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To quote "Lawrence of Arabia," big things have small beginnings. Individually but especially in collaboration with each other, director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams are responsible for several sea changes in their respective fields. Spielberg not only helped institute the summer blockbuster but was instrumental in making genre films become just as prevalent and prestigious as melodramas or period pieces. Williams has been a key figure in getting music composed for the screen to break away from its marriage to the moving image and become desirable to listen to on its own. His pivot from jazz-based scores and Broadway-style arrangements to lush, heavily thematic, symphonic music made the score soundtrack album just as viable as a pop source cue soundtrack, and transformed the bulk of music for films into something that can and should stand on its own in addition to supporting the movie that it's for. Without these two artists,...

In July 1985, the biggest movie in the country was “Back to the Future.” The number one song was “A View to a Kill” by Duran Duran, from the James Bond movie of the same name. A large number of the movies listed in the top 10 the weekend of July 19, even beyond the obvious “Back to the Future,” offer a murderer’s row of movies we still talk about today: “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,” “Cocoon,” “Rambo: First Blood Part II,” “St. Elmo’s Fire.” Just for good measure, “E.T.” was re-released into theaters that weekend.

Do you know what’s difficult? It’s difficult to have a brand-new, wide release film and have it finish 14th at the box office. Want to know what’s even more difficult? To have a brand-new, wide release film finish 14th at the box office, and then, 40 years later, for it to still be culturally...

"Steven Spielberg Presents" signaled something to moviegoers and TV watchers of all ages in the 1980s and 990s. It meant what we were about to watch bore the highest designation a movie could receive: Steven Spielberg's cinematic stamp of approval.  After all, this was the guy who terrified us with "Jaws," inspired us with "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," put us at the edge of our seats with "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and made us cry tears of delight at "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," among other incredible feature films. Sure, he also bored most of us to tears with "1941," but you may feel differently about it. Point is, the dude knew how to make a crowd-pleasing movie better than anyone back in the day, so if Spielberg was willing to present something, you knew it had to be good.  

Spielberg has produced a lot of movies, but we're...

Tom Cruise is finally done with his Mission: Impossible franchise, and I honestly cannot wait to see what the veteran movie star will do after he’s completely finished with the promotional tours for the eighth installment. Maybe he wants to reconsider Guillermo del Toro’s long-gestating project where he was once involved.

I think it’s time for Cruise to venture into another genre after doing action movies for so long. He’s got the versatility, after all, and I would truly want to see a collaboration between him and one of my favorite filmmakers of all time.

The one project Guillermo del Toro couldn’t bring to life

Guillermo del Toro has not given up hope that he might someday realize his plans for At The Mountains of Madness, a project that’s been brewing in his head for more than two decades—actually, since his childhood, after...

One of the early works that showed the genius of Steven Spielberg is the movie The Sugarland Express. This was the movie that showcased his skill in the theatrical filmmaking scene way before Jaws made him a household name, and Jurassic Park helped cement his legacy. Sure, if you look at his list of movies, The Sugarland Express might not be his greatest work, but even after almost half a century, the movie still holds up quite well.

The movie did not just stand out due to the fresh premise; the idea of a whole police convoy chasing behind a couple who held a policeman hostage, to rescuing their kid before he goes off to a foster home, prison break, growing a bond with the hostage— all these layers really added to the quality of the movie.

Even though it was one of his early works, it feels like he...

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If you are a horror fan, then there is a big chance that you might have heard about the horror streaming service Shudder, and if you have its subscription, you might be wondering what’s in store for you in April 2025. Don’t worry. There is a host of new and old horror movies coming to the service in the upcoming month, and we have listed the 10 best movies coming to Shudder in April 2025.

Fright Night (April 1) Credit – Columbia Pictures

Fright Night is a supernatural horror film written and directed by Tom Holland. The 1985 film follows a teenager who knows that his next-door neighbour is a vampire, but when he tells people, nobody believes. So, he asks for assistance from a has-been horror film actor. Fright Night stars Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, and Roddy McDowall.

Quick LinksBefore 'Game of Thrones' There Was 'Dragonslayer'Fans Noticed Similarities Between 'Dragonslayer' and 'Game of Thrones'Should You Watch 'Dragonslayer'?

George R.R. Martin's Game of Throneshas become a cultural phenomenon and the most beloved fantasy series of the modern era. The first book, having sold over 45 million copies in the US alone, led to the HBO series, which would draw an average of 9.3 million viewers per episode for its inaugural season. Yet, the foundational success of Game of Thrones can be owed to its forbearers, from the iconic work of J.R.R. Tolkien to the grimdark world of Conan as created by Robert E. Howard. On the screen, early works like 1963's Jason and the Argonauts set the precedent for decades of films celebrating the fantasy genre.

