and even though filming is already underway, Jennifer Love Hewitt has revealed that she has still not officially signed on to reprise the role of heroine Julie James!

Robinson is directing the film from a screenplay by Leah McKendrick (M.F.A.), which has received some rewrites from Robinson and journalist Sam Lansky. McKendrick told Collider a while back that the new sequel will reckon with “some big ideas about hero and villain, right and wrong, how your skeletons come back to haunt you. And in the age of the internet and the age where fame is such a revered concept, the creation of TikTok and social media,...

The '90s were a special time for sci-fi. With the release of Jurassic Park and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, film studios began to recognize the practical potential of CGI and other special effects. Films like The Matrix revolutionized cinema with techniques such as slow motion, influencing not only sci-fi and action films but nearly every genre across the industry. However, many 90s sci-fi films were overlooked at the time and are only now receiving the appreciation they deserve.

A lot of great sci-fi films from the '90s had a dark, grungy aesthetic that made them less family-friendly, thereby limiting their audience. Several were independent productions that had to find creative ways to work around small budgets. Additionally, 90s sci-fi often leaned into the strange and unconventional, which led to poor reception from critics and a lack of awareness among general audiences. Exploring the sci-fi films of the '...

There’s a new sequel to the 1997 slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer (watch it Here) and its 1998 follow-up I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (watch that one Here) coming our way from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) – and the project’s official X account has just unveiled a behind-the-scenes image to announce that production is underway!

The image shows a clapperboard for the filming of scene 50B, which involves a computer monitor that looks like it’s left over from the ’90s and a hook that has a slightly different design than the hooks we saw in the previous movies:

Production is underway for #IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer. Exclusively in theatres this summer. pic.twitter.com/2mRBbXyMeC

— I Know What You Did Last Summer (@IKWYDLS_Movie) December 3, 2024

Robinson is directing the film from a screenplay by Leah McKendrick (M.F.A.), which has received some rewrites from Robinson and journalist Sam Lansky.

Spoiler shields up! This article discusses plot details from the latest episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks."

If "Star Trek: Lower Decks" must end with its fifth and final season (which /Film's Jacob Hall reviewed here), it might as well go out swinging for the fences. That seems to have been the approach from creator/showrunner Mike McMahan and the writing team as a whole so far in this series, in all fairness, but season 5, episode 6 takes this Mo to even greater heights. Titled "Of Gods and Angles," the story sees the crew of the USS Cerritos having to don their diplomacy hats in order to mediate between two disgruntled factions of photon-based lifeforms: alien races made up of cubes and spheres, hilariously enough. Yet, as ridiculous and silly as this gets, the main plot doesn't even take the title for the nerdiest moment of the episode. No, that honor...

Billy Campbell portrayed Captain Thadiun Okona in one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but has returned to the franchise in animated form. Billy Campbell began acting in the mid-1980s, landing his first significant television role on Dynasty in 1984. Campbell went on to costar as Detective Joey Indelli in Crime Story before appearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, episode 4, "The Outrageous Okona." Campbell landed the leading role in Disney's The Rocketeer in 1991 and also portrayed a vampire hunter in Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992.

Billy Campbell continued to appear in popular films and television shows throughout the 1990s and beyond. From 1999 to 2002, Campbell starred alongside Sela Ward in the Emmy-winning Once and Again. Campbell also appeared in episodes of Law & Order: Svu and The Oc, and had a regular role on The 4400. Campbell portrayed Darren Richmond in The Killing, Dr. Alan Farragut in Helix, and John Cardinal in Cardinal.

