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Paramount Pictures new live-action comedy feature “Novocaine”, directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, stars Jack Quaid (“The Boys”), Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, Lou Beatty Jr., Van Hengst, Conrad Kemp and Jacob Batalon, releasing March 14, 2025 in theaters:

“…sheltered bank executive ‘Nathan Caine’ has a rare genetic condition that prevents him from feeling pain.

“Then when his bank is robbed and one of his co-workers is kidnapped…

“…he is forced to act and turn his greatest liability…

“…into his greatest asset…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

“Hey it’s Jack Quaid,” says Quaid at the start of the trailer of Novocaine. However, it feels more like Hughie from The Boys and less like Quaid from Novocaine as the trailer progresses.

Jack Quaid in The Boys | Credits: Amazon MGM Television

It seems that Hughie’s character took Comp V in The Boys and was accidentally transported into an alternate timeline where he could not feel any pain. That’s not the whole premise of the movie, though. The whole premise… is just a little less than that.

Jack Quaid’s Novocaine is Hughie in an alternate timeline

The official trailer for Quaid’s upcoming film titled Novocaine has been revealed and fans are already showering it with lots of love and shares. However, the concept of the film might be somewhat similar (and completely different) to The Boys.

Quaid portrays a similar role in Novocaine | Credits: Amazon...

Action movies are a dime-a-dozen. Still, now and again, filmmakers go above and beyond the call of duty to bring something fresh to the genre. In Novocaine, when the girl of his dreams (Amber Midthunder) is kidnapped, everyman Nate (Jack Quaid) turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back.

For a concept this outlandish, we needed to speak with the film’s directors, Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, who, in their talk with us, shared the details of their approach to making an off-the-wall action film featuring a disabled protagonist who turns his condition into a superpower. The following interview explains how the duo navigates Nathan’s rare condition, how Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade inspired aspects of the film, and how the limits of the film’s violence are kept in check.

JoBlo: The premise for Novocaine is really off the wall.

Paramount Pictures has revealed the first trailer for "Novacaine." This appears to be going for an original superhero movie of sorts, albeit one with a pretty fun twist. Jack Quaid, of "The Boys" Fame, stars in the lead role as a man trying to rescue his new girlfriend, who's been taken hostage after a robbery gone wrong. To do so, he has to fight off a bunch of bad guys. Why is he qualified to do such a thing? Because he literally can't feel pain. So what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in other bats*** crazy ways.

This is a somewhat familiar setup at its core: Average guy meets a girl, falls in love with said girl, something bad happens to that girl, and he makes it his mission to save her. How many times have we seen that? What makes this interesting is the "can't feel pain" component,...

Paramount Pictures has released the official trailer and poster for Novocaine, an upcoming action thriller directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen.

Opening in theaters on March 14, 2025, the film is officially described as follows: “When the girl of his dreams (Amber Midthunder) is kidnapped, everyman Nate (Jack Quaid) turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back.”

Novocaine is executive-produced by Paul Barbeau, Glen Basner, Josh Adler, Lars Jacobson and Alison Cohen. The producers include Drew Simon, Tory Tunnell, Joby Harold, Sam Speiser, Matt Schwartz and Julian Rosenberg.

Written by Lars Jacobson, the film stars Jack Quaid (The Boys), Amber Midthunder (Prey), Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, Lou Beatty Jr., Van Hengst, Conrad Kemp and Jacob Batalon.

Paramount Pictures is presenting, in association with Infrared Pictures (this marks the first movie for the production label), a Safehouse Pictures and Circle Management + Production production.

In the 1999 Pierce Brosnan James Bond film, The World is Not Enough, the villain Renard, played by Robert Carlyle, was a tough opposer for the 00-agent since he couldn’t feel pain. That concept is now being explored with a new twist as Jack Quaid plays an everyday man with a similar trait, only he is harnessing it to become a reluctant hero. Paramount has released the trailer to Novocaine, which stars Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, Lou Beatty Jr., Van Hengst, Conrad Kemp and Jacob Batalon.

The official synopsis reads,

“When the girl of his dreams (Amber Midthunder) is kidnapped, everyman Nate (Jack Quaid) turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back.”

The movie is currently unrated. However, with its concept, the trailer’s balls-to-the-wall tendency to explore every facet of this concept and the graphic action it brings,...