Yet, the underrated gem Dragonslayer has flown mostly under the radar, an initial failure at the box office that saw some later resurgence in appreciation.

Guillermo del Toro’s 2015 gothic romance movie, Crimson Peak, has a new streaming home. As of Feb. 1, it is now available on Peacock.

Crimson Peak stars Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Jim Beaver and Charlie Hunnam. Set in Victorian England, the movie follows budding author Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) as she visits a remote Gothic mansion with her new husband (Hiddleston) and his sister (Chastain). Once there, Edith finds herself haunted by ghostly visions and soon realizes there is more to her new romance than meets the eye.

RelatedChanning Tatum's 12-Year-Old Action Thriller Gets Free Streaming Home

Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx starred in a 2013 political thriller film about an attack on the White House, and the film is now streaming for free.

Crimson Peak was directed by del Toro, who also wrote the script with Matthew Robbins (Batteries Not Included). The gothic film was described as being inspired by iconic horror films,...

The post-Star Wars effects boom in the 1980s didn’t just bring sci-fi back to prominence, but fantasy and horror as well. Virtually every filmmaker of the era was desperate to show audiences something they’d never seen before with the newfound era of more sophisticated physical effects. The first non-Lucasfilm production to utilize Ilm, “Dragonslayer” was intended to be a prominent, big-budget example, but tanked at the box office, largely regulated to late-night cable showings.

Though released on DVD by Paramount with little fanfare back in the market’s early days, the film has cultivated a following since its 1981 release, finally earning a bit of recognition with the recent Blu-Ray and 4K reissues and accolades from the likes of George Rr Martin and Guillermo del Toro, the latter of whom contributes a commentary track to the new release alongside the film’s director, his longtime collaborator Matthew Robbins.

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Ever since the 1970s, author Stephen King has practically come to define the term "horror." When he's not penning some of the scariest books ever written or seeing those stories turned into some genuinely frightening film adaptations, this fright addict regularly recommends the very best and most terrifying films he comes across.

That's because, as much as Stephen King is a master of horror, he's also like us: a fan. As a kid, he fell in love with 1955's The Night of the Hunter, and ever since, he's never been able to get enough. Whether he's posting about his latest discovery on Twitter, writing about it for a trade-industry periodical, or using his vast influence to help get a small independent film some recognition, King lives, breathes, and bleeds horror. Therefore, any movie recommendations from the legend are worth their weight in gold.

Goldie Hawn stars in The Sugarland Express, with Steven Spielberg’s film arriving on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray for the first time.

Steven Spielberg was just 26 years old when he embarked on The Sugarland Express, the first time he’d put together a feature film with a cinema release in mind. By this stage in his career – and he was on the eve of Jaws – he’d already directed the terrific film Duel, but that was effectively a television movie. The Sugarland Express was a scaling up.

Goldie Hawn and Ben Johnson star in the film, and it was also the movie that saw Spielberg working with John Williams for the first time. Quite the collaboration that’d turn out to be. Spielberg also co-authored the story with credited screenwriters Matthew Robbins and Hal Barwood.

The response to the film on release was pretty to really good, and Universal is...

Just a few days ago, we learned that National Geographic, Amblin Documentaries, and Nedland Media are teaming up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest movies ever made, director Steven Spielberg’s classic Jaws, with a documentary called Jaws @ 50. Now Deadline reveals that Jaws @ 50 has some competition, as distributor Newen Connect is working with directors Olivier Bonnard and Antoine Coursat on their own Jaws documentary, Jaws: Making a Splash in Hollywood!

A Capa production for Arte France, Jaws: Making a Splash in Hollywood will feature vintage interviews with Spielberg and cast member Richard Dreyfuss, as well as new interviews with “Wendy Benchley, marine conservationist and widow of Jaws author Peter Benchley, Jaws screenplay co-writer and actor Carl Gottlieb, actress Lorraine Gary, who played Ellen Brody, Joe Alves, production designer of Jaws (he also directed the third Jaws film), writer Matthew Robbins, who contributed to the Jaws screenplay,...

One fish, two films.

The massive 1975 hit Jaws will get a pair of documentaries to mark the 50th anniversary of the Steven Spielberg blockbuster. One of them, Jaws: Making a Splash in Hollywood, tossed chum in the water at Sunny Side of the Doc last week – looking for a bite from potential buyers at the documentary marketplace event in France.

News of that film, from distributor Newen Connect and directed by French filmmakers Olivier Bonnard and Antoine Coursat, comes just days after Deadline’s exclusive report that National Geographic has greenlighted another documentary about the movie, under the working title Jaws @ 50.

‘Jaws’

Chloé Persyn, head of factual distribution for Newen Connect, says the cinematic ocean’s big enough for both films.