Image Source: Walt Disney Long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was born, Disney had high hopes for its own comic book movie, 1991’s The Rocketeer. While the critics gave it good reviews, audiences weren’t nearly as enthusiastic. Disney had envisioned The Rocketeer as a franchise, but plans for a sequel were dropped after the film was a box office failure. Still, as with several underappreciated films from that era, home video and streaming have helped it resurface as a cult classic. Jennifer Connelly, who starred alongside Billy Campbell and Timothy Dalton, told us that when the film was first released, most of the special effects were practical effects something she had never seen before. (Click on the media bar below to hear Jennifer Connelly) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Jennifer_connesly_Rocketeer_.mp3

The Rocketeer is currently streaming on Disney+ and available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and most digital platforms.

Former General Hospital star Nicholas Alexander Chavez has gone on to great acclaim with his Netflix shows Grotesquerie and his dream job, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The actor, who took a hilarious turn in the 2022 film Crushed, has enjoyed his horror success. Now, he’s diving into a new scary project linked to a fan-favorite 1990s franchise.

Delving Into Darkness

Deadline reported that Chavez will join the latest sequel to the 1997 slasher flick I Know What You Did Last Summer. The film concerns “Four young friends bound by a tragic accident are reunited when they find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town,” per IMDb.

The original film starred Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Johnny Galecki, and Bridgette Wilson. Kevin Williamson, who launched the Scream franchise, wrote the film that was loosely based on Lois Duncan...

There’s a new sequel to the slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer (watch it Here) and the follow-up I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (watch that one Here) coming our way from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) – and Deadline has just revealed the names of four more cast members! They are Lola Tung (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Nicholas Alexander Chavez (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story), Austin Nichols (The Day After Tomorrow), and model / musician Gabbriette, who will be making her feature film acting debut. Tung, Chavez, Nichols, and Gabbriette join previously announced cast members Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks), Sarah Pidgeon (Tiny Beautiful Things), Tyriq Withers (Atlanta), Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid), and Billy Campbell (The Rocketeer). Robinson’s Do Revenge star Camila Mendes (Riverdale) was previously attached, but had to drop out due to scheduling issues. It appears that she has...

Sarah Michelle Gellar may not be coming back for the new sequel to the slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer (watch it Here) and the follow-up I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (watch that one Here) that’s coming our way from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) – since her character is dead and all – but The Rocketeer is going to be in the movie! Deadline reports that The Rocketeer star Billy Campbell, whose credits also include Cardinal, Enough, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, has signed on to join the cast.

Campbell’s co-stars will include Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks), Sarah Pidgeon (Tiny Beautiful Things), Tyriq Withers (Atlanta), and Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid). Robinson’s Do Revenge star Camila Mendes (Riverdale) was previously attached, but had to drop out due to scheduling issues. It appears that she has been replaced by Chase Sui Wonders (Bodies Bodies Bodies...

Exclusive: Sony’s sequel to I Know What You Did Last Summer has just added Billy Campbell to the booming cast which includes Freddie Prinze Jr., Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers and Jonah Haur-King. Franchise Og star Jennifer Love Hewitt is also in talks to return.

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is directing the follow up, which is written by Sam Lansky and Kaytin Robinson off a draft by Leah McKendrick. Neal Moritz is producing for a theatrical release scheduled on July 18, 2025.

The Paradigm and Link Entertainment repped Campbell recently starred in 2x Primetime Emmy winning Amazon series Mr. & Mrs. Smith. He was also last seen in the CTV/Hulu television series, Cardinal. Campbell won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in Cardinal for two years in a row as well as nominated for an International Emmy Award for Best Actor in a series. He is...

Jim Henson's 1986 film "Labyrinth" is a deeply beloved classic among kids of a certain age. It presents the raw sexuality of David Bowie, playing a sexy goblin lord in tights, his bulging package kickstarting millions of kids' puberties. At the beginning of the film, the main character, the 16-year-old Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) wants nothing more than to live in a fantasy world, happy to remain in her pretty-princess phase indefinitely. However, when Bowie's goblin king kidnaps her baby brother Toby (Toby Froud), she learns that living in such a world is wild and off-putting. Most of the film is a random, light adventure, but one scene points out that Sarah is unduly clinging onto her childhood trinkets.