"You gotta be careful dude. You can still die. You're not Wolverine!" Paramount has unveiled the official trailer for an action comedy called Novocaine, landing in theaters in March 2025 early next year. From the filmmaking duo Dan Berk & Robert Olsen comes this crazy new action flick. Which reminds me of the two super crazy Crank and Crank: High Voltage movies. Meet Nathan Caine. He feels no pain. When the girl of his dreams (played by Amber Midthunder) is kidnapped, everyman Nate turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back. Jack Quaid stars as Nate Caine (that name is a bit too similar to "novocaine" but that's obviously on purpose) along with Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, Lou Beatty Jr., Van Hengst, Conrad Kemp, Jacob Batalon. This looks like a totally ridiculous concept that should make for a totally entertaining movie.

Meet Nathan Caine. He feels no pain.

Premiering next month at Sundance is A24’s latest horror movie, Opus. That brings with it a first-look image from the film, introducing Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) as journalist Ariel and new story details.

Opus marks the feature debut of writer-director Mark Anthony Green, who began writing for GQ when he was 19 before joining the publication full-time as a writer and editor.

The fest describes the film as “flashy pop horror.”

As for the plot, “A young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan.”

Edebiri will play the “meek yet hungry journalist Ariel — her unique charm radiating alongside a distinct final-girl prescience. John Malkovich is effervescent and hypnotic as Moretti, a deified global phenomenon making a dramatically malevolent reintroduction.

Just ahead of the new year, the Sundance Film Festival has unveiled its 2025 slate of programming that’s packed with exciting and buzzworthy new horror.

Today the fest announced their comprehensive slate of films selected from the fest that will take place January 23 –February 2, 2025, in person in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Resort, along with a selection of films available online starting January 30. Packages and passes are available now at Sundance’s site.

We’ve combed through the entire slate today to find all the genre titles, with first-look images and information where available. Highlights from the upcoming slate of programming includes Alison Brie and Dave Franco‘s co-dependency horror movie Together, SpectreVision’s Celtic Faerie horror Rabbit Trap starring Dev Patel, and more.

What are you most excited to see at Sundance next year? Read on for all the horror heading to Sundance Film Festival 2025:...

The Sundance Film Festival is once again upon us! Set to happen from January 23rd to February 2nd in Park City, Utah (with an online component from January 30th to Feb 2nd), the official schedule was unveiled today, and once again it’s an eclectic mix of indie fare, award hopefuls, and horror flicks. Once again, I’ll be there for JoBlo, filing a ton of reviews. To note, in recent years, Sundance has become especially well known for genre fare, with Hereditary, Talk to Me, and I Saw the TV Glow all premiering in the midnight section of the fest. This year’s Midnight selection includes some very buzzy titles:

Dead Lover / Canada –– A lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses finally meets her dream man, but their whirlwind affair is cut short when he tragically drowns at sea. Grief-stricken, she goes to morbid lengths to resurrect him through madcap scientific experiments,...

The Sundance Film Festival is still deliberating about where to move in 2027, but in the meantime, the 2025 festival will go on in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. On Wednesday, the festival announced its Features and Episodic lineup, with a rich selection of independent projects that feature a lot of big names.

VFX. That’s the whole article. You could sum up the entire gist of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with that single word and yet, Kevin Feige seems to be cutting costs on that as well.

Robert Downey Jr. in a still from Iron Man | Credits: Marvel Studios

In the beginning, it was quite evident with Iron Man that it wasn’t just another average superhero movie. The film was praised for its usage of animation and VFX, especially with respect to the suit-up scenes. Well, where are the scenes now?

Kevin Feige Has Found a Way To Cut Costs on VFX

Nanotechnology is one of the good scientific things in this world that people have been getting excited about for the past few years. However, in the MCU, nanotech has found its way to every corner.

Kevin Feige found a way to cut costs | Credit: Marvel Studios

Credits where credits are due,...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe was quite streamlined until Phase 3 (or more specifically until Avengers: Endgame). Kevin Feige had kept it all aligned as there were not too many branches (or universes), just one unified goal of preparing for Thanos.

Marvel became chaotic after Avengers: Endgame | Credits: Marvel Studios

After Avengers: Endgame, Kevin Feige’s MCU became a wide array of branches, characters, sub-plots, alternate realities, and more. To put the cherry on top, they also merged the X-Men from Foxverse to the MCU with Deadpool & Wolverine.