“I would strongly believe there is room for two different documentaries with a different angle,” Persyn tells Deadline. “We already know that now, being at Sunny Side where we...

Apple, or at least its technology, was worried about the health and well-being of Hollywood’s greatest director.

In the middle of Steven Spielberg’s Tribeca Festival talk on Saturday, where the filmmaker was celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut feature, “The Sugarland Express,” he was interrupted by his Apple watch with a message that read “It looks like you’ve taken a hard fall.” Spielberg jokingly said “I’m not going to press the Sos [button]” before throwing it on the ground. “I’ll pick it up later,” he said, only to retrieve it a few minutes later when it started issuing some sort of distress signal.

Before the Q&a began, a taped message from “The Sugarland Express” star Goldie Hawn appeared on the screen, thanking Spielberg and reminiscing about the pivotal moment in her career—and his. The film was released in 1974, just one year before “Jaws,...

In one of this year’s climaxes at the Tribeca Festival, Steven Spielberg showed off his first major studio theatrical release, Sugarland Express, which celebrates 50 years.

“You’re the first audience to ever see Sugarland Express in 50 years,” joked the 3x Oscar-winning filmmaker at the packed Bmcc screening in the lower west side of Manhattan.

How’s that? Spielberg said Universal pulled the movie out of theaters after two weeks as no one went to see it despite good reviews. The movie repped his first big screen release after cutting his teeth as a TV director, and it preceded his work on 1975’s Jaws, the blockbuster that would give definition to the word tentpole.

Sugarland Express failed at the box office per Spielberg, as audiences wanted to see a lighthearted Goldie Hawn in the movie, not to mention, it had a tragic ending.

Here are some of the memories Spielberg...

Quick Links Close Encounters of the Third Kind The Unbridled Fame of Steve McQueen The Collaboration That Wasnt Spielberg's "Close Encounters" is considered one of the best films ever, earning awards for sound editing and cinematography. Iconic actor Steve McQueen was sought after but turned down a role in the film due to an inability to cry on cue. McQueen's racing hobby with possible asbestos exposure contributed to his cancer and untimely death at age 50.

Steven Spielberg has directed some of the most iconic films of the past 50 years. While audiences associate his name with films like Saving Private Ryan and Schindlers List, his influence on modern sci-fi movies is undeniable. However, while many people still love E.T., they often forget that he also directed another groundbreaking piece of science fiction, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Steve McQueen was one of the most appreciated actors of...

Quick Links What Is Dragonslayer About? Why Dragonslayer Needs A Reboot The Timing Is Perfect For Another Dragonslayer Movie Despite its initial failure at the box office, Dragonslayer remains a cult classic with great potential for a reboot. The success of modern fantasy franchises like Lord of the Rings makes now the perfect time for a Dragonslayer remake. Audiences are ready for a fresh take on Dragonslayer with improved CGI and updated themes that fit modern sensibilities.

In an age of constant sequels, reboots, and reimaginings, Disney's cult classic '80s film, Dragonslayer, should be the next movie to get a second iteration. The Matthew Robbins-directed dark fantasy film is largely unknown to modern audiences, who have been inundated with reboot upon reboots of classic films that will always be better than any other attempts to capture their magic. Unlike other early Disney films, Dragonslayer fades into obscurity after its theatrical run,...

The The Thing (1982) episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written by Cody Hamman, Edited by Joseph Wilson, Narrated by Jason Hewlett, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

John Carpenter’s The Thing (watch or buy it Here) didn’t go over well at all when it was released in 1982. Ignored by movie-goers, it was a box office failure. Reviled by critics, it even saw Carpenter being labelled a pornographer of violence by some reviewers. It was such a disappointment for the studio, they took another project away from Carpenter as punishment. But it gradually found its audience, building up a cult following. And soon, a legion of fans and critics alike began calling it one of the greatest horror movies ever made. It didn’t take long for The Thing to go from being known as reprehensible trash to being considered an all-time classic.

The red carpet will soon roll out for the 77th Festival de Cannes. The international film festival, playing out May 14-25, has a distinct American voice this year. “Barbie” filmmaker Greta Gerwig is the first U.S. female director name jury president. Many veteran American helmers are heading to the French Rivera resort town. George Lucas, who turns 80 on May 14, will receive an honorary Palme d’Or. Francis Ford Coppola’s much-anticipated “Megalopolis” is screening in competition, as is Paul Schrader’s “Oh Canada.” Kevin Costner’s new Western “Horizon, An American Saga” will premiere out of competition and Oliver Stone’s “Lula” is part of the special screening showcase.