She learns the lesson of I Corinthians 13:11. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man,...

While superhero movies have become an inescapable juggernaut of blockbuster filmmaking in more recent years, the genre has a deep and varied history going back decades before the introduction of cinematic universes. The 90s were one of the premiere decades for superhero films, ranging from franchise juggernauts like Batman Returns and Blade to cult classics like Darkman and The Rocketeer. However, for every exceptional superhero film released in the decade, there were also a handful of exceptional failures that only grew in infamy as the years went by.

In the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Pegasus", Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is reunited with Admiral Erik Pressman (Terry O'Quinn), his former commanding officer on board a ship called the U.S.S. Pegasus. Pressman is visiting the Enterprise to reveal that Starfleet intelligence has located the missing Pegasus, presumably destroyed 15 years ago. It's their mission to either salvage the Pegasus or destroy it before nearby Romulans can cannibalize its technology.

In some meaningful asides, Riker and Pressman talk about the "final mission" of the Pegasus, and how there are some things they have been keeping secret for the last 15 years, hoping that Starfleet never finds out. Like most Admirals on "Star Trek," Pressman is up to something shady, and he had convinced a young Ensign Riker to go along with it. Because Pressman is played by Terry O'Quinn, audiences were likely suspicious immediately; O'Quinn was an expert...

3 different actors had the chance to portray Riker in Star Trek(Photo Credit –Instagram)

Let’s go back in time and investigate the possible outcomes inside the Star Trek world. Who knows, perhaps the series might have gone entirely in a different path if another actor had played Riker!

1. Michael O’Gorman: The Almost-Riker Who Quit Acting

Think of a Star Trek where Michael O’Gorman, not Jonathan Frakes, served as Riker’s face. It’s an idea worth considering. O’Gorman has a limited background in acting, having played quirky characters in a number of forgotten syndicated series, including Monsters and Miami Vice. Despite his short list of credits, O’Gorman was a serious contender for Riker.

In a memo dated April 13, 1987, from John Ferraro, Senior Vice President for Paramount Pictures, O’Gorman’s name appeared alongside other top contenders such as Gregg Marx and Ben Murphy. Ferraro’s memo...

Like horror, science fiction lends itself well to serialization. Fans of the genre love the chance to explore fantastical worlds far from our own, and once storytellers have developed a brand-new universe, those fans love having a reason to come back. From "Star Trek" to "Star Wars" (which are quite similar), from "The Terminator" to "The Thing," sci-fi franchises can spawn from anything given a strong enough premise.

Moviemaking takes time, though, and we also live in a world where projects are announced many years in advance. This can all make it frustrating to be a fan of sci-fi, often having to wait years to be able to return to a series that you love, even though new installments are constantly dangled over your head. While we're waiting for the next great sci-fi original to spark a new franchise, we've rounded up some of the sci-fi sequels that we simply...

Joe Johnston’s 1991 superhero movie The Rocketeer begins in the usual way, with orange opening credits against a black screen. Only the slight tinkling of piano hints at something greater, little notes of inspiration under the art deco script on display. Sure enough, after the title reveal, the score pauses. The black screen is revealed to actually be the doors of a hangar bay, and the strings in James Horner’s score rise to a crescendo. They are announcing the hopes hanging on the yellow biplane that emerges.

A warm, confident scene of pilot Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell) proving to his mechanic Peevey (Alan Arkin) and their pals that he’s got what it takes to win a race is an odd way to open a superhero movie, even one of the pulp-inspired films that Hollywood cranked out after Batman hit it big in 1989. By the end of The Rocketeer,...

Although Peter Pan is usually associated with Disney, the characters original source material contained some darker elements which were not included in the classic 1953 animated film. Peter Pan made a small appearance in a J.M. Barrie book titled The Little White Bird, before taking centre stage in his own play and novel. Peter Pans legacy remains positive, despite the dark aspects of the original story.

