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Of all the great military movies out there, David Ayer's "Fury" is largely overlooked. Despite being a box office success with an all-star cast, the war drama is rarely discussed in the same breath as classics like "Apocalypse Now" and "Saving Private Ryan." That's a shame, because "Fury" does a great job of portraying the horrors of conflict in a brutal and uncompromising manner. Fortunately, the film now has an opportunity to find new fans, as it's available to stream on Tubi for free.

"Fury" sees Brad Pitt and Jon Bernthal playing soldiers who must fight their way through German enemy lines during the final days of World War II -- while crammed up in a tank. As you can imagine, the experience is hellish for the troops, who must survive a never-ending siege. It's grueling stuff, but the tank battle sequences are truly exhilarating and action-packed. What's more,...

The first day on the job is always a tough one. A different set of rules, regulations, faces, and routine can give anyone the first day jitters, but when you’re working on nothing but high-stakes missions, that dread is cranked up to a ten. Perfectly capturing the most insane first day of all time, Antoine Fuqua hit the nail on the head when he released Training Day more than two decades ago. Putting two of the greatest actors in modern times opposite one another, the celebrated filmmaker used the mind-blowing talents of Denzel Washingtonand Ethan Hawke to portray a story with plenty of heart, drama, honor, and manipulation. If you’ve never had the chance to see the Academy Award-winning film, look no further than Paramount+, which will allow Training Day to have its first day all over again on July 1.

As one could surmise from the title, Training Day...

Director and writer David Ayer made his mark in Hollywood with the screenplay for Training Day. Hailing from the tough streets of South Central Los Angeles, the filmmaker and former Navy officer infuses his projects with raw authenticity drawn from his experiences in films such as Street Kings, Harsh Times, End Of Watch. In this flashback clip from 2008, Ayer shares how he broke into the industry and why the old Hollywood adage still holds true—it’s who you know.

There is a lot that goes into making a movie and sometimes things do not work out the way you want them to. Take Street Kings as an example. The 2008 action thriller starring Keanu Reeves and Chris Evans was in the making since the late 1990s and was even set for a 2005 release once. However, fate had different plans for the film. And while David Ayer turned out to be a good choice for Street Kings, the Suicide Squad filmmaker was not the studio’s first choice by a long shot.

Street Kings (2008) | Credits: Fox Searchlight Pictures

In fact, his name was fourth on the list with none other than David Fincher sitting on the top. Fortunately for David Ayer, the top choice decided to go with another project leaving the door open for an array of possibilities.

David Fincher almost helmed Street Kings Keanu Reeves in Street Kings | Credits:...

After generating much buzz with his hard-hitting action flick The Beekeeper, David Ayer is partnering with Brad Pitt for Paramount‘s Heart of the Beast. Ayer’s latest project finds the director re-teaming with J.K. Simmons, who starred alongside Christian Bale in Ayer’s action thriller Harsh Times. Pitt and Simmons have also worked together in 2001’s The Mexican and the Coen Brothers’ comedy Burn After Reading. Unlike the Coens’ satirical crime thriller, Heart of the Beast finds Brad Pitt and J.K. Simmons traveling to the Alaskan wilderness for a chilling survival tale from Cameron Alexander.

According to Deadline‘s description, Heart of the Beast “follows a former Army Special Forces Soldier and his retired combat dog who battle for survival after a plane crash deep in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness.”

Alexander will executive produce and write the screenplay, which Damien Chazelle and Olivia Hamilton will produce through Wild Chickens Productions.

Exclusive: The Whiplash Oscar winner is boarding the David Ayer directed Paramount Pictures production Heart of the Beast opposite Brad Pitt.

It’s the second time that J.K. Simmons as worked with Ayer after the 2005 Christian Bale crime drama Harsh Times, and it’s the third time he’s starred in a Pitt movie after 2001’s The Mexican and the Coen Brothers George Clooney-Frances McDormand 2008 comedy caper Burn After Reading.

Deadline first told you about Heart of the Beast.

Cameron Alexander, who penned the script, will executive produce. The movie follows a former Army Special Forces Soldier and his retired combat dog who battle for survival after a plane crash deep in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness.

Damien Chazelle and Olivia Hamilton are producing under their Wild Chickens Productions banner as part of their first-look deal with the studio. Ayer is producing under his Crave Films banner, with Temple Hill Entertainment,...

Exclusive: Wilmer Valderrama and Freddy Rodriguez are teaming up on the new weekly podcast series Dos Amigos (Two Friends), premiering on January 30.