Fifty years ago, Coppola was the toast of the 27th Cannes Film Festival. His brilliant psychological thriller “The Conversation” starring Gene Hackman won the Palme D’Or and well as a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury. The film would earn three Oscar nominations: picture,...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Crimson Peak 4K Uhd from Arrow Video

Crimson Peak will haunt 4K Ultra HD on May 21 via Arrow Video. The 2015 Gothic horror/romance is presented in 4K with Dolby Vision, approved by director Guillermo del Toro, and original DTS:X Master Audio sound.

Del Toro co-wrote the script with frequent collaborator Matthew Robbins. Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, and Jim Beaver star with Doug Jones and Javier Botet appearing as ghosts.

The limited edition set comes with a double-sided poster, four double-sided postcards, and an 80-page book featuring writings by David Jenkins and Simon Abrams, an interview with del Toro, and conceptual illustrations by Guy Davis and Oscar Chichoni, all housed in...

Many movie adaptations of classic novels are stuck in development hell or have been canceled altogether. Budgetary problems and competing movie ideas contributed to the cancellation of these adaptations. Despite these challenges, fans and filmmakers still hope that some of these movies will eventually be realized.

Many movie adaptations of classic novels are currently languishing in development hell or have been canceled altogether. Having been praised by scholars for decades, even centuries, adaptations of classic literature are typically met with plenty of attention from the media and the public. Brilliant directors, producers, and writers, including Guillermo del Toro and John Legend, have proposed refreshing takes on these literary works, but their ideas don't seem to be moving forward.

Producers might not feel the need to rush an adaptation since most of the source material is in the public domain, and they can adapt it any time they want. However, budgetary...

The Highlander reboot, directed by Chad Stahelski and starring Henry Cavill, is in good hands due to Stahelski's success in the action genre and Cavill's rising star power. Movies like Dragonslayer, The 13th Warrior, Escape from New York, Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja, Mortal Kombat, The Blade trilogy, Equilibrium, Excalibur, and The Duellists share similarities with Highlander in themes, setting, aesthetics, and characterization. Highlander's unique premise, distinct personalities, dazzling special effects, and amazing sword fights contribute to its appeal within the action, fantasy, and science fiction genres.

This article contains subtle references to sexual assault.

Although the Highlander reboot is one of the upcoming movies by John Wick director Chad Stahlehski and set to feature A-list actor Henry Cavill in the lead as Connor MacLeod, there are plenty of movies in the action, fantasy, and science fiction genres that are very similar to the 1986 original. Written by Greg Widen,...

David Ellison’s fledgling Skydance Animation — run by head of animation John Lasseter and president Holly Edwards — has moved its movie slate from Apple Studios to Netflix. The multi-year streaming deal commences with next year’s musical fantasy “Spellbound,” directed by Vicky Jenson (“Shrek” and “Shark Tale”), featuring the voice talent of Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, and Javier Bardem, and boasting a score from Alan Menkin and original songs with lyricist Glen Slater. It’s about a princess who tries to reverse a spell that transformed her parents into monsters.

Set for release in 2025 is “Pookoo,” a buddy comedy about two enemies — a woodland creature and a majestic bird — that magically trade places. It’s helmed by former Disney director Nathan Greno (“Tangled”), with original music composed by Siddhartha Khosla.

Also in the works are two prestigious features that are a result of Lasseter’s strong relationships with directors Brad Bird...

If there was ever a match made in heaven, it was Guillermo del Toro and Disney's "The Haunted Mansion." Del Toro is a monster kid through and through. His fascination with the macabre has deep literary and cinematic roots, to be sure. He can break down the gothic artistry of Mary Shelley's writing or grapple with the problematic side of H.P. Lovecraft with as much intelligence and passion as the most respected college professor.

But del Toro's passion for genre goes way beyond the intellectual. It's his whole heart, which you can see in everything he's ever produced. He has a childlike love of ghosts and monsters and anything spooky, so of course he was the right person for Disney to hire to try to make a real version of "The Haunted Mansion" back in 2010.

His particular adaptation had a long history of stops and starts before he eventually departed the project,...

Dragonslayer follows Galen Bradwarden, a young wizarding apprentice who must help a village that is being terrorized by a dragon. The king has been sacrificing young, virgin women to appease the dragon. Galen will find an unexpected wealth of courage and use the magical amulet that grants him powers to defeat the dragon.

Dragonslayer was released in theaters in 1981. Dragonslayer is directed by Matthew Robbins with a script penned by Robbins and Hal Barwood. Dragonslayer stars Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam, Peter Eyre, and Albert Salmi.

Related: Guillermo del Toro Has Already Found His Next Stop Motion Project

Screen Rant spoke with director Matthew Robbins about Dragonslayer being remastered and released on 4K Ultra HD. Robbins shares some of his favorite memories from making the movie and what it was like to create the new commentary for Dragonslayer with Guillermo del Toro. He also reveals some of the influences on the movie,...