Peter Pan has been a beloved character for generations with over a hundred years of adaptations. From the 1924 silent film, Peter Pan, to Steven Spielberg's Hook, to Disney's 2023 Peter Pan & Wendy, people have flocked to their screens to watch the character's daring antics. For many, though, it is the original Disney animated film (that celebrated 70 years in February 2023) that was the introduction to the boy who refused to grow up.

However, the story of Peter Pan has a much deeper and darker history. In the early 1900's,...

Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at theodorebond@joblo.com.

Barbarella by Brendan Albetski

Batman and Superman by Jyle Fast

The Fall Guy by Krittee Yampraipirom

Gundam by Dakota Randall

Pee-Wee’s Payhouse by Bryan Johnson

Princess Mononoke by Grobi-Grafik

The Rocketeer...

Quick Links Hellboy in Live-Action Films Fans Still Love Hellboy's Action Scenes The 2019 Hellboy Reboot Is Filled With Lore Dont Take the 2019 Hellboy Adaptation Too Seriously Not all successful superhero movies come from Marvel or DC Comics, like The Rocketeer and The Crow, both thriving thanks to streaming platforms. Despite the 2019 Hellboy adaptation being a box office bomb, fans still appreciate its action scenes and lore throughout the film. While the film may not be perfect, the cheesy pulp fiction horror adventure showcases Hellboy's world and characters, setting the stage for future adaptations.

Without a doubt, there have been some great superhero movies throughout time that didnt need to leap from the pages of Marvel or DC Comics in order to become successful. Just look at titles such as 1991s The Rocketeer or 1994s The Crow. While they were successful in their own right (the first became a cult...

Quick Links Captain America: The First Avenger and The Rocketeer Have Similar Heroes and Similar Roots Disney's The Rocketeer Struggled in Development, Production, and Post Release Disney's The Rocketeer Has Garnered a Cult Following in the Years Since Its Release Captain America: The First Avenger's Steve Rogers and The Roketeer's Cliff Secord have similar stories, settings, and share the same film director. The Rocketeer was not a hugely successful movie for Disney and it's production was marked by difficulties. Although not a box office money-maker, Disney's The Rocketeer has gained a cult following over the years and fans have called for a sequel.

The Rocketeer was a high-budget, high-concept film released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 21, 1991. Based on a 1980s comic of the same name, the movie sat in development for years before it was finally moved into production. Even with its bold premise, it was released in...

With things being so slow at the box office in the early going of 2024, you would half expect to hear people reporting sightings of tumbleweeds rolling across the floors of their local movie theaters. Praise to the cinema gods, May is finally arriving with a promising crop of tentpoles to help rejuvenate the marketplace, starting with director David Leitch's much-buzzed-about '80s series turned contemporary action-comedy "The Fall Guy" (you can read our own Jacob Hall's glowing review of the picture here). But never fear! If you're searching for something to watch at home, too, Netflix will provide in bountiful amounts.

Well, sort of.

Truth be told, next month is looking kind of sparse when it comes to Netflix exclusives outside the purview of shows with firmly established fandoms (see: the latest season of "Bridgerton") or the service's usual smattering of specialty offerings, including live comedy events and ongoing anime series.

"Star Wars" has always been a fairy tale at its core. The phrase "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" conjures visions of mythic adventures and imaginative settings as much as "Once upon a time" does. Yet, no entries in the franchise have held truer to this ethos than, arguably, the infamous live-action Ewok movies (and if you're surprised to hear me say that, then you clearly haven't looked at my author page before).

Now relegated to the non-canon sectors of the "Star Wars" universe, 1984's "Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure" (originally released as "The Ewok Adventure") was a made-for-tv movie following the cuddly murder teddy bears of the forest moon of Endor as they set out to reunite two young humans with their parents. Despite its limited budget, "An Ewok Adventure" is often just as visually accomplished as other theatrical '80s fantasy features thanks...