The project will join other popular podcasts from Valderrama’s exclusive slate with iHeartMedia’s My Cultura Podcast Network, of which he is a shareholder, including More Better with Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumer, Essential Voices with Wilmer Valderrama, Date My Abuelita, First!, and Forgive Me For I Have Followed. Dos Amigos is co-produced by Valderrama’s production company Wv Sound.

Each episode will feature the longtime friends as they candidly reflect on their careers and lives, and share everything about everything. The podcast will be recorded from Wilmer’s speakeasy and feature special guest appearances. Their goal each week is to bring friends together to spark honest reflection while toasting the good times.

Wilmer Valderrama and Freddy Rodriguez...

The success of the 2001 crime thriller, Training Day, would have been hard to top, yet one Keanu Reeves and Chris Evans thriller managed to be a surprisingly worthy follow-up. Training Day is often considered one of Denzel Washington's career-defining movies, with his role as corrupt cop Alonzo Harris winning him his first Best Actor Academy Award. Although the movie's ending allowed for a sequel, none was made and writer David Ayer was not involved in the 2017 Training Day TV series. While Training Day had no direct follow-up, Ayer brought his directing skills to several crime thrillers, including the underrated Street Kings.

As of writing, Street Kings is available to stream on Apple TV+.

Street Kings stars a pre-Avengers Chris Evans as an enthusiastic young cop, while Keanu Reeves plays a relatively rare villain role. Reeves plays the corrupt cop Detective Tom Ludlow, whose grief after his wife's death changed...

Antoine Fuqua's 2001 cop drama "Training Day" is notable for its hellish tone, gritty photography, and amazing central performance from the incomparable Denzel Washington. Indeed, "Training Day" won Washington his second acting Academy Award for playing LAPD Detective Alonzo Harris, the most horrible and corrupt cop on the force. Ethan Hawke plays Jake Hoyt, the cop assigned to learn from Alonzo on the day before his promotion. Hoyt will get a disturbing crash course in how deeply the violence and corruption of the LAPD really runs. 

Although Alonzo is a terrible person, he's an appealing villain, and many viewers came to love his gnashing and displays of brazen power. Alonzo's line "King Kong ain't got nothing on me," written by David Ayer, was briefly a part of the oft-repeated pop canon. "Training Day" was Fuqua's third feature as a director (after "The Replacement Killers" and "Bait"), but it was the...

Amazon Prime Video is the place to go for movies this month, with a plethora of original films as well as new library additions for just about every movie fan. The Emma Roberts-led original Space Cadet hits the streaming service aptly on the Fourth of July, for anyone looking for a fish-out-of-water style comedy. My Spy the Eternal City, the newest film in the Dave Bautista-led family action series also drops on July 18.

Action film fans are also in for a treat with recent films The Beekeeper and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning coming to Prime Video in July.

As far as TV shows go, the most notable addition this month is the adult animated series Sausage Party: Foodtopia, a continuation of the 2016 film Sausage Party.

Here’s everything coming to Prime Video and Freevee in July – Amazon originals are designated with an asterisk.

New on Amazon Prime Video...

This July, beat the heat with the latest additions at Prime Video and Freevee!

It’s a light month for original series, films, and specials as we head into the summer lull, but there is still plenty to watch throughout the month: over 140 classic films between the two Amazon streamers will be added this month, from horrors such as the genre-changing “The Silence Of The Lambs” and last year’s newest “Evil Dead” franchise installment “Evil Dead Rise,” the first five films of the “Rocky” franchise, and comedies like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Animal House,” “13 Going On 30,” and much, much more.

But after the majority of the film load drops on July 1, don’t forget to head back to the services’ additions throughout the month, including Season 2 of the critically acclaimed “Troppo,” the new “Legally Blonde“-like comedy “Space Cadet,” and a new documentary from award-winning documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter,...

Exclusive: Freddy Rodriguez (Six Feet Under) and Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair) are set to lead the Averted Vision Pictures indie horror/thriller You Lose You Die, written by Carlos “Spiff TV” Suarez who will also make his feature directorial debut. Preproduction is currently underway.

You Lose You Die follows sociopathic tech expert, Mr. Fantastik (Rodriguez), who runs a popular show on the dark web with two other sociopathic tech experts, Ms. Perfect (Fliehr) and Mr. Creep (Anthony Alvarez). On the show, thousands of viewers vote on games and challenges for prisoners to participate in. If the prisoners lose, viewers vote on the weapons the sociopaths use to kill them.

In addition to Rodriguez, Fliehr and Alvarez, the cast includes Josh Bredl as Mr. Large; Sophia Zimba as Kara; Ashley Hernandez as Julie; Alejandro Duran as Alfonso; Noah Crider as Chase; Marcella Acuña as Christie; Mercy Grant as...

