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Season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters aims to give characters like Cate more agency and mystery. May hopes to play more and possibly be in disguise in the upcoming season of the hit Apple TV+ series. Showrunner Chris Black teases that Season 2 will feature the return of Kong and promises big adventures.

The stars of the Apple TV+ hit series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters recently gathered to share what they hope Season 2 will bring for their characters. Released in 2023, Monarch quickly became a hit as the first series in Legendarys MonsterVerse to hit the small screen following the success of their big screen entries that began in 2014 with Godzilla. Starring Kurt and Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, and Joe Tippet, Monarchs first season was well received by both fans and critics, who praised both its performances and visual effects.

As per ScreenRant, Sawai, Clemons, Tippet, and Monarch: Legacy of...

The next season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will feature more King Kong, promising more kaiju action. The series aims to balance humanity and spectacle, keeping fans engaged while delivering on expectations. Monarch fits into larger Monsterverse plans, expanding small screen spin-offs for more epic journeys.

The Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ended its freshman season with the appearance of King Kong, and thanks to co-creator Chris Black, we now know that the giant gorilla will play a more prominent role next season. Premiering in November 2023, Monarch became an immediate hit thanks to its mix of kaiju action and human drama, something that recent films in the Monsterverse have been criticized for overlooking. Its that human element along with performances from Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, and Mari Yamamoto that have earned the series high praise from both audiences and critics.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Where to Watch

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Netflix Releases “Bridgerton” Season 3 Trailer

Dear reader, if it’s a friends-to-lovers storyline you’re looking for, welcome back to “Bridgerton.”

Netflix has released the long-awaited trailer for the two-part third season of its acclaimed regency romance series.

In Season 3 of the Shondaland series, which will center on Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), Penelope has given up on her long-held crush on Colin and has decided to find a husband that will allow her to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown. But lacking in confidence, her attempts fail spectacularly. Colin, eager to win back her friendship, offers to mentor Penelope to help her find the confidence she needs to find a husband. “But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly.”

Watch the trailer for “Bridgerton” Season 3 below:

Season 3 will also star Claudia Jessie,...

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has been renewed for Season 2, expanding the MonsterVerse with Apple TV+. More spin-offs within the Godzilla and Kong world are in development following a deal with Legendary. There is a lot of excitement from Apple TV+ about new journeys in the franchise, led by a talented cast and a creative team.

The MonsterVerse will continue to expand with Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters finally being renewed for a second season. In addition to this, the streamer’s new deal with Legendary promises that more spin-offs set within the world of Godzilla and Kong are also heading into development.

Following the success of Monarch’s first season, which delivered one of the strongest set of reviews in the franchise, it was always likely that the series would continue at Apple TV+. However, the new deal struck between the streamer and Legendary unexpectedly includes the development...

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ended its epic run this week as the first live-action series in the excellent MonsterVerse, and it was a surprisingly heavy, multilayered drama with many great characters. Two of our favorites began the show as mysterious members of the organization who could've easily been seen as villains, but progressed to become complicated and fun supporting characters in the modern-day Monarch storyline — Tim and Duvall, played by Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski, respectively. We spoke with the two actors about their characters and how they navigated the bureaucracy that is Monarch.

Tim and Duvall's Relationship in and with Monarch

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Release Date November 17, 2023 Cast Christopher Heyerdahl , Mari Yamamoto , Qyoko Kudo , Kurt Russell , Wyatt Russell Genres Action , Adventure , Sci-Fi Seasons 1 See More-->

MovieWeb: You both play these initially secretive characters who we want to know more about. How did you approach them while still making them enigmatic?...

Kiersey Clemons and Anna Sawai in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 10 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)

Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 10, the season finale, picks up just seconds after the end of episode nine. Keiko (Mari Yamamoto) has just saved Cate (Anna Sawai) from being attacked by a Titan, and it’s obvious Cate’s more shocked about seeing her grandmother than she is about almost being eaten.

Cate’s upset that May’s not with her and doesn’t respond when Keiko asks if she came with Bill Randa or Lee Shaw. Keiko has no idea that time has passed or that she’s talking to her granddaughter.

Keiko reveals she set up a beacon and thinks that her rescue signal is what brought Cate into this world that she’s named Axis Mundi (the pole between Heaven and Earth). Cate knows nothing about the signal, and...

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is coming to a close. The penultimate episode airs today, Jan. 5, and the finale on Jan. 12, so now is a perfect time to catch up on the show if you haven't seen it already. The first live-action show of the MonsterVerse is an epic in every sense of the word, exploring the clandestine Monarch agency by following an ensemble cast of characters from the 1950s and the 2010s.