The Multiverse is Quite Chaotic

It all started back in 2008 when veteran actor Robert Downey Jr. had a renaissance as Tony Stark aka Iron Man in Iron Man. With the success of the film, films like Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor were greenlit. They were, however, loosely connected to each other.

Kevin Feige | Credits: Gage Skidmore licensed under Cc By-sa 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons...

This article contains spoilers for "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" 

Focusing on kids as a new show's main stars can be risky, but add in a great story and a fair amount of nostalgia, and you might just have a hit on your hands. Shows like "Stranger Things" have used this formula to great effect, and the latest "Star Wars" Disney+ show also seems to understand the assignment. 

"Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" is both bringing back obscure alien races and recapturing the awe of a kid getting to experience the galaxy far, far away for the first time with equal gusto. Its adventurous, Amblin-influenced take on the "Star Wars" lore is arguably the freshest point of view the franchise has had in decades and shows the series in a brand new light. Its deliberately younger and more inexperienced main characters provide a chance for young fans to enter the franchise, and...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a hero for almost every superpower you can think of. President Kevin Feige has made sure that the comics are adapted onto the big screens as accurately as possible.

Kevin Feige | Credits: Gage Skidmore licensed under Cc By-sa 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

There have been some heroes who have had a Native American heritage in the comics. Although this particular superhero has already been animated in Marvel’s What If…?, fans have the perfect choice if she was ever adapted into live-action.

What If… Kahhori Got a Live-action Adaptation?

For those unversed, Kahhori is a young Mohawk woman whose village was attacked by Spanish conquistadors. She accidentally falls into the Forbidden Lake and gets transported to the Sky-World.

Kahhori in What If…? Season 2 | Credits: Marvel Studios

In the Sky-World, she gets superpowers, and with the help of Atahraks, she returns to her village, confronts Queen Isabella I herself,...

A who’s who of Indigenous film talent — including Dallas Goldtooth (Reservation Dogs, Echo), Amber Midthunder (Prey, Legion), Wes Studi (Heat, The Last of the Mohicans) and Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves, Wind River) — are set to star in Brave, a new dramedy from writer/director Steven Paul Judd (Echo, Dark Winds), The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The feature, currently in pre-production, will begin principal photography next summer on the Choctaw Nation Reservation in southeastern Oklahoma. It will be the first-ever feature film to be shot on Choctaw land. The project was developed in close cooperation with the Choctaw Nation, the third-largest Native tribe in the United States.

Brave tells the story of Uncle Jack (Goldtooth), a 15-year military vet with substance abuse issues who now works as the entertainment in his local Native casino. At the funeral of his estranged brother, Jack meets Jillian, his young niece, now an orphan.

The first season of Legendary’s MonsterVerse TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ran on Apple TV+ from November into January (you can read our own Alex Maidy’s review of the first batch of episodes Here), and while Godzilla was an important figure in that season, it wrapped up with an episode that indicated Kong might be taking the spotlight if there were to be a follow-up. In April, it was confirmed that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 was a sure thing – and earlier this month, the new season officially began filming. The first season’s star Anna Sawai is back for season 2, and in an interview with TV Line she said she hopes her character will be less of a victim this time around.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the latest chapter in Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse series, which currently consists of Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters,...

The first season of Legendary’s MonsterVerse TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ran on Apple TV+ from November into January (you can read our own Alex Maidy’s review of the first batch of episodes Here), and while Godzilla was an important figure in that season, it wrapped up with an episode that indicated Kong might be taking the spotlight if there were to be a follow-up. In April, it was confirmed that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 was a sure thing – and cast member Anna Sawai said she hoped the new episodes would be in production soon. Well, now, seven months later, filming is officially underway on Monarch season 2! Apple TV made the announcement on social media:

Greetings from Skull Island. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 is in production. pic.twitter.com/1o3E5DwsPE

— Apple TV (@AppleTV) November 18, 2024

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the latest chapter in Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse series,...

Legendary will continue to expand upon their monster-filled cinematic universe with a second season of the Apple TV+ series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” and the official Apple TV account over on Twitter this morning has announced that production is underway.

What do we know about “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” Season 2? For starters, Amber Midthunder (Prey) recently joined the cast of the upcoming season. Midthunder’s involvement in the new season is said to be “a heavily recurring role.” As we recently learned, she will appear as new character Isabel, described as “an intelligent and powerful businesswoman.”

The first season of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” ended with the surprising arrival of King Kong, and co-creator Chris Black ensures that’s one promise Season 2 will make good on.