Since he wrote and starred in Rocky (1976), Sylvester Stallone has been a mainstay of the action genre in Hollywood. His latest project, Levon’s Trade, has just cast Stranger Things star David Harbour, along with some other big names.

Per Deadline, Harbour joined the cast of Levon’s Trade along with Michael Peña, Jason Flemyng, and Arianna Rivas. The film is set to be directed by David Ayer, who has plenty of experience within the genre. Ayer directed Harsh Times (2005), End of Watch (2012), Suicide Squad (2016), and The Beekeeper (2023).

Related David Ayer Explains Why His Suicide Squad Cut Is One of the Best Comic Movies Ever Made David Ayer explains why the director's cut of the DC film, Suicide Squad, is vastly better than the theatrical version.

The script for Levan’s Trade was written by Stallone and revised by Ayer, and was based on the novel of the same name by comic...

Armitage Trail's original novel "Scarface" was first published in 1930, and traces the rise and fall of the vicious gangster Tony "Scarface" Guarino, who took over the Chicago bootlegging underground during Prohibition. Clearly, Tony Guarino is an analog to Al Capone, and many true crime fans find it tantalizingly suspicious that Armitage Trail (real name: Maurice R. Coons) died of a heart attack at age 28, only six months after the publication of "Scarface." Coons, after all, had to hobnob with real gangsters in order to get ideas for his novel, and he would have been known in certain corners of the underground. 

In 1932, director Howard Hawks made the first film version of "Scarface," starring Paul Muni as Antonio "Tony" Camonte. Hawks' film was well-received, with some critics citing its naturalness and lack of melodrama. Indeed, it was so natural and treated crime with such frankness that some markets refused to show it.

From penning Training Day (2001) to helming the one-two punch of End of Watch (2012) and Fury (2014), David Ayer has had the film industry in the palm of his hand on a couple of different occasions.

Following the success of the latter, he then punched his own ticket to the Dceu, opting to write and direct Suicide Squad as a supervillain take on The Dirty Dozen. The film would star the likes of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Will Smith’s Deadshot and Jared Leto’s Joker, but despite one of the most celebrated trailers of all time at 2015’s San Diego Comic-Con, the subsequent poor reception to Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and the adulation for Tim Miller’s irreverent Deadpool (2016) caused Warners to panic and retool Squad on the fly.

What resulted was a bake-off between the studio’s cut and Ayer’s cut, and the...

Elite security contractors sent to rescue a billionaire on a remote island hear a strange sound with devastating consequences. Black Noise utterly disappoints by not delivering a climactic payoff after better than expected rising action. The straightforward narrative draws from common sci-fi and horror themes with initial success. Characters stuck in a dangerous setting are plucked off while trying to unmask a mysterious threat. There's something freaky going on. Let's find it and unload every weapon in the arsenal. We get the death and gunplay but no concrete answers. A befuddling finale leaves you in the lurch.

A wounded security guard (Gene Freeman) runs through a tropical jungle in abject fear. He reaches civilization and sees an Atv. His hope for escape evaporates as he faces a bizarre demise. Meanwhile, on the island of Saint Martin, Ryan (Wayne Gordon) dances provocatively with Leila (Sadie Newman). Sarah (Eve Mauro) laughs as...

Fury is one of the best World War II films in recent memory. While the war has been covered by many different filmmakers in both film and television, David Ayer’s 2014 action thriller explores a different side of the conflict, as it focuses entirely on the crew of a small American tank crew during the final months of the European Theater. Ayer brought a sense of gritty realism to his crime films, including End of Watch and Harsh Times, and Fury has that same authenticity. Ayer may think that history has forgotten some of his work, but Fury is an unforgettable film. Unfortunately for the film’s cast, making the film as authentic as possible also meant going through the same rigorous training regime that their characters would have experienced. Fury may now be considered to be a modern war classic, but being on set was a literal hell for the film’s stars.

Exclusive: Emmy-nominee Freddy Rodriguez is leading the cast of the Shudder horror film V/H/S/85 set to premiere at Fantastic Fest next month. He portrays Detective Wayne Johnson, a seasoned detective investigating a variety of gruesome murders while on the trail of an elusive serial killer.

The cast is rounded out by Jordan Belfi, James Ransone, Dani Deetté, Rolando Davila-Beltran, Justen Jones, Marcio Moreno, Ari Gallegos, Forrest Hartl, Duffy McManus, Eric Pierson, Felipe de Lara, Tom Reed and Vivian Morse.