The narrative center of Monarch is surrounded by three major characters in 2015. After an intro flashing back to John Goodman in Kong: Skull Island, the show begins with Anna Sawai as Cate Randa, an American teacher who experienced the chaos of Godzilla's destruction a year after the events of Godzilla (2014). She heads to Tokyo to look for her father, and discovers that he has led a secret life with Monarch and that she has a half-brother, Kentaro...

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is set to be the epic glue that holds together the MonsterVerse going forward. The blockbuster cinematic universe from the past decade continues next year with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, but in the meantime, Monarch has been airing weekly on Apple TV+ and is approaching its final two episodes on Jan. 5 and Jan. 12. The series balances a large ensemble cast and different timelines to stitch together the story of the titular secret organization that has been studying MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism), basically the MonsterVerse equivalent of kaijus.

Bill Randa is a cryptozoologist who studies these creatures, and was played by John Goodman in 2017's Kong: Skull Island. Anders Holm (Workaholics) portrays Randa in the 1950s throughout Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, forming one of the best relationships on the show with a Japanese scientist named Keiko (Mari Yamamoto of Pachinko). The pair work on...

Frost Vark Titan in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 4 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)

Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode four begins with a woman sunbathing in the middle of nowhere as the wind kicks up and some sort of equipment inside her camper begins beeping. It’s Utah in 2015, and the woman’s name is Barnes. She’s monitoring Outpost 47 and did not expect an old, dusty piece of equipment to spring back to life.

Barnes is part of Monarch and demands to speak to Assistant Director Verdugo. Once connected to the big boss, Barnes reports that she’s seeing radiation, specifically gamma rays, similar to supermassive black holes in outer space. The old piece of equipment seems to indicate the source is in Alaska.

Verdugo’s about to cut off the video call when Barnes warns that the last time there were readings like this was right before G-Day.

Apple TV+ has lately delved into many genres, exploring all the possible ways to keep its users entertained. From Ted Lasso to Slow Horses, the streaming service has practically every kind of series, making it one of the best options from the wide selection of services available.

Having said that, it only offers a limited number of titles every month, making it difficult to get through on Apple TV+ alone. So, if you're looking to watch new Apple TV+ shows, you may want to keep an eye on what's coming to the streamer each month. To that end, here is a list of every TV series coming to Apple TV+ in December 2023.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Streaming Now on Apple TV+

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Release Date November 17, 2023 Cast Christopher Heyerdahl, Mari Yamamoto, Qyoko Kudo, Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell Genres Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Seasons 1 Studio Legendary Television, Safehouse Pictures, Toho...

Composer Leopold Ross grew up watching Godzilla films and was a fan of the recent movies, such as Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Godzilla versus Kong, and Kong: Skull Island. Now, he’s thrilled to be one part of the massive MonsterVerse in Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

Ross composed the music for the gripping new sci-fi drama, which hails from executive producer and showrunner Chris Black. The elaborate, action-packed series delivers an all-star cast featuring Kurt Russell (F9: The Fast Saga), Kiersey Clemons (Swarm), Wyatt Russell (Under the Banner of Heaven), Anders Holm (Inventing Anna), and many others.

Godzilla and sci-fi fans dig the premise: after the battle between Godzilla and the Titans, which revealed that monsters were real, one family attempts to uncover buried secrets and a mysterious legacy linking them to Monarch. The series takes place between 1952 and 2015, making it both a prequel and a...

The world has Godzilla fever. The critically acclaimed new film Godzilla Minus One is being heralded as the best Godzilla movie in half a century or more, while people eagerly anticipate next year's massive MonsterVerse sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Meanwhile, a new Apple TV+ series is tying up the loose ends in the MonsterVerse while creating an epic character-driven adventure. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters follows characters across decades and continents as titans and MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) change the way people view the world.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a large collaborative project between various production companies — Safehouse Pictures, Toho Co., Ltd., Milkfed Criminal Masterminds, and Legendary Television. Safehouse Pictures is the bi-coastal production company run by powerhouse producers Tory Tunnell and Joby Harold. Harold wrote and executive produced Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he also co-wrote Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, The Flash, and Army of the Dead.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a bold project to be sure. Spanning decades, continents, and a large cast of characters (when they were young and when they were old), the series explores the history of a clandestine organization known as Monarch, which fans of the MonsterVerse will be familiar with. After the massive success of films like Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. began assembling a spectacular cinematic universe of Toho's monsters and more, which is now tied together by the wide-ranging new Apple TV+ series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

The series is created and run by Chris Black and Matt Fraction (an iconic comic book writer and consulting producer on Hawkeye). The creative pair spoke with MovieWeb about their monster-sized show.

Creating a Multigenerational Legacy of Monsters

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Release Date November 17, 2023 Cast Christopher Heyerdahl, Mari Yamamoto, Qyoko Kudo, Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell Main Genre Action Genres Action,...