Chris Black told Gold Derby, “I think where we left the season gave us so much fertile territory for storytelling. Keiko comes back, we...

Exclusive: In a competitive situation, 20th Century Studios has won rights to Test Drive, an original action spec from Matt Venne, to be produced by Safehouse Pictures.

While plot details are under wraps, sources said Venne secured a healthy mid-six against seven figure deal for his script. The spec had no talent or director attachments and caused a stir on the back of its concept and writing alone, in a scenario not too commonly seen these days.

Director of Development of Safehouse, Austin Bowman, found the spec. We’re told Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell will produce.

Currently staffing on Showtime’s Dexter spin-off series Dexter: Resurrection, Venne is a prolific genre writer who previously adapted Stephen King’s Bag of Bones as a limited series for A&e. He sold his series Cruel Summer, based on the same-name novel, to Legendary TV, with David Goyer boarding to produce, and also...

It has been decades since The Predator hit the screen, giving Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch the opportunity to lead his team on a mission where they face off with the Og extraterrestrial, played by Kevin Peter Hall.

Decades down the line, we have witnessed Arnie switch trades, donning the mantle of the Governor of California (twice!) and coming back from politics. In the meantime, we have been treated to 4 more iterations of the franchise, with one more set to follow next year. But it’s not the same this time around.

Predator: Badlands is set to shock fans of the franchise around the world Dan Trachtenberg ticked all the boxes off with Prey || Image by Dadilmotos, licensed under Cc By-sa 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dan Trachtenberg is back. Back for his second rodeo in the franchise. The first, Prey, starring the likes of Amber Midthunder, Dane DeLiegro, and Dakota Beavers, made...

Elle Fanning is known for being a chameleon actress, but for the upcoming “Predator” franchise installment “Predator: Badlands,” the star had to transform into multiple roles.

Director Dan Trachtenberg told Empire that Fanning was pushed “dramatically, physically, [and] logistically” during production.

“She faced intense challenges on this movie — dramatically, physically, logistically,” Trachtenberg said.

While the details of “Predator: Badlands” are still under wraps, we do know that Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison were behind the story for “Badlands,” with Aison penning the screenplay. The feature will be released by 20th Century Studios and is set in the future.

Trachtenberg previously directed “Predator” prequel “Prey,” which debuted on Hulu. “Prey” took place in 1719 and followed an Indigenous woman (Amber Midthunder) who fought for survival against alien invaders.

Trachtenberg told Empire that “Predator: Badlands” will instead have the alien creature “front and center, leading the charge” for the follow-up.

“He’s still badass, but...

The Predator franchise has, over the years, given us all kinds of heroes. We got Arnie’s rippling muscles in the original; Danny Glover’s LA cop in the sequel; a gaggle of reprobates in Predators; and, most recently, Amber Midthunder’s Comanche warrior Naru in Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey. But for his next Predator outing, Trachtenberg has something very different planned. 2025 will see the release of Predator: Badlands (as well as another film in the franchise that he shot simultaneously in secret), which isn’t exactly a follow-up to Prey but a future-set tale taking place on an alien planet. And, most importantly, it brings a very different kind of Predator protagonist: the Predator itself.

“The creature is front and centre, leading the charge,” Trachtenberg grins, speaking to Empire in the Andor Season 2 issue. “He’s still badass, but there’s something there that touches you emotionally, too. Creating a character you connect with,...

We've another double interview episode of the Empire Podcast for you this week, folks. First up, Hugh Grant returns to the pod for an in-depth chat with Evolution Of Horror host and friend of Empire Mike Muncer about his new movie, Heretic, and whether or not he's into horror [24:54 — 38:02 approx]. The, our very own man who is super, Chris Hewitt, has a lovely chat about Christopher Reeve with Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui, directors of a new documentary about the late Superman star, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story [58:32 - 1:17:42 approx].

Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which this week's listener question sees the team discussing their favourite micro-budget movies; in which a busy week for movie news sees Steven Knight's departure from the latest Star Wars movie, exciting Alien and Predator developments, Amber Midthunder and Alan Ritchson's Painter,...

Producers and distributors heading to Las Vegas for this year’s American Film Market, which runs Nov. 5-10, are betting big that indie action is primed for a comeback.