V/H/S/85 takes viewers on a journey into the grim underbelly of the forgotten 1980s. Unveiled through a made-for-tv documentary, five chilling tales emerge: scientists observe an unusual boy fixated on his TV, kids embark on a lake skiing adventure, a TV crew fights to survive a natural disaster, the early days of VR awaken something terrifying, and a deadly dream is captured on tape.

Looking back over the "Fast & Furious" movies, it's astonishing how far they have evolved. In 2021's "F9," two characters literally launched a car into space. This was followed by a scene where the central team of stunt drivers equipped their cars with powerful electromagnets that could pull entire washing machines out of storefronts in order to fling them at enemy pursuers. Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew are more or less unkillable at this point, a detail that the characters were wise enough to acknowledge; Chris "Ludacris" Bridges points out that they may all actually be immortal. 

Looking back to Rob Cohen's 2001 original film, "The Fast and the Furious," one finds a very, very modest beginning. "The Fast and the Furious" is essentially a mid-budget "Point Break" knockoff about ultra-cool fast-driving thieves who do nothing more sinister than boost DVD players from delivery trucks. Like in "Point Break,...

ABC's successful and long-running series Desperate Housewives turned star Eva Longoria into a household name – understandably leading to substantial interest in what she has done since. Although the show ended in 2012, Desperate Housewives' success proved to be an invaluable platform for everyone associated with the show. In Longoria's case, this has led to a successful career in both the TV and movie industries, with an impressive resumé both in front of and behind the camera.

Partly as a result of her role as Gabrielle Solis, Longoria had a number of high-profile film and TV roles while Desperate Housewives was still on the air. These included leading parts in hit movies like Harsh Times, The Sentinel, and Over Her Dead Body, as well as small screen appearances on Saturday Night Live and in music videos for the likes of Jamie Foxx. In the years since, Longoria has diversified her output still further,...

The box office is starving right now, and not even a National Cinema Day event and the re-release of Marvel mega-blockbuster "Spider-Man: No Way Home" can provide it with much sustenance. 

Variety reports that the "More Fun Stuff" version of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" is #1 at the box office this weekend with a take of 6 million. This is even less than last weekend's top-ranked movie, vampire horror "The Invitation," which made its debut with 7 million. "No Way Home" is expected to round out the Labor Day weekend with a total of 7.6 million including Monday, which will be a teeny tiny cherry on top of the 1.9 billion it made worldwide in its original theatrical run. For comparison's sake, 2021's Labor Day box office was led by the release of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," which grossed 90 million over the four-day holiday weekend.

It's worth noting that box office...

David Ayer's films are known for the amount of preparation that goes into developing relationships between characters. The onscreen chemistry in films like "End of Watch" and "Training Day" is credited to the intense pre-production that Ayer puts his actors through, and Ayer used the same process for his 2014 film "Fury," which follows a tank commando led by Brad Pitt's Don "Wardaddy" Collier. Pitt and the rest of the cast, which consisted of Jon Bernthal, Shia Labeouf, Michael Peña, and Logan Lerman, underwent rigorous boot camp training to prepare for the film, and that training was an opportunity for them to bond as actors.

Aside from those interpersonal relationships, Ayer was also dedicated to making the characters as authentic as possible by developing their backstory. This was especially true for Brad Pitt's character, Wardaddy, whose backstory was developed a good while before production on the film even began...

Does anyone else hear that knocking? No, it's not representations of death haunting Macbeth's spiraling descent into madness. In this case, it's just the symbolism of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) coming closer and closer to crossing moral lines that he'll never be able to take back ... all while (probably) dragging Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) down with him. You know, just another light and entertaining day in the life of the soon-to-be Saul Goodman!

The imminent arrival of the final season of "Better Call Saul" comes loaded with all sorts of foreboding baggage, mostly concerning Jimmy's continued slide towards the heartless criminal...

The post Better Call Saul Season 6 Teaser: Bad Times Lie Ahead For Jimmy And Kim appeared first on /Film.

A TV series based on David Ayer’s “End of Watch” is in the works at Fox.

Ayer, who wrote and directed the 2012 film, is co-writing the TV series with “Them” showrunner David Matthews. The project has a script-to-series commitment.

As with the movie, which starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, the series “follows the daily grind of two young police officers in Los Angeles who are partners and friends, and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.”

Ayer, Chris Long and Darryll C. Scott executive produce via Cedar Park Studios. Also executive producing are Matthews, John Lesher, who produced the movie alongside Ayer, James Masciello (Raven), Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi. Bill Rotko is a consulting producer.

Fox Entertainment is the studio.

The film was a success at the box office with $58 million on a $10 million budget. It also starred Anna Kendrick, Natalie Martinez, America Ferrera,...