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a monster television series created by Chris Black, who also developed the series with Matt Fraction. The Apple TV+ series is based on Godzilla and serves as the sixth installment in the MonsterVerse. It revolves around the members of an organization called Monarch and it spans over three generations and almost half a decade. The main story follows the events after Godzilla and MUTOs epic battle in 2015 that destroyed San Francisco.

The new Apple TV+ series will finally shed light on the mysterious Monarch organization, and with that, we will also see how humans reacted to the discovery of Titans and how they continue to react.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters – Episode Guide (When are the Episodes Coming Out?) Credit – Apple TV+

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters consists of ten episodes in total. The first two episodes are released on the same day November 17, with the rest...

[This story contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.]

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters‘ team knows there are big expectations behind their entry in the Legendary monster franchise, home to Godzilla, King Kong and more Titans.

But during a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter following their New York Comic Con panel last month, showrunner Chris Black and executive producer Matt Fraction said they weren’t intentionally trying to match the scale or even focus of Legendary’s monster movies. Instead, Black — a TV veteran — and Fraction, a writer with a hefty resume in the world of Marvel comics, were more interested in how the medium could help support — not hinder — the kind of story they could tell within the MonsterVerse.

“In the movies, the risk is always, ‘Are the protagonists going to die?’ In television, there’s 10 episodes. This is our cast, and we don’t want to get rid of them in episode four,” Fraction says.

Anna Sawai in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ episode 1 (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)

Apple TV+’s incredibly entertaining Monarch: Legacy of Monsters takes a deep dive into Legendary’s Monsterverse and reveals the roots of the mysterious Monarch organization. Told over multiple timelines, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season one serves up ample helpings of the “monster” portion of Monsterverse while also doing a considerably better job of incorporating the human drama (with a sprinkling of humor) than the feature films have managed to pull off.

Episode one, streaming on November 17, 2023, opens with a flashback to Skull Island 1973. John Goodman’s Bill Randa from 2017’s Kong: Skull Island apologizes to the camera and reveals he’s leaving a legacy so that people will realize it’s all worth it.

Bill drops his camera as he flees a massive Mother Longlegs to the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. He removes a...

Matt Shakman is a legendary television director. Few people in the TV industry are as trusted as Shakman when it comes to introducing a specific television show's tone and style to the world. He's a chameleonic filmmaker who can adapt to any kind of story and vibe. He's directed great episodes of Everwood, Psych, House, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Children's Hospital, The Good Wife, You're the Worst, Game of Thrones, The Boys, Succession, and of course, every episode of the acclaimed MCU series WandaVision (which undoubtedly led to him being chosen as the director of the upcoming Marvel version of The Fantastic Four).

Shakman brings that confidence and bold decision-making to Apple TV's new series, the first television show of the burgeoning MonsterVerse, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. The new 10-episode series from creators Chris Black and Matt Fraction jumps from decade to decade, character to character, continent to continent,...

Kurt Russell joins the Godzilla franchise in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. The cast and crew are dedicated to honoring the 70-year legacy of the MonsterVerse while creating a story that will captivate both longtime fans and new audiences. The series combines the awe-inspiring world of monsters with a human-centered narrative, following regular people who are thrust into a new and insane world.

The King of the Monsters is set to return in the Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. And while actor Kurt Russell is joining the Godzilla mythos and Legendary’s MonsterVerse for the first time, the actor was well aware of what he was getting into. Russell says in a sit-down filmed for the brand-new featurette titled Monarch: Legacy of Monsters — An Inside Look:

“From the time I was a kid, there are certain characters — certain things that you’ve seen — that have an impact on you that stay with you.

Director and executive producer Matt Shakman discusses how the decision was made to cast Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell as the same character in different time periods in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. While the production considered casting two unrelated actors, the duo of Kurt and Wyatt emerged as the best option, with both actors sharing a resemblance in addition to their own individual talents. The casting speaks to the character-centric approach the series might be taking, with the 1950s-set storyline exploring humanity's first major encounter with Godzilla.

Matt Shakman, executive producer and director of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, addresses the casting of Kurt Russell and his son, Wyatt Russell, as the same character in the upcoming series. Set to release on Apple TV Plus next month, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters takes place after the events of 2014's Godzilla, following two siblings who uncover secrets about the mysterious organization known as Monarch.

A chance romantic encounter at a bar between two lesbians, Yuko an AI, proves to be the spark that leads to a lifelong relationship. However, when one of them is diagnosed with terminal cancer, the two have to face both the emotions tied to death as well as a system that does not recognize their relationship in the legal system.