Dragonslayer invites fans and newcomers to visit Urland in a newly remastered edition of the 1981 classic, which is now available on Blu-ray and 4K. Paramount Home Entertainment has released the restored edition today, allowing a new generation to experience the Oscar-nominated visual effects of the original. Taking place in a fictionalized version of the sixth century, Dragonslayer follows a young sorcerer's apprentice named Galen as he seeks to rescue Urland from the clutches of the 400-year-old dragon, Vermithrax Pejorative.

Admired not only for its creative fantasy world, Dragonslayer received high praise for its visual effects, which were created by Industrial Light & Magic's Phil Tippett of Star Wars and Jurassic Park fame. The new 4K Ultra HD remaster will focus not only on the delightfully realistic imagery but also include commentary from director Matthew Robbins and his collaborator Guillermo del Toro, who is an avowed fan of the original film.

Related:...

The University of Southern California Libraries revealed the winners for the 35th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award on Saturday. The awards, which honor the year’s best film and television adaptations (along with the works on which they are based), returned live to USC’s elegant Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library for the annual black tie awards fete.

This group of academics, industry professionals, and critics is often predictive of the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race, presaging 14 eventual Oscar winners, including in the last decade “Argo” (2013), “12 Years a Slave” (2014), “The Imitation Game” (2015), “The Big Short” (2016), “Moonlight” (2017), and “Call Me By Your Name” (2018).

Screenwriter Sarah Polley and novelist Miriam Toews won the film award for “Women Talking,” which is nominated for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay Oscars, while the television prize went to English stand-up comedian and screenwriter Will Smith for the episode “Failure’s Contagious,” from “Slow Horses,” based...

“Women Talking” has won the USC Libraries Scripter Award for adapted screenplay in a ceremony that took place on the USC campus in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The Scripter Award goes to both the writer of an adapted screenplay and the author of the original material on which the screenplay was based, which meant that the award was given to writer-director Sarah Polley and novelist Miriam Toews, whose 2018 novel formed the basis for Polley’s film.

In the 34-year history of the Scripters, the winner has matched the Oscar winner 14 times, most of those in an eight-year streak between 2010 and 2017.

Other finalists were screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro for “Living,” based on Leo Tolstoy’s novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”; screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz and journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey for “She Said”; and Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale and Matthew Robbins for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” based on...

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” swept the 2023 Gold Derby Film Awards. These 21st annual awards were decided by over 2,300 registered Gold Derby users who represent some of the savviest and most passionate movie-watchers and awards aficionados on the web. The sci-fi family drama, about a mother (Michelle Yeoh) fighting to save the universe from an interdimensional threat, prevailed eight times including Best Picture. Scroll down for the complete list of winners in all 22 categories, and watch our ceremony above where we presented all the awards, including acceptance speeches from all the winners.

SEEGold Derby Film Awards: Every Best Picture Winner

With its eight prizes, “Everything Everywhere” is now tied with “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” as our second most awarded film in a single year. That record is held by “La La Land,” which won nine times in 2017. But eclipsing...

The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (Leja) has handed out its awards for the year, with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” scooping up 10 wins including best picture, director for the Daniels and actress for Michelle Yeoh.

The sci-fi comedy led the nominations with 16, the most in the history of the organization.

Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” scored the second-most wins with three for best cinematography going to Claudio Miranda, sound and stunt design.

“I am incredibly excited by the selections of our distinguished group of Latino critics, journalists and writers from all over the country,” said Clayton Davis, Leja founder and president. “I applaud our tiny but mighty organization for selecting a respectable group of films from artists we all love and admire.”

“Wakanda Forever” won prizes for costume design (Ruth E. Carter) and original song.

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won two prizes for animated film and adapted screenplay. In addition,...

The animated film Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio”, clinched the honour for Best Animated Film at the BAFTA on Monday. The film won over fellow nominees of “Marcel The Shell With Shoes On”, “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” and “Turning Red”.

The film, which uses stop-motion animation, is a musical dark fantasy directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, with a screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale from a story by del Toro and Matthew Robbins.

The film is loosely based on the 1883 Italian novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi, and strongly influenced by Gris Grimly’s illustrations for a 2002 edition of the book, it reimagines the story of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who comes to life as the son of his carver Geppetto.

Earlier, on the red carpet of the coveted award ceremony, toy versions of both Pinocchio and its creator Guillermo del Toro...

Paramount Home Entertainment has announced that they will be giving the 1981 fantasy film Dragonslayer a 4K Uhd and Blu-ray release on March 21st – and copies are already available for pre-order at This Link! The discs will include over an hour of new special features, as well as an audio commentary with Dragonslayer director Matthew Robbins (who wrote the screenplay with Hal Barwood) and Dragonslayer fan Guillermo del Toro.