The AFM was built on action movies — the leading independent film bazaar launched in 1981 at the start of a decade defined by the cinematic stylings of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Segal, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. But in recent markets, with the headline-grabbing success of breakouts like Neon’s Longlegs and Cineverse’s Terrifier 3, action has taken a backseat to horror.

There will be scares-a-plenty at AFM 2024, but many of the market’s buzziest projects sit squarely in the action space. Even a few that don’t star Liam Neeson, Gerard Butler, Jason Statham or Nic Cage. How buyers respond to this new generation of would-be action stars — Daisy Ridley, Amber Midthunder, Alan Ritchson — will determine who...

An action movie starring the woman who took down the Predator in Prey and the man mountain lead of Prime Video's Reacher, written by the dude responsible for John Wick, and directed by the stunt co-ordinator for the likes of Logan and Avatar: The Way Of Water may sound like some kind of nutty genre fever dream, but it's actually very real — and it could be the next big action franchise. Per Deadline's reporting, Yautja ass kicker Amber Midthunder and actual Jack Reacher Alan Ritchson are set to team up on Painter, an all-new action movie poured from the pen of Derek Kolstad and helmed by genre veteran Garrett Warren.

Due to set sales at the American Film Market next week, Painter — per the description provided to Deadline — is set to centre around an expertly trained young woman (Midthunder) who's forced to put her skills to use when her father (presumably Ritchson) is kidnapped.

Alan Ritchson will not look for us. He will not pursue us. But if we don’t do something about Ritchson, then he will find us and… surprise us with a reverse Taken film.

Liam Neeson in a still from Taken | Credits: M6 Films

Yeah. That is the concept of Alan Ritchson and Amber Midthunder’s upcoming movie titled Painter. The film’s concept is quite similar to Liam Neeson’s iconic 2008 film Taken except, the roles are reversed.

Alan Ritchson And Amber Midthunder’s Movie Will Find Us

Amber Midthunder found worldwide fame when she starred in Prey and Legion. The actress is one of the promising new actors who have joined Hollywood and now, she will star alongside Ritchson.

Amber Midthunder in Prey (2022) | Credits: 20th Century Studios

Well, recent news broke out that Reacher star Alan Ritchson is going to get kidnapped in his upcoming film called Painter.

Just a few days ago, we heard that Reacher star Alan Ritchson is teaming up with Need for Speed and Expendables 4 director Scott Waugh for an action thriller called Runner, and now Deadline reports that Ritchson has also signed on to star in an action film called Painter, which will team him with Prey star Amber Midthunder and John Wick writer Derek Kolstad. The project is set up at FilmNation Entertainment‘s production label Infrared, and FilmNation will be launching distribution sales at the upcoming American Film Market in Las Vegas.

Former stuntman Garrett Warren, who served as stunt coordinator on the likes of Logan, Avatar, Alita: Battle Angel, and Road House, will be directing the film. Although Warren is also attached to direct a true crime drama called One Man’s War, it looks like Painter will turn out to be his feature directorial debut.

The story Kolstad has...

Exclusive: FilmNation Entertainment’s production label Infrared is lining up would-be action franchise-starter Painter, which will star rising U.S. actress Amber Midthunder alongside Alan Ritchson (Reacher).

Painter is written by Derek Kolstad (John Wick) and is set to be directed by Logan, Avatar and Road House stunt co-ordinator Garrett Warren, the well known stunt specialist in Hollywood who is now turning to directing.

FilmNation will launch sales on the project at next week’s American Film Market (AFM) in Las Vegas where it will be one of the hot packages.

Painter centers on a young woman, trained from a young age, who must employ every skill in her arsenal to rescue her father after he is kidnapped.

Pic is produced by Ritchson, Drew Simon (Infrared), Kolstad, Josh Adler (Circle of Confusion), and Dan Spilo (Industry Entertainment). Infrared is financing.

FilmNation is handling Painter’s international sales and...

It's truly a great time to be a fan of classic sci-fi creature horror films. Last year, the Predator franchise got a huge shot of adrenaline in the form of Prey, which saw the alien hunter face off against the Comanche warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder) on the Great Plains in the early 1700s. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, Prey revitalized the franchise in a huge way; if you ask me, it's arguably the best Predator movie in the entire series, and I say this as someone who grew up obsessed with the first two films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover, respectively.

Then, this year, we got two more big sci-fi sequels from 20th Century: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Alien: Romulus. And similar to Prey, both were huge hits that have the studio keen to capitalize on the momentum and make sequels.