“Matcha & Vanilla” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative

Focusing on the injustices LGBTQ+ couples face in conservative Japan, “Match & Vanilla” offers a touching portrait of love between two women that transcends the messaging. Undeniably, the director understands that the best way to approach issues lies in making a compelling story first and foremost. Consequently, regardless of orientation or understanding of the system in place for gay/lesbian couples in Japan, the narrative will resonate with anyone who has felt that profound sense of love and the fear...

By Shikhar Verma

Niwatsukino Norihiro’s ‘Suffering Of Ninko’ is about sexual awakenings. A surreal, ghostly folklore and an absolutely batshit crazy mix of live action set course with exquisite animation that represents various styles of Japanese Art in the most perverse ways.

Enmeiji temple is a shrine for Buddhist monks. The supreme master has been training all the young monks to gain ultimate virtue towards the world. Ninko (Masato Tsujioka), on the other hand, is unable to attain this ultimate nirvana when he is a constant centre of attraction for all the women (and even a few homosexual men) who are attracted to him like flies. Ninko tries his best to meditate and complete his training to be a monk, but he is being constantly allured by the thought of naked breasts and beautiful women all craving for his bodily pleasures. An encounter with a strange...

President Donald Trump touched down in Japan on Saturday for a 13-day tour through five countries in Asia — Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines — and he’s already raising eyebrows.

Trump first met with American service members stationed at the Yokota Air Base outside Tokyo before visiting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a round of golf alongside Hideki Matsuyama, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world.

The two leaders then indulged in a steak dinner, with Abe even surprising Trump with trucker hats Trump embroidered in gold with a slogan borrowed from the president’s campaign motto, “Make America Great Again.

On The Good Doctor, Freddie Highmore plays a surgeon who, despite his savant syndrome, has mostly got it together. The character he plays in the upcoming romantic comedy, Almost Friends? Not so much, considering he's a millennial who moves back in with his parents during something of a quarter-life crisis.

"I'm just dealing with some stuff right now," Charlie (Highmore) explains in the trailer for Almost Friends, debuting on Et. "Anxiety, rejection, inferiority, paralysis, character issues, moral issues. You know, life stuff."

Photo: Gravitas Ventures

In the rom-com, written and directed by Jake Goldberger, Charlie falls for the local barista (played by Lady Bird's Odeya Rush, seen above in an exclusive poster for the film), receives some sound advice from his best friend (Haley Joel Osment) and some not so great advice from his ne'er-do-well dad (Christopher Meloni).

Here is the official synopsis:

"Once a promising young chef, Charlie is now an unmotivated twenty-something who lives at...

It’s a boy for Eric and Lara Trump.

The couple welcomed a son on Tuesday, Sept. 12, the new dad announced on Twitter.

“ and I are excited to announce the birth of our son, Eric ‘Luke’ Trump’ at 8:50 this morning,” he tweeted, sharing the first photo of their newborn.

The baby boy joins the couple’s dogs Charlie and Ben, plus eight cousins — Eric’s brother Don Jr. has five kids with his wife Vanessa, while sister Ivanka has three with husband Jared Kushner.

The newest Trump is the first child for Eric, 33, and Lara, 34, and the ninth grandchild for President Trump.

The nation knows him as “president” but to daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump, he’s just dear old dad — er, daddy.

During a speech in North Dakota on Wednesday, Donald Trump revealed that his 35-year-old daughter sometimes calls him “Daddy.”

As he asked Ivanka to join him on stage at the event, Trump told the crowd, “Sometimes they’ll say, ‘You know, he can’t be that bad a guy, look at Ivanka.’ Come on up, honey. She’s so good, she wanted to make the trip.

“She said, ‘Dad, can I go with you?’ ” Trump added, before making a small correction: “She actually said,...

Early last week, white British actor Ed Skrein joined the cast of Neil Marshall’s upcoming “Hellboy” reboot, a casting choice that was immediately derided for its whitewashing of Skrein’s character, a Japanese-American Marine named Ben Daimio (whose family tree includes no less than a famous Japanese spy and war criminal, who also appears in the John Arcudi and Mike Mignola comic book series). In short order, Skrein did something wholly remarkable: he dropped out of the project after learning about Daimio’s heritage.

Read More:‘Hellboy’ Whitewashing: Ed Skrein Steps Down From Playing Japanese-American Comic Character

In an official statement, the actor made it clear that he believed the choice was what was “right,” noting that portraying the part in “a culturally accurate way” was clearly important for audiences (Skrein also pointed to his own “mixed heritage” family in the statement, which you can read here). In a...

It’s beginning to look a lot like fall festival season. On the heels of announcements from Tiff and Venice, the 55th edition of the New York Film Festival has unveiled its Main Slate, including a number of returning faces, emerging talents, and some of the most anticipated films from the festival circuit this year.