A series adaptation of the 2012 film “End of Watch” has gotten a script to series commitment at Fox, Variety has learned.

The one-hour drama project hails from writers and executive producers David Ayer and David Matthews, with Ayer having written and directed the film. Like the film, the show would follow the daily grind of two young police officers in Los Angeles who are partners and friends, and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.

Ayer will executive produce via Cedar Park Studios, with the company’s Chris Long and Darryll C. Scott also executive producing. John Lesher, James Masciello of Raven, Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi will also executive produce. Lesher was a producer on the film as well. Bill Rotko serves as consulting producer. Fox Entertainment will produce the series.

“End of Watch” starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña in the lead roles. The film...

David Ayer takes to the streets of Los Angeles once again for The Tax Collector starring Bobby Soto, Shia Labeouf and George Lopez. The violent crime thriller has the B-movie vibe while the story is cliché from start to end. You get the impression the End Of Watch and Harsh Times writer/director dug up this one up from his archives because it feels dated like one of those 70s Mexploitation films. Fans of that sub genre may enjoy this one.

The last time writer-director David Ayer made a film about two men driving around the streets of South Central Los Angeles, bonding in a violent environment that puts their lives at risk at every moment, it was 2012 and the men were the LAPD officers played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena in “End of Watch.” “The Tax Collector,” Ayer’s new film, flips that premise on its head as it enlists Bobby Soto and Shia Labeouf to play collectors for a gang lord who takes a cut of every illicit gang transaction in South Central.

But while “End of Watch” was a tense, tough thriller that created a believable bond between Gyllenhaal and Pena’s characters, “The Tax Collector” is wilder, messy and altogether less convincing. It trots out a lot of posturing and a lot of gang-movie clichés but flails instead of giving us much reason to care.

Ayer,...

Seriously, what, exactly, is filmmaker David Ayer trying to prove and or what exactly is his obsession with Latinx culture? After “Bright” and “Suicide Squad,” two spectacularly unwatchable dips into the pool of tentpole filmmaking, the writer-director has apparently decided to go back to basics—and for Ayer, “back to basics” means loathsome, revolting Latinxploitation. Throughout his career, whether in gang tales like “Harsh Times,” copraganda films like “Street Kings” or “End Of Watch,” where casual racism is second nature to everyone, and even the superhero story “Suicide Squad,” the Champaign, Illinois native has shown a borderline prurient fascination with the Latinx underworld.

Continue reading ‘The Tax Collector’: Another Violent, Macho Latinxploitation Garbage Fire From David Ayer [Review] at The Playlist.

Accurate multicultural representation in Hollywood starts crucially with hiring communities of color to make and star in films, “Suicide Squad” and “Bright” director David Ayer said Thursday at the ArcLight drive-in premiere of his new Los Angeles-based crime drama, “The Tax Collector.”

“Hire them. Hire them for jobs,” Ayer said when asked about increasing Latino representation in Hollywood productions. “People take care of people, give them jobs and give them their voice.”

“The Tax Collector” has a mostly Latinx cast, led by Bobby Soto, Cinthya Carmona, George Lopez, Lana Parrilla, Chelsea Rendon and Jose “Conejo” Martin.

Ayer, who has written and directed several South L.A.-set films, including “End of Watch,” “Training Day” and “Harsh Times,” said, “I always grew up around Chicanos. Where is the f—ing Hollywood Chicano superstar?”

Ayer explained, “[South Central] is where I like to work. I like to bring work, jobs and vision to the...

For a long time, people have had doubts about Chris Hemsworth’s capabilities as a leading man outside of his career-defining role as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor. On paper, his track record isn’t exactly great when he’s given top billing with Red Dawn, Blackhat, In the Heart of the Sea, The Huntsman: Winter’s War and Men in Black: International all bombing at the box office.

Even his critically-acclaimed efforts like The Cabin in the Woods, Rush and Bad Times at the El Royale hardly set the world on fire, leading many to believe that the 36 year-old’s fortunes would face an inevitable downturn once his time playing the God of Thunder came to an end. However, it looks like Hemsworth proved many of his doubters wrong following the incredible success of Netflix’s Extraction.

The marketing for the $65 million actioner hardly promised anything groundbreaking or original,...

Over the last little while, Shia Labeouf has probably become better known for his strange performance art rather than his acting talents. After securing a string of box office hits early on in his career like I, Robot, Constantine, Disturbia, Eagle Eye, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Michael Bay’s Transformers trilogy, his future seemed incredibly bright, with a rise to the top of the A-list all but assured.