That's no longer just conjecture.

Dan Trachtenberg, director of 2022’s straight-to-streaming, Emmy-winning Prey movie, has another two Predator projects on the horizon — including a top-secret one that might again debut on Hulu.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands, starring Elle Fanning and set, per some reports, in the “near future,” would hit theaters on Nov. 7, 2025.

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But beating Badlands to your eyeballs may be a second Predator project,...

In the wake of Dan Trachtenberg’s (10 Cloverfield Lane) Prey going straight to Hulu back in 2022, we’ve learned that Disney will be releasing the follow-up film in theaters.

Also being directed by Trachtenberg, Predator: Badlands releases on November 7, 2025. Elle Fanning (The Neon Demon) has been set to star in the fresh new installment.

It’s interesting to note that November 7, 2025 had been the date occupied by Marvel’s long-delayed Blade reboot, but that project has now been bumped off the schedule completely.

Dan Trachtenberg is on board to co-write and direct Badlands. We don’t know much of anything about the movie at this time, but we understand it’s set to be another solo movie rather than a sequel to Prey. Stay tuned for more on Predator: Badlands as we learn it.

Amber Midthunder starred in Hulu’s Prey as a Comanche woman who goes against gender...

This article contains mild spoilers for "Smile 2."

In Parker Finn's new horror film "Smile 2," Naomi Scott plays Skye Riley, a pop star poised to launch a world tour and in the midst of stressful rehearsals and press events. A lot is riding on the tour, as Skye only recently left rehab after a bout of intense cocaine addiction and alcoholism. She is also still traumatized from a recent drugged-up car accident, one that left her with a pain in her back, a scar on her belly, and a dead boyfriend. During this whirlwind of pain, guilt, and public activity, Skye accumulates a parasitic demon, one that appears to her as people she knows ... and they're always smiling. 

The "Smile" demon has a peculiar modus operandi. It lives inside its host, driving them crazy and feeding off their negativity and trauma. After about a week, the demon forces...

Exclusive: Universal Pictures is looking to get back in business with its Oscar-winning Oppenheimer star as sources tell Deadline the studio has landed the rights to Julianna Baggott’s short story The Hider with Robert Downey Jr. eyed to star. Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari will adapt the short story.

Plot details being kept under wraps. The project is in early development.

Downey Jr., Susan Downey and Amanda Burrell will produce through Team Downey. Tory Tunnell and Joby Harold will produce through Safehouse Pictures. Julianna Baggott will executive produce and Finneas Scott will co-produce.

Universal’s Executive Vice President of Production Development Matt Reilly will oversee the project for the Studio.

The reunion comes after Downey Jr. took home the Oscar for best supporting actor for his critically-acclaimed role in Universal and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Prey star Amber Midthunder is set to face-off against a very different - and much bigger - kind of Predator in her next project.

According to Variety, the Legion alum has joined the cast of the second season of Apple TV+ MonsterVerse spin-off series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, in a heavily recurring role. Midthunder will play a character named as Isabel, who is described as “an intelligent and powerful businesswoman.”

Season 1 stars Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski are expected to return. Whether we will see Kurt and Wyatt Russell (they played the same character across two different timelines) after the events of the season 1 finale remains to be seen.

Legacy of Monsters is set after 2014's Godzilla reboot, as San Francisco struggles to rebuild in the wake of the Titan's epic battle against the MUTOs. The story "focuses on Cate,...

You might need to shield your eyes from all the gleaming Oscar statuettes earned by the stars and creator of Apple TV+’s new thriller Disclaimer, debuting this Friday. Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline lead a cast assembled by acclaimed filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, who won a pair of Oscars himself for directing Gravity and Roma. With a lofty pedigree like that, Disclaimer should be a sure-fire Emmy contender — but after seeing all seven episodes, I have to say it doesn’t quite live up to that pedigree. It’s a classic revenge tale with some lovely visual touches,...

She's taken on the Predator and lived to tell the tale, but now it looks like Prey star Amber Midthunder is moving onto bigger things. And by bigger things, we mean Kaiju sized, Godzilla and Kong and Ion Dragon sized things. That's right, folks — Amber's about to bring (Mid)thunder to the MonsterVerse! As reported by Variety, the Legion and Avatar: The Last Airbender actor is set to play a major part in Season 2 of Legendary and Apple TV+'s big-budget, small-screen blockbuster series Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters.