This year’s Main Slate showcases a number of films honored at Cannes including Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or–winner “The Square,” Robin Campillo’s “Bpm,” and Agnès Varda & Jr’s “Faces Places.” Other Cannes standouts, including “The Rider” and “The Florida Project,” will also screen at Nyff.

Read MoreTIFF Reveals First Slate of 2017 Titles, Including ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’

Elsewhere, Aki Kaurismäki’s Silver Bear–winner “The Other Side of Hope” and Agnieszka Holland’s Alfred Bauer Prize–winner “Spoor” come to Nyff after Berlin bows.

Twin Peaks Recap is a weekly column by Keith Uhlich covering David Lynch and Mark Frost's limited, 18-episode continuation of the Twin Peaks television series.It's great to be in the know. To have a moment (hopefully more than one) when the veil drops and, per that old song, the mysteries of love (of life) come clear. Part 12 of Mark Frost and David Lynch's revived Twin Peaks opens with just such a scene, as FBI Agent Tammy Preston (Chrysta Bell) is initiated into the Blue Rose Task Force by her superiors Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer) and Gordon Cole (Lynch). The references Albert drops—to things like "Project Blue Book" and to people like "Chet Desmond"—will be familiar to any Peaks obsessive who has pored over the original series, the Fire Walk with Me movie, or Frost's 2016 tie-in novel The Secret History of Twin Peaks. But remember that...

Pete Dillon-Trenchard Jun 10, 2017

Spoilers! We dig into the references and extra details in Doctor Who series 10 episode 9, Empress Of Mars...

This article contains spoilers - pretty much all of them - for Empress Of Mars.

See related Doctor Who: Moffat on budget issues, advice for Chibnall Doctor Who: Phoebe Waller-Bridge is now the joint favourite

The Ice Warriors’ tombs have melted, and so have our hearts. As the Doctor gives Missy a good telling-off for helping to save the day, we turn our attention to the references, callbacks and generally interesting things about tonight’s episode. If we’ve missed something, you know where the comments section is…

Alpha CentaurSQUEE

Usually I take these things roughly in order, but let’s take a moment to let out what the cool kids call a big ‘squee’, or a Russell T Davies-style ‘Hooray!’ for the return, after 43 years,...

04.27.17: This list is now final. While I may in the future see additional films that were released in the awards year of 2016, no more films will be added to this list. (I may add links to reviews of films listed here.)

This ranking includes only new theatrical releases viewed for the awards year of 2016 (for eligibility for the Academy Awards and the Ofcs and Awfj awards); some films released in the UK without Us releases (and so ineligible for those awards this year) may also be included, for my own bookkeeping purposes. Links go to my review. Numbers after each entry are Date First Viewed/NYC Release Date/London Release Date; year is 2016 unless otherwise noted.

worth paying multiplex prices for

[5 stars]

Arrival (10.10/11.11/11.10)

La La Land (10.07/12.09/01.13.17)

A Monster Calls (10.06/12.23/01.01.17)

The Lobster (07.16.15/05.13/10.16.15)

Zootropolis (aka Zootopia) (02.22/03.04/03.25)

A Bigger Splash (10.08.15/05.04/02.12)

Miss Sloane (11.20/11.25/05.12.17)

London Road (06.03.15/09.09/06.12.15)

The Girl with All the Gifts (07.26/02.24.17/09.23)

I, Daniel Blake...

Is a Once Upon a Time curse poised to end? Does Lucifer have some ‘splaining to do? Does Arrow‘s Felicity need an intervention? Will Scorpion‘s wedding go off without a hitch? Read on for As to those Qs plus teases from other shows.

RelatedAsk Ausiello: Scoop Once Upon a Time‘s Rockin’ Queen and More

Anything you can tell us about Once Upon a Time’s Snowing? —Kat

“More romance and adventure are coming” for the marrieds, Once co-creator Adam Horowitz assures — despite the fact that they thus far are still trading Zzzzzs as part of the sleeping curse.

After a year of flops, executive committee takes helm at the studio.

After weeks of speculation, the studio’s chairman and CEO is on his way out after a disastrous 2016 at the box office, insiders say.

Brad Grey’s tenure at Paramount Pictures had been on shaky ground after a string of releases crashed and burned and now control of the studio is reportedly in the hands of an interim cabal of senior executives until a replacement is found.

The operating committee is understood to comprise Amy Powell, the highly regarded head of TV and digital, film chief Marc Evans, COO Andrew Gumpert, and marketing and distribution supremo Megan Colligan.

The group covers all aspects of the studio and has been given oversight by Bob Bakish, who was appointed CEO of parent company Viacom in December after vice-chairman Shari Redstone and her father Sumner Redstone called off a possible Viacom-CBS merger.

Grey assumed...