But Labeouf soon turned his back on blockbusters after becoming disillusioned with both the process of making them and the resulting fame that came with starring in such big films. Recently, he’s been taking on smaller projects that let his performance do the talking and the 34 year-old has begun to build up a pretty diverse and eclectic list of credits lately, with critically-acclaimed turns in Fury, American Honey, Borg vs. McEnroe, The Peanut Butter Falcon and the semi-autobiographical Honey Boy.

"I'm supposed to terrorize the hard! That's my function." Rlje has released the first trailer for The Tax Collector, a crime thriller from gritty filmmaker David Ayer. This one is skipping theaters entirely and dropping direct-to-vod in August this summer. The film follows two "tax collectors" for the crime lord "Wizard", collecting cuts from local gangs. But when Wizard's old rival returns to Los Angeles from Mexico, the business is upended making them targets, so they must protect their family above all else. Starring Bobby Soto, Cinthya Carmona, George Lopez, Steve Louis Villegas, Lana Parrilla, and Shia Labeouf. Always with masks in every crime film! This doesn't look that bad, certainly more of Ayer's full-on violence and gritty street-scene in LA storytelling. Fire it up. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for David Ayer's The Tax Collector, direct from YouTube: David (Bobby Soto) and Creeper (Shia Labeouf) are "tax...

After big budget critical misfires “Suicide Squad” and “Bright,” writer-director David Ayer is returning to his scrappy and bloody crime drama roots in the upcoming “The Tax Collector.” Rlje Films is releasing the movie in August, two years after Ayer wrapped filming on the movie in summer 2018. “The Tax Collector” reunites the filmmaker with his “Fury” actor Shia Labeouf, who is coming off a resurgent 2019 thanks to well-received indies “Honey Boy” and “The Peanut Butter Falcon.” Labeouf stars in Ayer’s latest opposite Bobby Soto, Cinthya Carmona, and George Lopez.

The official “Tax Collector” synopsis from Rlje Films reads: “David (Soto) and Creeper (Labeouf) are ‘tax collectors’ for the crime lord Wizard, collecting his cut from the profits of local gangs’ illicit dealings. But when Wizard’s old rival returns to Los Angeles from Mexico, the business is upended, and David finds himself desperate to protect what matters more to...

This year, the motion picture academy achieved its five-year goal of doubling the number of women among its membership. In all, 819 film professionals were invited to become part of the organization that hands out the Oscars. Compare this intake to the totals of the previous five years: 842 in 2019; a record 928 in 2018; 774 in 2017; 683 in 2016; 322 in 2015; and 271 in 2014.

While Academy Awards nominees are automatically eligible for consideration, the rest of the candidates must go through a fairly cumbersome process. A candidate must meet certain branch specific requirements before even being eligible.

For example, actors must “have a minimum of three theatrical feature film credits, in all of which the roles played were scripted roles, one of which was released in the past five years, and all of which are of a caliber that reflect the high standards of the Academy.” For writers, directors and producers they need have just two of these credits.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 819 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.

The 2020 class is 45% women, 36% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49% international from 68 countries. There are 75 Oscar® nominees, including 15 winners, and five recipients of Scientific and Technical Awards. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2020.

“The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travelers in the motion picture arts and sciences. We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now,” said Academy President David Rubin.

In 2016, the Academy set specific inclusion goals as part of its A2020 initiative to double the number of women and underrepresented ethnic/racial communities by 2020. Through dedicated and intentional work by the Board of...

It’s become a tradition every year when the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences invites its new members that we pour through the list of stars and Hollywood legends and look in amazement at how many big names were somehow not already part of the Oscars club.

This year, the Academy invited 819 new members, including a 2020 class that’s 45% women, 36% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities and 49% international from 68 countries.

The diversity is always welcome, and the Academy has done loads in recent years to attempt to diversify its ranks. In fact, we count 10 different actors and below-the-line crew members involved with the Best Picture winner “Parasite” joining the Academy this year. And other emerging stars like Awkwafina, Zendaya, Zazie Beetz, Brian Tyree Henry, Cynthia Erivo and more are all among those who will vote on the upcoming Oscars.

Also Read: Oscars Finally Give Agents the Vote

But then there...

Awkwafina, Kaitlyn Dever, Cynthia Erivo, Beanie Feldstein, Brian Tyree Henry, Niecy Nash, Florence Pugh, Lakeith Stanfield, Olivia Wilde and John David Washington are among the 819 film professionals who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy announced on Tuesday.