Robbins and del Toro have worked together several times over the years, co-writing the screenplays for Mimic, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Crimson Peak, and Pinocchio.

Dragonslayer has the following synopsis: Set in sixth-century England, an ill-tempered, fire-breathing creature—ominously known as Vermithrax Pejorative—terrorizes its citizens until a young sorcerer’s apprentice named Galen (Peter MacNicol) is reluctantly tasked with confronting the beast. For Galen to succeed, it will take more than magic to defeat the dragon.

A press release...

Guillermo del Toro is keenly aware of the motifs and themes that occur, and occur again, in his work. He often embraces them. For instance, the Mexican auteur freely suggested to us last month that his latest film, the Oscar-nomianted Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, is part of a spiritual trilogy with The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)—movies that all deal with childhood innocence enduring beneath the shadow of fascism and oppression.

Yet another element that frequently goes overlooked in his oeuvre is that of the artist and their commercial benefactor; the creator and the exploiter. This dynamic is given a fatally noirish bent in del Toro’s last Best Picture nominee, Nightmare Alley (2021). That film, which is based on a William Lindsay Gresham novel of the same name, sees a small-time carnival huckster learn how a “Geek” is made—which in the early 20th century referred to poor...

The Guillermo del Toro H. P. Lovecraft movie At The Mountains of Madness was ready to begin filming but ultimately never got off the ground — here's why it was canceled. With Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, which included two adaptations from influential horror author H.P. Lovecraft, creating such a buzz, now is a better time than ever to look back at other Lovecraft projects the director has attempted, including an At The Mountains of Madness movie. Guillermo del Toro’s movies are known for exploring a different side of monsters and fantastic creatures, both from his own imagination and from different sources, but the Mexican filmmaker is also known for working on too many projects at once and dropping out of most. Here's why the At The Mountains of Madness del Toro Lovecraft adaptation didn't happen.

The director has been attached to a number of different projects, from The Hobbit to Fantastic Voyage,...

Please Note: This forecast, assembled by The Hollywood Reporter’s executive editor of awards, Scott Feinberg, reflects Feinberg’s best attempt to predict the behavior of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, not his personal preferences. He arrives at these standings by drawing upon consultations with voters and industry insiders, analysis of marketing and awards campaigns, results of awards ceremonies that precede the Oscars and the history of the Oscars ceremony itself.

*Best Picture*

Projected Nominees

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24, March 25, trailer)

2. Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount, May 27, trailer) — podcast (Jerry Bruckheimer)

3. Elvis (Warner Bros., June 24, trailer)

4. Tár (Focus, October 7, trailer)

5. The Banshees of Inisherin (Searchlight, Oct. 21, trailer)

6. The Fabelmans (Universal, Nov. 11, trailer) — podcast (Steven Spielberg)

7. Avatar: The Way of Water (20th Century/Disney, December 16, trailer)

8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Disney, Nov. 11, trailer) — podcast (Kevin Feige)

9. All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix, Oct. 28, trailer)

10. Triangle of Sadness (Neon,...

The USC Scripter Award, now in its 35th year, honors feature films adapted from novels, short stories, nonfiction books, print media, and other movies, with both the screenplay and its source material feted in each case. This year’s nominees include three of Gold Derby’s five leading contenders for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars — “Women Talking,” “She Said,” and “Living” — as well as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” which rank seventh and eighth on our predictions list.

The biggest omissions were “Glass Onion” by Rian Johnson, which is in second place in our Oscar race, and “The Whale” by Samuel D. Hunter, which ranks third.

The Scripter has forecast 14 of the eventual Oscar winners for Best Adapted Screenplay, six of which were in the past decade: “Call Me By Your Name” (2018) “Moonlight” (2017), “The Big Short” (2016), “The Imitation Game” (2015), “12 Years a Slave” (2014), and “Argo” (2013).

The...

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” has become the first animated film to be saluted at the USC Libraries Scripter Awards, an annual honor that goes to the screenwriters of a film adaptation as well as the authors of the original work on which the film is based.

“Pinocchio” was named as a finalist alongside the screenplays for “Living,” “She Said,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Women Talking.” Because the original authors are also recognized, 2023 scripter nominees include 19th century Italian writer Carlo Collodi, who wrote the original version of “Pinocchio” in 1880; Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, whose 1886 novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” was adapted by Akira Kurosawa for the 1952 film “Ikiru” and by Kazuo Ishiguro for 2022’s “Living”; New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who wrote the book “She Said” about breaking the story of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct and were played in the film version by Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan,...