How do you get someone to schlep to Los Angeles, decked out in black tie, to accept an awards tribute? You grab them when they have something to promote—and a studio willing to support costs of video, travel, styling and table.

This year’s British Academy Britannia Awards were enjoyably hosted by Brit comedian Ben “Doc” Brown Smith, who raps well enough to audition for “Hamilton” and was eager to raise his stateside profile.

The winner of the night’s big prize, the Albert R. Broccoli Award for Worldwide Contribution to Entertainment, Samuel L. Jackson, is an awards perennial, with directors Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee happy to sing his praises on the Tribute video. This year, he was promoting Warner Bros.’ “Kong: Skull Island,” which was why his elegant costar and recent Best Actress Oscar-winner Brie Larson did the presenting honors.

Similarly, super-pro Tom Hanks riffed off a...

“Bloodline” Season 2, now streaming on Netflix, is a must-see. And much of the credit goes to its star, Kyle Chandler.

From “Damages” creators Todd and Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman, the feverish Florida neo-noir is a dysfunctional family drama that reveals how and why three siblings would turn on their oldest brother (Ben Mendelsohn). The writers were fascinated by the roles taken on by each member of a family, from the black sheep to the fixer. When volatile wild card Danny Rayburn re-enters the scene, he disrupts the Rayburn family, led by its hotelier and matriarch (Sissy Spacek) and local detective John Rayburn (Chandler). (Mendelsohn and Chandler both scored acting Emmy nominations for Season 1.)

In Season 2, John and his two agitated siblings (Linda Cardellini and Norbert Leo Butz) must deal with the aftermath of Danny’s murder. Danny haunts them in more ways than one, not only messing with their heads,...

In his 1969 short film 3 American LP’s, the 24-year-old Wim Wenders, in the kind of feat of earnestness that can befit a young man, attempts to match his two greatest interests” America’s landscapes and its rock-and-roll music. If we’re to pick perhaps the most endearing eye-roller from this “rockist” mission statement, one can look no further than Wenders describing a Creedence Clearwater Revival album as being “like chocolate.”

But this isn’t necessarily an atypical moment in his filmography, as Wenders has always skirted the line of, for lack of a better word, corniness — if not just telegraphing his influences to at-times-obnoxious degrees, also with a kind of sentimentality both formally and politically speaking. Consider Wings of Desire‘s glossy look, which could so easily be reconfigured into a perfume-commercial aesthetic, or even just the title of one of his later, forgotten films; The End of Violence.

Yet...

20th Century Fox and Sony Classical have unveiled full details on the upcoming soundtrack album for the Josh Trank-directed Fantastic Four, which stars Michael B. Jordan (Creed), Miles Teller (Whiplash), Kate Mara (The Martian), Jamie Bell (Snowpiercer), and Toby Kebbell (Warcraft) in the lead roles. The album features music composed by the duo of Marco Beltrami (The Wolverine) & Philip Glass (The Hours) and will be released everywhere on August 14th, a week after the film's worldwide release. Check out the full track list below: 1. Fantastic Four Prelude 2. The Garage 3. The Unveiling 4. Baxter 5. “All My Faith” 6. The Lab 7. Meeting of the Minds 8. It Begins 9. Building the Future 10. Launch One 11. Neil Armstrong 12. Maiden Voyage 13. Footprints 14. “Run” 15. Ben’s Drop 16. Real World Applications 17. Under Pressure 18. The Search 19. “You’re Going to Like This One” 20. Father and Son 21. Return 22. He’s Awake 23. Pursuit 24. Strength in Numbers 25. End Titles 26. Another Body (Digital Bonus Track...

With just over eight months until its release, The Fantastic Four has brought on composer Marco Beltrami to provide the score for 20th Century Fox's superhero reboot. Perhaps this means that the composer will start crafting new music for the first trailer, which fans have been eagerly awaiting since principal photography wrapped in August. We haven't even seen an official photo with cast members Miles Teller (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), Michael B. Jordan (Johnny Storm/The Human Torch), Kate Mara (Sue Storm/The Invisible Girl) and Jamie Bell (Ben Grimm/The Thing), aside from a selfie from the set by Kate Mara back in August.

Producer Simon Kinberg revealed in October that fans haven't seen anything from the reboot yet because the filmmakers are trying to make sure that the first look encompasses the voice of this movie, since it is vastly different from the 2005 Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel...

When’s that comic book movie coming out, with the ant-sized man? This and all similar questions answered in our comic book movie calendar.

Comic book fans of the world - were you planning on spending your spare cash on anything other than cinema visits and DVD box-sets for the next six years? Well tough, because Hollywood has other ideas.

Ever since Bryan Singer’s X-Men movie jump-started the comic book movie trend in 2000 (building on the stellar work of Richard Donner and Tim Burton in the decades prior), Fox, Sony, Warner Bros., Disney and Marvel Studios have all been repeatedly cashing-in on the resurgent popularity of capes, cowls and anything ending in ‘Man’.