Details on Midthunder's role are being kept under wraps for the time being, but Variety's reporting does confirm that her character's name is Isabela, that she's "an intelligent and powerful businesswoman,” and that her role in the show is being described as "heavily recurring". What line of business Isabela is in remains to be seen, but after Season 1's shocking climax,...

We have our first new cast addition for the highly anticipated Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2, and it's none other than Amber Midthunder, who many may recognize from her starring role as Naru in the sci-fi film Prey.

According to Variety, she joins the season 2 cast of the Apple TV+ series, playing a character named Isabel. Isabel is described as an "intelligent and powerful businesswoman." Her role in the second season is said to be a "heavily" recurring role. Unfortunately, that's all that was revealed about her character so far. As more information comes out, we'll be sure to share everything we find.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a popular monster series created by Chris Black and Matt Fraction. It's produced by Legendary Television and is part of the Monsterverse franchise. The Monsterverse is a cinematic universe that includes films like Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla: King of the Monsters...

The first season of Legendary’s MonsterVerse TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ran on Apple TV+ from November into January (you can read our own Alex Maidy’s review of the first batch of episodes Here), and now the showrunners are moving ahead on a season 2 that’s aiming to be bigger and better. Today, the first bit of major news about the new season has dropped online, as Variety has revealed that Amber Midthunder of the Predator movie Prey has been cast in a heavily recurring role! Midthunder will be playing a character named Isabel, who is described as being “an intelligent and powerful businesswoman.”

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the latest chapter in Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse series, which currently consists of Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and the Netflix animated series Skull Island.

Amber Midthunder, whose TV credits include Roswell, New Mexico, Legion and Hulu’s acclaimed Predator prequel movie Prey, has boarded the cast of Apple TV+’s Godzilla-Kong series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

As reported by sister site Variety, Midthunder will fill the Season 2 role of Isabel, an intelligent and powerful businesswoman.

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It was back in April when Apple TV+ announced that it now only had...

Legendary will continue to expand upon their monster-filled cinematic universe with a second season of the Apple TV+ series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” and Variety brings us some exciting casting news today. Amber Midthunder (Prey) will star in Season 2!

Midthunder’s involvement in the new season is said to be “a heavily recurring role.” She will appear as new character Isabel, described as “an intelligent and powerful businesswoman.”

The first season of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” ended with the surprising arrival of King Kong, and co-creator Chris Black ensures that’s one promise Season 2 will make good on.

Chris Black told Gold Derby, “I think where we left the season gave us so much fertile territory for storytelling. Keiko comes back, we appear to have lost Colonel Shaw, we have this reunion with the family… that feels like a great launch pad for Season 2.”

“We want to continue to tell this human story,...

Amber Midthunder has joined Season 2 of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” at Apple TV+ in a heavily recurring role, Variety has learned exclusively.

The cast of Season 1 of the series included Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell as well as Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, John Goodman, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski.

Midthunder will appear as Isabel, described as “an intelligent and powerful businesswoman.”

Midthunder is best known for her starring role in the “Predator” film “Prey.” Released in 2022, “Prey” was the fifth film in the “Predator” franchise and earned strong reviews from critics upon its release. She was named one of Variety‘s 10 Actors to Watch that same year. Her other film credits include “The Ice Road,” “Rez Ball,” and the upcoming features “Novocaine” and “Opus.” In television, she previously starred in “Legion” at FX, “Roswell, New Mexico” at The CW, and “Avatar: The Last Airbender” at Netflix.

The new Netflix movie Rez Ball has been climbing the charts on the streaming service following its release last week and viewers are falling in love with the cast.

Rez Ball features as cast of relative newcomers and follows a high school basketball team in New Mexico, rich in Native American heritage, who face their greatest challenge. After the loss of their star player, the team must unite like never before to keep their dreams of a state championship alive.

The cast traveled to the Toronto Film Festival last month for the film’s big red carpet premiere and Netflix gave them all disposable camera to capture their experience. We can exclusively share some of those photos with you. Browse through our photo gallery now!

Kauchani Bratt, Devin Sampson-Craig, Jojo Jackson, Jaren Robledo, Avery Hale, Henry Wilson Jr, Damian Henry Castellane, Kusem Goodwind, Hunter Redhorse Arthur, Jessica Matten, Zoey Reyes,...