Additional invitations went to directors Ari Aster, Mati Diop, Robert Eggers, Ladj Ly and Lulu Wang; to documentary filmmakers David France and Jeff Reichert; to executives Jennifer Salke and Teddy Schwarzman; to musicians and composers Larry Mullen Jr., Max Richter, Arturo Sandoval and Bernie Taupin; to producers Ryan Murphy and Rosalie Swedlin; and to writers Lucy Alibar, Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth.

A dozen different people from the Best Picture winner “Parasite” were invited to join: actors Choi Woo-Shik, Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong. Lee Jung-Eun and Park So-Dam, costume designer Choi Seyeon, editor Yang Jinmo, composer Jung Jae-Il, producer Kwak Sin-Ae, production designer Lee Ha Jun,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 819 artists and executives to join the organization in 2020.

In doing so, the Academy continues its work on diversifying its ranks. If all 819 invitees accept their invitations, 45% of the new members will be women and 36% are from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities. International make-up is 49% from 68 countries.

“The Academy is delighted to welcome these distinguished fellow travelers in the motion picture arts and sciences. We have always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the rich variety of our global film community, and never more so than now,” said Academy president David Rubin said in a statement.

In 2016, as part of its A2020 initiative, the Academy promised to at least double the number of women and underrepresented ethnic/racial communities by this year. “Through dedicated and intentional work by the Board of Governors and members on the branch executive committees, the Academy has surpassed both these goals,...

There’s no backdrop quite like a casino for conjuring up a whole range of emotions. Whether it’s the thrill and excitement of the game, the tension watching an important hand unfold, the glitz and glamour of the bright lights, or even a sense of unease in a shady joint, the casino offers a way to recreate the peaks and troughs of every human emotion. It’s no surprise then that so many directors choose this as a setting for their films. Here are our favorites.

Molly’s Game

Interestingly, Molly’s Game director, Aaron Sorkin, was explicit in his disbelief that his film was a poker movie. Of course, he is the director so we must treat his opinion with the respect it deserves, but poker is certainly a central theme in this underground thriller. Although Molly begins the film as an Olympic skier, she quickly finds herself...

Cynthia Erivo has always been a talent to keep an eye on, but it was her role as Celie Harris in the Broadway production of The Color Purple which lit up the stage and caused everyone’s jaws to drop in awe — so much that she won a Tony Award for it. From there, it seemed like Erivo took Hollywood by storm.

Erivo went from Broadway to roles in high profile films of various genres including Drew Goddard’s Bad Times at the El Royale, Steve McQueen’s Widows and starred as the titular historic figure Harriet Tubman in the Kasi Lemmons-directed Harriet which earned an Oscar nomination. She is also set to play the legendary Aretha Franklin in the forthcoming installment of Nat Geo’s Genius anthology.

In HBO’s The Outsider, she takes a turn as a private investigator Holly Gibney who uses her uncanny abilities to help...

Exclusive: David Ayer has found his next film for Netflix. He is set to write, direct and produce with Chris Long through their Cedar Park banner an adaptation of the Harlan Coben bestseller Six Years. Netflix has just acquired the book for Ayer, who directed the Will Smith-Joel Edgerton-starrer Bright for the streamer.

As Louis Leterrier finalizes a deal to direct that sequel – Ayer’s co-wrote the script and is producing – the filmmaker will lean into the 2018 suspense novel.

The title refers to the number of years that passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. With a heart broken, he throws himself into his career as a college professor, while keeping a promise to leave her alone while he simmers in a slow building rage. His hopes rise when he reads that her husband died. Unable to help himself, he...

The long-gestating Dungeons & Dragons movie is finally moving forward. Entertainment One has signed producer Jeremy Latcham, the former Senior Vice President of Production and Development at Marvel Studios, to a first-look deal. The first project on his slate is set to be the movie adaptation of the popular role-playing game.

Hasbro, who controls the Dungeons & Dragons brand, purchased eOne last year to help expand its presence in Hollywood. This is one of the key projects that the studio was looking to jumpstart. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Game Night) are attached to write and direct the feature. Nick Meyer, eOne's President of Film, had this to say in a statement.

"Jeremy is a massively talented producer with a track record of creating true-to-brand films with size and scope that resonate with audiences and excel on a global scale. In our exciting new era with Hasbro, we're thrilled to...

Entertainment One has set a first-look agreement with producer Jeremy Latcham, who previously served as Svp Production and Development at Marvel Studios. With the recent eOne acquisition by Hasbro, the new partnership will boost eOne’s ability to produce mainstream film and TV content mined from Hasbro’s existing IP.

The first project on deck under the newly formed deal will be Dungeons & Dragons, which has Game Night helmers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley attached to write and direct. The IP is managed by Wizards of the Coast, a Hasbro subsidiary that also manages Magic: The Gathering.