Now, the sheer size of the comic book movie-making world has reached a critical mass. There are now seven such films (at least) slated for every year between 2016 and 2019. There’s also a few confirmed for 2020 already,...

Is Old Man Logan the cinematic future for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine? Rob hopes so…

Despite playing a character that has lived for centuries in Marvel comics, Hugh Jackman is in the unfortunate position of gradually becoming too old to play Wolverine. Whilst it’s generally accepted that Wolverine does in fact age, it’s at a far more reduced rate than Hugh Jackman, who has no mutant powers (that we know of).

In X-Men: Days Of Future Past, this issue was faced (sort-of) head-on by making future Wolverine slightly grey-haired, like a cross between his younger self and Reed Richards, thereby suggesting that Wolverine’s anti-aging gene (which he could surely sell for amazing money to the cosmetics industry) was beginning to let up in the X-Men movie universe’s future timeline. A decent effort was made to hide the age of Hugh Jackman’s 1970s Wolverine, and, to be honest,...

This weekend's "X-Men: Days of Future" past features both the casts of the original "X-Men" films (including Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Ellen Page), along with the cast of the swinging '60s-set "X-Men: First Class" (featuring younger actors like James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence) in a tale of karmic retribution and the knottier complexities of the space-time continuum that is honestly too complicated to get into right now. But what is worth getting into is who links the two disparate universes (and casts): Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.

Wolverine has always been the glue that has held the franchise together; not only has he starred in every movie and two spin-offs, but he also served as the novice mutant and audience surrogate as we entered this world of super-powered freaks, both good and bad. When "X-Men" opened way back in 2000, it was unlike anything anybody had seen.

While everyone is still debating about Captain America 3 and Zack Snyder's untitled Batman/Superman film occupying the same release date, 20th Century went ahead and announced release dates for their upcoming slate of films. According to BoxOffice.com, Fox has scheduled an untitled solo Wolverine film for March 3, 2017. This will James Mangold's follow up to The Wolverine which he tweeted, "I'm shooting the next Wolverine after X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27, 2016)." Hugh Jackman is expected to reprise his role. While Josh Trank's Fantastic Four, which will star Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch), Kate Mara as Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Miles Teller as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic) and Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm (The Thing), doesn't hit theaters until June 19, 2015, Fox already is planning the film's sequel. They plan to release Fantastic Four 2 on July 14, 2017. Fox announced that an untitled...

Feature Louisa Mellor 24 Feb 2014 - 07:00

From Amy Acker to James Frain, we celebrate Grimm’s habit of filling its supporting cast with geek favourites…

Read our look-back at the careers of Grimm co-creators David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf, here.

When Grimm’s makers were looking for their Nick Burkhardt, the job was to cast someone with all the requirements of a leading man, but none of the distracting ‘wasn’t he in that other thing?’ baggage. In David Giuntoli, whose TV appearances had until then largely been confined to one-off roles in comedies and dramas including Grey’s Anatomy and Ghost Whisperer (the latter produced, not at all coincidentally, by Grimm co-creator Jim Kouf), they found their guy.

With Giuntoli in place, and a solid cast of regulars around him including Silas Weir Mitchell, Sasha Roiz, Russell Hornsby, Reggie Lee and Claire Coffee, it was time to fill in the guest roles.

It's always an incredible night to see stars honor their fellow performers at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and tonight was no exception (January 18).

The 20th Annual event was full of wonderful moments as many talented actors and ensembles took home the coveted statues awarded to them for their tremendous roles on the big and small screens.

The biggest award of the night went home to the cast of "American Hustle," taking home the Actor for Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture.

Other notable trophies went home to Cate Blanchett for Best Actress for her role in "Blue Jasmine," and Matthew McConaughey for Best Actor for his work in "Dallas Buyers Club."

Check out the full list of 2014 SAG Award nominees below:

Theatrical Motion Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Bruce Dern / Woody Grant – “Nebraska” (Paramount Pictures)

Chiwetel Ejiofor / Solomon Northup – “12 Years A Slave” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Tom Hanks / Capt.

It's always an incredible night to see stars award their fellow performers at the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, and tonight was no exception (January 18).

The evening was full of wonderful moments as many talented actors and ensembles took home the coveted statues awarded to them for their tremendous roles on the big and small screens.

The biggest award of the night went home to the cast of "American Hustle," taking home the Actor for Best Picture.

Other notable trophies went home to Cate Blanchett for Best Actress for her role in "Blue Jasmine," and Matthew McConaughey for Best Actor for his work in "Dallas Buyers Club."