Join your horror hosts Kimmi & Jon as they close out their No Dead Doggos double-feature with Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey (2022). Yeah, the Predator is cool and all, and Naru (Amber Midthunder) is one of the best action heroes of the last decade, but the real star of the show is an adorably ferocious little dog named Sarii (played by Coco).

Dogs are often the first victims of horror movies, and if you have a hard time watching pups get hurt on screen, never fear! The Nightmare on Film Street podcast is here to help make you a couple of badass recommendations with exactly zero dead dogs. Oh, and somewhere in there we also talk about all the rad set pieces in this epic masterpiece of Action/Sci-Fi/Horror…and how it’s still a crime that this movie went straight to streaming. Join ussss…

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Exclusive: Max Martini (The Tender Bar), Kirk Acevedo (Band Of Brothers) and Patricia De Leon (Mayans M.C.) have joined the Season 2 cast of Taylor Sheridan’s Lioness in recurring roles.

Lioness stars Zoe Saldaña, who also executive produces, Laysla De Oliveira, Genesis Rodriguez and Michael Kelly, with Morgan Freeman, and Nicole Kidman, who executive produces.

Inspired by an actual U.S. Military program, Lioness follows the life of Joe (Saldaña) while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA’s spear in the war on terror.

In Season 2, as the CIA’s fight against terror moves closer to home, Joe (Saldaña), Kaitlyn (Kidman), and Byron (Kelly) enlist a new Lioness operative to infiltrate a previously unknown threat. With pressure mounting from all sides, Joe is forced to confront the profound personal sacrifices she has made as the leader of the Lioness program.

Sydney Freeland’s sports drama Rez Ball received its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, kicking off the film’s festival run.

Inspired by true events, the movie tells the story of the Chuska High School Warriors, a basketball team from the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. Over the course of one season, the team battles personal hardships while striving for success on the court.

They face challenges like grief, poverty, and cultural identity, all while demonstrating the power of teamwork, community, and spiritual heritage.

Freeland explores these relevant themes through dynamic characters and pulse-pounding game play. In the following sections, we’ll learn more about the film’s characters, director’s style, and thoughtful portrayal of Indigenous issues.

Developing Dynamos

This section goes deeper into some of Rez Ball’s most compelling characters. We see Nataanii grappling with immense grief over his late mother and sister.

Two years ago, Kauchani Bratt was like most college students and had no clue what might be next. He didn’t expect to pursue an acting career, let alone star in a buzzy Netflix drama premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival as his first job out of college.

At the time, Bratt was studying philosophy at Uc Santa Cruz when he saw an Instagram post about an open casting call for Rez Ball, Netflix’s basketball-focused feature produced by LeBron James’ The SpringHill Company. Although Bratt had no acting background aside from a couple of college courses to fulfill general requirements, the opportunity seemed tailor-made. After all, the part called for a Native performer with basketball experience, and Bratt, whose mom’s side is Quechua and dad’s is Coahuiltecan Nation, spent three years on his high school’s varsity team.

“I was trying to figure out, ‘What do...

Good news for fans of 20th Century's long-running Predator franchise: production on the next Predator film has reportedly begun in New Zealand. This news comes via AvP Galaxy, a fansite dedicated to the Alien and Predator franchises, which claims to have gotten ahold of a casting notice for a mystery movie codenamed "Backpack." According to the site, the notice has several indicators that it is in fact about Dan Trachtenberg's Badlands, and the idea that it's begun filming is backed up by multiple reports from a New Zealand newspaper about a large American film production setting up shop in the area around Rotorua.

Now, as exciting as the idea of Dan Trachtenberg filming his next Predator movie is, I need to give a very large disclaimer here that the information is not confirmed in any official capacity, so it'd be wise to take it with a very large grain of salt.

Earlier this year, we got word that 20th Century Studios and director Dan Trachtenberg were in the process of developing a new standalone Predator movie in addition to a Prey sequel, with Elle Fanning set to star. Now, the first plot details have been shared online via AvPGalaxy.net.

Filming is believed to be underway in New Zealand under the working title Backpack, and thanks to a leaked casting call, we have an intriguing logline and details on the two main characters.

"A groundbreaking film in which one of the two main storylines delves into the intricate bond of two very different sisters, their familial ties are put to the ultimate test as they pursue divergent paths and missions."

It seems the leads will be twin sisters, meaning Fanning - assuming these are the characters she's been cast as - will play a dual role.

"The first, Thia, identifies as female or non-binary,...