In a year in which the frontrunners for Best Adapted Screenplay are still unclear, the USC Libraries naming the finalists for the 35th annual USC Libraries Scripter Awards offer more insight into what scripts most stand out. The award, which honors the writers of the year’s most accomplished film and episodic series adaptations, as well as the writers of the works on which they are based, is a major bellwether for the Oscars race, as its winners overlapped with the Best Adapted Screenplay winners from 2011 to 2019. Its voter base is a mix of academics, industry professionals, and critics.

As expected, Sarah Polley’s screenplay for “Women Talking,” an adaptation of Miriam Toews’ 2018 novel, of which the filmmaker has already won several critics awards for, is among this year’s Scripter Award finalists. Nobel Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Living” script (a Tolstoy novella adaptation) and Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s “She Said...

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “Living,” “She Said,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Women Talking are among the film nominees for this year’s USC Libraries Scripter Awards. In addition, television episodes of “The Crown,” “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” “Slow Horses,” “Tokyo Vice” and “Under the Banner of Heaven” were also recognized.

A strong bellwether for the Oscars’ best adapted screenplay category, previous Scripter winners that have matched the Academy in the last decade include “Argo” (2012), “12 Years a Slave” (2013), “The Imitation Game” (2014), “The Big Short” (2015), “Moonlight” (2016), “Call Me by Your Name” (2017) and “Nomadland” (2020). Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” (2019) is the only Scripter-eligible film to win the Academy Award without being nominated by the organization.

The inclusion of “Pinocchio” is particularly noteworthy since it’s been picking up awards steam over the last few weeks. It’s a dark horse for one of the five coveted adapted screenplay spots, which could point...

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Living, She Said, Top Gun: Maverick and Women Talking are the film nominees, and episodes of The Crown, Fleishman Is in Trouble, Slow Horses, Tokyo Vice and Under the Banner of Heaven are the TV finalists, for the 35th USC Scripter Awards, the USC Libraries announced on Wednesday.

The most notable nominations are those of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and Top Gun: Maverick, given that the screenplays of those films had not yet received widespread recognition, and that acclaimed adaptations of the novels Lady Chatterley’s Lover and White Noise, the nonfiction work The Good Nurse and the play The Whale were also eligible. (A widely lauded adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front was not eligible, as it is not in the English language.)

This year’s Scripters — the nominations of which were determined, as the winners will be, by a selection committee...

The USC Libraries on Wednesday unveiled nominees for its 35th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award, which honors the screenwriters of the year’s best film and episodic series adaptations, along with the writers of the works on which they are based.

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This year’s film nominees are the screenwriters and original authors from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Living, She Said, Top Gun: Maverick and Women Talking. In TV, screenwriters were nominated for penning episodes of The Crown, Fleishman Is in Trouble, Slow Horses, Tokyo Vice and Under the Banner of Heaven.

Winners will be announced March 4 at a ceremony at USC’s Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library,...

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” rules the 21st Annual Gold Derby Film Award nominations with 14, far more than any other film. These nominees were decided by more than 2,000 registered Gold Derby users across the globe, and you can vote for the winners in all 22 categories effective immediately. You have until Sunday, February 5, to get your ballots in. Feel free to jump in right now here in our predictions center. You can come back to edit your ballot as often as you like; no votes are final until voting closes on February 5. Scroll down for the complete list of nominations.

SEE2023 Critics Choice Awards winners list: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ leads the way with 5 wins

“Everything Everywhere,” about an immigrant mother’s attempt to save her daughter (and the universe), is one of 10 nominees for Best Picture. Filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert also received noms for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

For The First Time Ever On 4K Uhd, Remastered With Dolby Atmos Sound, And Featuring Hours Of Special Features Including New Commentary By Director Matthew Robbins With Guillermo Del Toro

An essential fantasy-adventure, with groundbreaking Oscar-nominated visual effects, Dragonslayer comes to 4K Ultra HD with Hdr-10 and Dolby Vision—restored for exceptional picture and sound approved by director Matthew Robbins.

Set in sixth-century England, an ill-tempered, fire-breathing creature—ominously known as Vermithrax Pejorative—terrorizes its citizens until a young sorcerer’s apprentice named Galen is reluctantly tasked with confronting the beast. For Galen to succeed, it will take more than magic to defeat the dragon.

Warning: Spoilers for Guillermo del Toro’s PinocchioGuillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has finally arrived on Netflix after a long wait and fervent discussion over how it would differ from the classic Disney film. The stop-motion animation is more directly adapted from Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel than previous iterations, and acclaimed filmmaker del Toro takes the opportunity to infuse the wooden puppet's tale with a darker tone amidst the Fascist politics of Italy in the early 20th century. His screenplay, co-written by Patrick McHale and derived from a screen story co-written by Matthew Robbins, also weaves important messages about death as part of the cycle of life.

Directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson, Pinocchio introduces audiences to a lonely drunk named Geppetto (David Bradley), who has been grieving his son Carlo's death in World War I. Sebastian J. Cricket (Ewan McGregor) narrates the story as a whimsical wood sprite...