Check out the full list of 2014 SAG Award nominees below:

Theatrical Motion Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Bruce Dern / Woody Grant – “Nebraska” (Paramount Pictures)

Chiwetel Ejiofor / Solomon Northup – “12 Years A Slave” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Tom Hanks / Capt.

The award season is now in full swing. This morning, SAG-aftra announced the nominees for the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. Nominations and wins at these awards often add to one’s Oscar hopes, so it’s always interesting to see which projects are getting the most attention.

One neat personal note here is that, since I’ve been a card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild for 7 years, I get to cast my votes on all of these. Looking forward to that.

And the nominees are…

20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations

Theatrical Motion Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Bruce Dern / Woody Grant – “Nebraska” (Paramount Pictures)

Chiwetel Ejiofor / Solomon Northup – “12 Years A Slave” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Tom Hanks / Capt. Richard Phillips – “Captain Phillips” (Columbia Pictures)

Matthew McConaughey / Ron Woodroof – “Dallas Buyers Club” (Focus Features)

Forest Whitaker / Cecil Gaines – “Lee Daniels’ The Butler...

The final day of Amazon.com's holiday sales, and arguably the biggest after Black Friday, is here. Cyber Monday offers the biggest discounts you'll see all year in Blu-ray films, Blu-ray TV boxsets and console game sales. Below are the best bargains on offer so far in those categories.

As usual the 'Hot Daily Deals' section points out the must-see biggest bargains to be had today - the kind that sell out quickly so keep an eye on it. This is your last chance to nab a bargain, it all goes back to normal prices tomorrow.

Please note that Dark Horizons will earn a very small referral fee when readers purchase something on Amazon through one of the links below. Said fee helps contribute towards the site's running costs, so if you do grab something - thank you. In terms of personal recommendations for titles and bargains below:

Hot Daily...

As news breaks of open auditions in the UK for Jj Abrams's reboot, we've a full rundown of what's coming up on the site today

Coming up today

• Sandra Bullock answers readers questions about Gravity

• Leslie Felperin on how even feminist films can flunk the Bechdel test

• Clip joint wrangles canine companions

• Charles Gant's UK box office on how Philomena and Thor fared over their first weekends

• Star Wars VII set for UK open auditions and Stuart Heritage offers his advice and we've words of wisdom from original Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz

• China wants more "positive Chinese" images in return for opening up to Hollywood, says film chief

• The Wolverine to get surprise James Mangold-directed sequel

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• No sequel for Ender's Game (even though its ending sets it up)

• Horror maestro David Cronenberg rubbishes The Shining

• Obama to host a screening of Mandela...

Okay, so we still haven't found any actors/directors that absolutely hate the idea of Ben Affleck as Batman! I'm sure they're out there, but obviously they're not gonna say anything to that effect in an interview; so, we'll continue posting the positive comments! This time though it's a man pretty much universally loved and respected by you CBMers, The Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman. Here's what he had to say to MTV's Josh Horowitz at Tiff. "I think Ben is a great actor. I think he’s been underrated for a long time. He’s obviously a great director. He’s a very smart guy. That guy doesn't make decisions that aren't well thought out, that aren't great. And he's a tough guy..a Boston kid! I think deep down he doesn't mind taking on something that might be seen as controversial. I know him a little bit and I...

What if Woody Allen directed The Wolverine? That.s the question comedian Ben Stadler answers with the hilarious clip above. He not only imagines Logan in Manhattan, plagued by neuroses and self-defeating insecurities; he imagines him as Woody Allen. In .Wolverine: A Film By Woody Allen,. Logan is pursuing a beautiful young woman named Rogue (Carrie McCrossen). He.s attracted to her menswear style and streak of white hair, but he fears that a physical relationship with her would literally destroy him. At first he seeks guidance from his analyst, Professor Charles Xavier (Joe Galan). But when all else fails, he turns to his sunglasses-sporting pal Cyclops (Darren Miller), and declares, where he sums up his issues thusly, .You know I.m supposed to be this hero, but everyone hates me because I.m a mutant. Try being a mutant Jew! Nobody hates me more than myself.. While Stalder.s...

  Step aside Hugh Jackman, there's a new Wolverine in town. The clawed and coiffed character made a return in James Mangold's film The Wolverine last month, but a new version of the lone wolf has appeared in a trailer featuring comedian Ben Stadler as Woody Allen with the winged hairstyle and razor-sharp mitts. The X-Men figure has been transformed into a neurotic "mutant Jew" who suffers from anxiety thanks to his retractable claws that pop up at inappropriate times. He's in love with Rogue, but he's afraid if he kisses her, she'll take over his life, memories and consciousness. (She totally will.) YouTube's Official Comedy created the video of the indestructible and insecure alt Wolverine.  Let it be known that on Allen's list...

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