The documentary feature, “Dave Stevens: Drawn To Perfection” directed by Kelvin Mao, showcases the late illustrator, noted as the creator of “The Rocketeer”and for the reintroduction of 1950’s pin-up model ‘Bettie Page’, now streaming on Prime Video:

‘…while carving out his own unique corner of importance…

“…in comic book and illustration art…

“…Stevens showed the world what it's like to pursue the life…

“…of a creative individual who loved the look of strong, beautiful women.”

Click the images to enlarge…

]...

Mortal Media, the film and TV production company co-founded by Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil, has signed with WME for representation, Variety has learned exclusively.

WME will rep Mortal Media’s scripted and unscripted slate, while also helping the company expand into brand partnerships and creative marketing services. In addition, Griffin has signed with WME for theatrical representation.

Mortal Media currently has projects in development across a wide range of platforms, including Netflix, Paramount, 20th Century Studios, FX, and Disney. Their recent credits include the “White Men Can’t Jump” remake at Hulu and the sci-fi dramedy series “Hello Tomorrow!” at Apple TV+. On the horizon, Mortal Media is behind “The Rocketeer” sequel at Disney, the single-cam comedy “Get Buckets” in development at Fox, and a feature action comedy with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat for Netflix. Mortal Media is also a lead investor in Swaybox Studios, an innovative, New Orleans-based animation studio.

Many people would claim that Frank Darabont has made the best Stephen King adaptations ever put on film, but did you know that over a decade before making The Shawshank Redemption, it would be Stephen King himself who helped Frank Darabont become a filmmaker? Frank would use one of Stephen King’s infamous “Dollar Babies” where King would allow aspiring filmmakers to license one of his short stories for just $1. Darabont would adapt King’s short The Woman in the Room which would be short-listed for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short film in 1983. Despite not getting the nomination, and not even particularly liking the short, King was a fan and for $5,000, granted Darabont the rights to adapt another of his short stories: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.

Of course, Darabont wasn’t quite ready to tackle something as massive as that story just yet, so he made...

Quick Links The 1990s Were A Showcase Of Pulp Fiction The Spirit Set Pulp On A Bad Path Disney Went Too Big On John Carter And The Lone Ranger Pulpy Adventure Should Be Cheap And Fun

Although the comics industry has become the home of superheroes like Batman and Spider-Man, the earliest comics were dominated by pulp fiction. Known for cheap paper and emphasis on action and adventure, comics like Doc Savage, Zorro, and the Lone Ranger captivated young readers throughout the 1930s. Despite the drop-off pulp experienced as time passed, Hollywood has attempted to revive many of these heroes in the last decade. Unfortunately, it didn't work out.

Pulp fiction loosely describes the style and format of pre-superhero comics and novels that were a popular pastime during the 1920s and '30s. Though it covered several genres, these stories shared a strong emphasis on action, adventure, and crime, and...

Welcome to Sales to Astonish, a new column in association with comics retailer The Unreality Store, in which Matthew De Monti brings us news on comic sales and the general moves in the comic market over the past month or so!

To start the Year in Review I’ll start with looking at sales by product type and then touch upon some general themes at the end.

Marvel Comics

2023 for me has undoubtedly been all about Marvel with back issue sales accounting for around 60% of the year’s sales. I’ve been staggered by the continued demand for Marvel back issues, especially titles from the late 80’s and early 90’s that I can remember hitting the shelves. Many of these issues, especially the likes of X-Men and Spiderman had print runs into the hundreds of thousands every month so you would think that there is an abundance of copies out there.

Quick Links The Rocketeer 2 Latest News The Rocketeer 2 Is Confirmed The Rocketeer 2 Story Details The Rocketeer 2 is confirmed to be in development, bringing hope to fans of the cult classic. Producer/star David Oyelowo is actively involved in the progress of The Return of the Rocketeer. The sequel will continue the original story but with a new twist, featuring a former Tuskegee Airman as the protagonist.