This review originally ran Oct. 15, 2022, after the film’s world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” may have premiered hot on the wooden heels of Robert Zemeckis’s live-action/CGI remake of the 1940 Disney cartoon, but no one is likely to get the two muddled up.

Partly that’s because Zemeckis’ film was a depressing waste of time, whereas del Toro’s is a soulful stop-motion masterpiece. But it’s partly because, as the title suggests, the latest version is so unmistakably a del Toro passion project.

However much he has borrowed from Disney, as well as from Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel, his film (co-directed by Mark Gustafson) is obviously carved from the same pine tree as “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Shape Of Water”: a dark but sweet horror fantasy about death, grief, and a misunderstood monster being persecuted by authoritarian forces.

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "Mad God"

Where You Can Stream It: Shudder/AMC+

The Pitch: Phil Tippett is the maker of cinematic dreams. An expert in the field of stop-motion, Tippett was hired by George Lucas in the late 1970s to design the Holochess scene for 1977's "Star Wars: A New Hope." Tippett would go on to spend the next 45 years bringing all sorts of entities to life on film, including the flesh-eating stars of Joe Dante's "Piranha," the fire-breathing Vermithrax Pejorative in Matthew Robbins's "Dragonslayer," and the murderous Ed-209 in Paul Verhoeven's "RoboCop." 

Even after the CGI boom of the early '90s, Tippett adapted to the times. This began with "Jurassic Park," on which Tippett is cheekily...

The director of the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water has turned the timeless fable into a magical Mussolini-era parable

Death and fascism may not seem ideal subjects for a life-affirming fantasy animation for grownup children of all ages. Yet Mexican maestro Guillermo del Toro, whose 2017 masterpiece The Shape of Water won the Oscar for best picture, brings his monstrous cinematic skills to bear on Carlo Collodi’s timeless fable with miraculous results, turning it into a Mussolini-era parable about a “lethal form of control and paternity”. Using the tactility of stop-motion animation to lend splintery weight (both physical and emotional) to the story, Del Toro and co-director Mark Gustafson, whose credits include Fantastic Mr Fox (2009), conjure a tale of war and childhood that nods its wooden head towards Mary Shelley while thematically sitting alongside Del Toro’s Spanish-language masterpieces The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006).

Along with co-writer Patrick McHale...

Aside from the serious somber Oscar contenders, and a few action blockbusters, the end-of-the-year holidays see the release of many family-friendly animated fantasies. And this pre-Thanksgiving weekend delivers a new version of a familiar children’s classic. Of course, some of that familiarity may come from its having a “new take” just a few months ago. Now, this spin is a bit more “low-tech”, as the former was a mix of live-action and “motion capture” magic, this one is done with stop-motion animation (fittingly often called “puppet animation”). Plus it adheres much more closely to the somewhat “dark” nature of the book. Which is a good match with its co-director/producer. who has helmed many a sinister fantasy fable. And just to drive that point home, his name is in the title, Guillermo Del Toro’S Pinocchio, to make sure we know this “ain’t” your Uncle Walt’s lil...

“People are sometimes afraid of things they don’t know…”

On Wednesday, Netflix released the first official trailer for the upcoming stop-motion animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film “Pinocchio,” which was directed by legendary filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro.

It serves as the second feature film adaptation of “Pinocchio” released this year, following the Robert Zemeckis live-action version. Del Toro’s new adaptation was also written by him alongside Patrick McHale and Matthew Robbins.

The voice cast of the film consists of Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Ron Perlman, Cate Blanchett, Finn Wolfhard, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton.

You can watch the trailer here:

The film was produced by Del Toro, Lisa Henson, Alexander Bulkley, Corey Campodonico, and Gary Undar under the production banners of Netflix Animation, The Jim Henson Company, Pathe, ShadowMachine, Double Dare You Productions, Necropia Entertainment, and El Taller del Chuco.

“Pinocchio” is scheduled to be released by...

Click here to read the full article.

Composer Alexandre Desplat, known for his work on films like The King’s Speech, Argo and The Grand Budapest Hotel, sought to keep the “innocence” and “vibrant heart” of the Pinocchio story alive through his score in Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming stop-motion film, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

Using only wood instruments, such as a violin, piano or harp, he wanted to connect music to the 1883 novel by Carlo Collodi on which the film is based.

“I think the real key to it was always the emotion, trying to keep the vibrant heart of Pinocchio beating, and make sure that we always feel this innocence that he has,” Desplat tells The Hollywood Reporter as part of Netflix’s Playlist series. “He doesn’t know anything about anything. But he believes in everything. He’s so open-minded. That’s the beautiful thing about Pinocchio.