Goldstein and Daley co-wrote the script Spider-Man: Homecoming, on which Latcham served as an exec producer during his 13-year tenure at Marvel. Addition Marvel Ep credits include The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Latcham has been with the McU from its early days having worked as an associate producer on Iron Man,...

Heist thriller Among Them comes to Tubi and Amazon Tarantino meets Bad Times at the El Royale in writer-director Kevin James Barry’s Among Them, now available on Amazon Prime and Tubi TV from Cinema Epoch. After a botched heist, two bank robbers and their unwanted hostage retreat into a seedy coastal motel in the dead …

The post Tarantino meets Bad Times At The El Royale in Cinema Epoch’s “Among Them” appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.

Many movies have been forced to deal with the heavy hands of studio interference, but few were meddled with quite as publicly as Suicide Squad. When the antihero ensemble was first announced, the man behind Harsh Times, Street Kings and End of Watch seemed like the ideal choice to direct a movie all about the bad guys, but it would be an understatement to say that David Ayer’s creative vision was heavily compromised.

Having already been faced with a rushed pre-production schedule, Ayer was then forced into heavy reshoots when Warner Bros. wanted the tone of the movie to reflect the well-received first trailer, and at one stage there were even two separate cuts of Suicide Squad being assembled to see which one would gain the studio’s seal of approval.

A huge amount of footage ended up being left on the cutting room floor, and Ayer hasn’t...

No offense to Chris Hemsworth, but so far at least, he hasn’t had much luck with transferring his success as Thor in the McU to other films where he’s in the lead role. He’s always entertaining to watch and has been fine with tackling supporting parts in the likes of Vacation, Ghostbusters and Bad Times at the El Royale, but in terms of movies where his name is above the title, the results haven’t been great.

Michael Mann’s Blackhat was a total disaster and earned less than $20 million globally, Ron Howard’s period-set In the Heart of the Sea didn’t make much of an impact either, and 12 Strong’s critical and commercial performance was nothing to write home about. And obviously, the less said about Men in Black: International, the better.

His latest movie though, Extraction is set to debut on Netflix later this...

If you've been missing the McU, what with Black Widow getting delayed, Netflix has something for you to watch in the meantime. The Russo Brothers have shared the poster for their new production Extraction, starring Chris Hemsworth in the lead role, directed by Sam Hargrave, releasing on Netflix on 24th April.

Extraction is coming to @NetflixFilm April 24th... Starring @chrishemsworth, in an amazing performance. It’s also the directorial debut from the incredible #SamHargrave (who worked with us on all four Marvel films). Stay safe and healthy everyone! pic.twitter.com/3f8fYVKWfs

— Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) March 30, 2020

The poster puts one of the most recognizable faces from the McU front and center, as Chris Hemsworth, in full army gear, kneels broodingly in the middle of what appears to be a military shoot out. Fans who are used to seeing Hemsworth as the long-haired, hammer-wielding god of thunder will find...

Christian Bale is officially playing the villain in Thor: Love and Thunder. Tessa Thompson confirmed the casting in a new interview. As for who Bale will be playing, that remains to be a mystery. The actor famously played Batman in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and has not been around a comic book movie since then. Bale has taken on a variety of different roles over the years and is now ready to go work with Chris Hemsworth, Thompson, and Taika Waititi.

In addition to confirming Christian Bale will be the villain in Thor: Love and Thunder, Tessa Thompson also revealed that she has read Taika Waititi's script. She was not able to say much about the highly anticipated sequel, but she did say that some old and new faces will be included, without mentioning who will be returning. Thompson confirmed that Valkyrie will still be the king of...

Harriet star Cynthia Erivo performed “Stand Up” at the 92nd Academy Awards on Sunday. A 30-second teaser of the actress portraying Aretha Franklin in an upcoming series also aired at the awards ceremony.

Erivo performed the track in a bedazzled gold cape, flanked by background gospel singers. The lead single for the Harriet soundtrack, “Stand Up” traces the slave-turned-abolitionist’s incredible journey: “Early in the mornin’/Before the sun begins to shine,” she sang. “We’re gonna start movin’/Toward that separating line.”

Erivo co-wrote the track with Joshuah Brian Campbell,...

David Ayer does not make light movies. Ayer’s name is most known to mainstream audiences for Suicide Squad and Bright, but his filmography is mostly hard-hitting crime thrillers. Harsh Times, Street Kings, and End of Watch – they’re Los Angeles crime movies with plenty of brutality, believability, and attention to detail. They feel legitimate, perhaps partly because Ayer is a longtime resident of […]

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