The Disney cult classic The Rocketeer has long been the subject of sequel speculation, but will The Return of the Rocketeer ever get made? The original film, set in a fictionalized version of the 1930s, follows stunt pilot Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) as he dons a rocket pack and uses his newfound abilities to prevent the Nazis from stealing the precious technology. Well-remembered for its brilliant production design and fun, campy atmosphere, The Rocketeer had all the makings of a bona fide blockbuster but failed to launch.

The Rocketeer sequel is still in development, with the script being written and the project having "forward momentum." The producer-star, David Oyelowo, describes the original film as "aspirational, inspirational, [and] heroic" and wants to make the sequel in a slightly different way. The sequel will focus on a retired Tuskegee airman who inherits the jetpack, eliminating the need for heavy exposition about how the protagonist obtains the abilities.

Disney’s The Return of the Rocketeer, a sequel to The Rocketeer, gets an optimistic update from its producer-star. The Rocketeer is a 1991 superhero film about a pilot who happens upon a jetpack that allows him to transform into a flying, masked superhero. The Rocketeer was directed by Joe Johnston and stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Terry O’Quinn, and Timothy Dalton.

Decades later, the Disney superhero movie The Rocketeer 2’s potential producer and star David Oyelowo provides an update surrounding the status of the sequel.

The Rocketeer can be seen as Joe Johnston’s precursor to his introductory entry into the MCU with Captain America: The First Avenger. Both are World War II superheroes and sport a pretty seamless merging of modern blockbuster filmmaking with the classic tone associated with its story. The Rocketeer never quite reached Batman levels of popularity, but the Disney film has been looked back at with fond eyes over the years and amassed a cult following. Years ago, it was reported that Lawmen: Bass Reeves star David Oyelowo was set to star and produce a sequel to The Rocketeer involving a retired Tuskegee airman, which was to be titled The Return of the Rocketeer.

There hasn’t been much in the way of news since the initial announcement, but David Oyelowo gives an update on the project, by way of The Wrap. Oyelowo explained, “We have forward momentum. I know...

Ready your rocket pack and dig out your best leather suit – David Oyelowo seems pretty positive about the direction his Rocketeer sequel is going.

David Oyelowo’s follow-up to Disney’s live-action original, The Rocketeer, was first announced in 2021 – and we’ve not heard much about it since. In a recent interview, though, Oyelowo offered a bit of an update on the current state of the project.

“We have forward momentum,” Oyelowo told TheWrap.

“I know you guys hear this stuff all the time, but we[‘re] in the script development stage and if you’re going to reinvigorate that beloved franchise, you better come with the goods. And so Eugene Ashe is currently writing away and we were talking about it only this week. We’re all very committed to that. But it’s going to have to be great and we will not rest until it is.”

The original film,...

Brandon K. McLaughlin remembers the exact moment he knew he wanted to work in the movie business. It was Halloween night and McLaughlin was eight years old. His uncle—a special effects technician—had invited him to set to watch the Disney adventure The Rocketeer being made. “I got to see them blow up the zeppelin while the Rocketeer was running on top of it,” McLaughlin said. “From that point on, I never wanted to do anything else. I was fascinated with everything that went into the magic of moviemaking, and the special effects department creates that magic, tricking the audience into […]

The post How to Make Nickelodeon Slime Look Like Oil: Special Effects Coordinator Brandon K. McLaughlin on Killers of the Flower Moon first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Brandon K. McLaughlin remembers the exact moment he knew he wanted to work in the movie business. It was Halloween night and McLaughlin was eight years old. His uncle—a special effects technician—had invited him to set to watch the Disney adventure The Rocketeer being made. “I got to see them blow up the zeppelin while the Rocketeer was running on top of it,” McLaughlin said. “From that point on, I never wanted to do anything else. I was fascinated with everything that went into the magic of moviemaking, and the special effects department creates that magic, tricking the audience into […]

The post How to Make Nickelodeon Slime Look Like Oil: Special Effects Coordinator Brandon K. McLaughlin on Killers of the Flower Moon first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

(Welcome to Best Action Scene Ever, a column dedicated to breaking down the best, most effective action sequences throughout the genre. In this edition, we revisit the surprisingly dark, highly emotional, but quintessentially Superman moment of self-sacrifice in the climax of "The Iron Giant.")

Over 20 years after its release, time has been immensely kind to "The Iron Giant." A perfect example of a film creating a lasting legacy far beyond its disappointing box office performance, the groundbreaking animation effort would put filmmaker Brad Bird on the map (along with his notoriously exacting reputation and painstaking filmmaking approach) and go on to establish itself as one of the best superhero movies of all time. Not too shabby for a hand-drawn production featuring an absolute bare minimum of action scenes and a first-time director at the helm. The 1999 classic is also one of the greatest anti-gun pleas ever committed to film, so...

Disney has had mixed success rebooting some of their old blockbuster franchises into television series. The Santa Clauses was a hit and is currently airing its second season on Disney+. However, National Treasure: The Edge of History did not connect with audiences and was not only canceled after one season but also removed from the platform. Yet that has not stopped Disney from looking back over their past movies and trying to update them for modern audiences, and one that is on their radar is The Rocketeer.

While not exactly a box office bomb (it made a modest profit on a then-substantial $35 million budget), the original film was coolly received by audiences, despite some excellent direction from Joe Johnston, an amiable leading couple in Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connolly, and a bravura performance from then-James Bond actor Timothy Dalton. His portrayal of slimy antagonist Neville Sinclair foreshadowed his later highly...

For 30 years, the "Jurassic Park" films have helped keep prehistoric beasts on the big screen, dating back to Steven Spielberg's original, groundbreaking blockbuster. Ever since, this has pretty much been the only game in town as far as dinosaurs go. Sure, other movies have tried to do dino action on a large scale, such as the recent Adam Driver sci-fi flick "65," but nothing ever seems to truly click with audiences in a meaningful way. At least not nearly on the level that these movies have for three decades.

Across three decades and spanning six films, the franchise has come a long way. For anyone looking to revisit the series, or perhaps anyone who fell off at some point and wishes to get back on board to see what John Hammond's dream of uniting dinosaurs and mankind together after 65 million years resulted in, we've got you covered. So,...

Gkids has announced the English dub cast for Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, which will feature an impressive lineup of well-known Hollywood actors.

Gkids revealed the voice cast more than three months after the film's theatrical release in Japan. Per the announcement, the voice cast for its English-language release will have Christian Bale as Shoichi Maki, the father of the film's protagonist Mahito Maki, who is played by Luca Padovan. Padovan's previous acting credits include reprising roles in TV's Are You Afraid of the Dark and The Rocketeer. The Creator's Gemma Chan will be the voice of Natsuko, Mahito's aunt and "human" guardian early on in the film.

Related: Studio Ghibli Highlights Several Iconic Works With Gorgeous Watercolor Greeting Card Set

Granduncle will be voiced by Mark Hamill, who has also been cast as a dub actor in two previous Studio Ghibli films...

The Rocketeer was a 1991 sleeper hit for Disney. Since that time, it has become a cult favorite, with fans cosplaying in the iconic uniform for conventions and new toys being released decades later. But the term "sleeper" means something pretty significant. Not many people remember the film.

That being said, Disney has decided to move forward with a straight-to-Disney+ sequel that takes place a decade or so after the original. Details are still emerging, but the project seems like a surefire hit for the company.

What Is The Rocketeer?

These days, we see flying heroes everywhere. Iron Man suits up, Thor gets tugged by his hammer, and Vision just hovers like it's no big deal. It has become commonplace. But in 1991, Paul De Meo and Danny Bilson wrote a screenplay based on a comic of the same name by Dave Stevens. It was an homage to what was known as serial films of the 1930s.