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Pressman Film will soon be sending its first payout to investors for Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, the debut film in a development slate the indie producer is partly financing through a fundraise on investment platform Republic.

The Neon film is currently in production in Japan.

The collaboration last fall helped jumpstart Republic’s film vertical that now includes Robert Rodriguez’s Austin-based Troublemaker Studios and horror maven Eli Roth.

Rodriguez is launching new Brass Knuckle Films with Republic, a network of retail-focused investment platforms known for providing access to new asset classes to its members, a community of nearly three million investors in over 150 countries.

Eli Roth is also raising funds on the platform for a new studio, The Horror Section. “As an investor, you’ll own shares of the company plus a piece of the profits from Eli Roth’s new films. This is your chance to build a horror empire,...

Exclusive: ColorCreative has signed Japanese actress and model Yuka Kouri for management.

Kouri is best known for her role of Kiku in the Emmy-winning FX series Shōgun, based on the novel by James Clavell, which is heading into its second season. Her character in the show, set in feudal Japan, is the highest-ranking courtesan in Izu, who is skilled in ways known only to the select few men who can afford her.

“Yuka imbues her portrayal of ‘Kiku’ with profound emotional resonance, embodying a woman governed by duty yet unmistakably alive with feeling,” said Raj Raghavan, Co-Head of Talent at ColorCreative. “We are thrilled to welcome her to the ColorCreative family, and we look forward to guiding her toward new opportunities in international film and television.”

Kouri’s other U.S. acting credits include Tokyo Vice (Max) and Invasion (Apple TV+). Currently, she plays Karen in the Fuji TV series Heart Attack,...

Neon International has commenced talks in Cannes on the Arctic-set Mads Mikkelsen action thriller Sirius, which Decal will distribute wide in the US.

Lee Smith, the Oscar-winning editor of Dunkirk whose credits include Inception and Spectre, makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Tony Mosher inspired by the Sirius Patrol, the Danish special forces unit tasked with defending Greenland’s 8,700-mile coastline.

Pascal Degove and Matt Williams will produce for Future Artists Entertainment and Deborah Acoca serves as executive producer

Decal was a joint venture set up in 2021 by Neon and Bleecker Street to distribute third-party titles and...

Mads Mikkelsen will star in action thriller Sirius, the debut feature from Academy Award-winning editor Lee Smith.

Neon International is kicking off foreign sales to the film at in Cannes, with Neon’s third-party sales house Decal handling rights domestically and planning it as the label’s first wide theatrical release.

Pic is based on a screenplay by Tony Mosher (Mechanic: Resurrection) and is currently in pre-production, described as a “gripping Arctic action-thriller inspired by the real-life Sirius Patrol, the Danish special forces unit charged with defending Greenland’s 8,700-mile frozen coastline.”

Pascal Degove and Matt Williams will produce for Future Artists Entertainment and Deborah Acoca will executive produce.

Smith, a first time director, is known for collaborations with Sam Mendes, Christopher Nolan and Peter Weir, and won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on Nolan’s Dunkirk. He was also nominated for Weir’s Master...

Liv Morgan, along with her tag team partner, Raquel Rodriguez, went through a turbulent time during WrestleMania 41 as they lost their tag team titles to Becky Lynch and Lyla Valkyria. However, this title run was very short-lived, as they reclaimed their title at Raw, just after WrestleMania.

While they are still the champions, Morgan has different plans, and that will keep her away from the WWE. Morgan is all set to shoot an upcoming movie, and the shoots will obviously take her time; she will be absent from the WWE set. There were multiple speculations about whether the WWE’s creative team would strip the title from Morgan and Rodriguez, but Morgan’s absence won’t last long, as we now have some updates.

Liv Morgan and her return to WWE Liv Morgan | Credits: WWE

Liv Morgan is all set to make her major Hollywood appearance under the director Takashi Miike.

Lily James is diving headfirst into Photo Booth, a psychological thriller that could be her Gone Girl moment or her final bow as a leading lady. In a role that echoes the cold brilliance of Rosamund Pike’s iconic turn as Amy Dunne, James trades her usual charm for something darker, sharper, and way more dangerous.

This is a career gamble that could either crown her as a queen of psychological cinema or pull the curtains on her headlining era. One thing’s certain: if she channels even half of Amy Dunne’s icy chaos, Photo Booth could be a game-changer.

Lily James takes a risky leap with Photo Booth Lily James and Ansel Elgort in a still from Baby Driver | Credits: TriStar Pictures

Lily James is rolling the dice with Photo Booth, and the stakes are sky-high. It’s either her Gone Girl moment or the role that shuts...

Who would’ve thought “Bad Lieutenant” would become a quasi-franchise? We’re guessing not Abel Ferrara, but after Werner Herzog did his own version, the “franchise” is continuing with yet another unlikely auteur taking on the themes of the original neo-noir film: Japanese master Takashi Miike.

Miike’s next film is “Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo,” and shortly after the film was reported as a hot package due to hit the Cannes market, Neon announced on Wednesday evening that it was boarding the film with plans to both release it theatrically in North America as well as represent the sales rights at Cannes internationally.

“Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo” will star Shun Oguri (“Godzilla v. Kong”) and Lily James (“Pam and Tommy”), as well as WWE star Liv Morgan joining the cast. The film follows the Bad Lieutenant (Oguri), a corrupt gambler in the Metropolitan Police Force, who finds himself thrown into a tangled...

The prolific Takashi Miike is finally coming to Hollywood. Deadline reports that the Japanese director has a new project ready to shoot this month via Neon: “Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo,” and it features Shun Oguri, Lily James, and WWE star Liv Morgan on the cast sheet.

Read More: Charli xcx To Star In Mysterious New Film From Prolific Japanese Director Takashi Miike

Here’s a brief synopsis for the crime pic, courtesy of Deadline: “”Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo” will follow the Bad Lieutenant (Oguri), a corrupt gambler in the Metropolitan Police Force, who finds himself thrown into a tangled case after an enigmatic FBI agent (James) arrives in Tokyo to investigate the disappearance of a politician’s daughter (Morgan).

Continue reading ‘Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo’: Takashi Miike To Direct Shun Oguri, Lily James, and WWE Star Liv Morgan In Neon’s Upcoming Crime Pic at The Playlist.

Speculation has been running rampant about WWE Superstar Liv Morgan's mystery Hollywood role, with some social media scoopers speculating that it might be connected to the MCU (there's even been chatter about her playing Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man: Brand New Day).

Various wrestling insiders claimed the former Women's World Champion had landed a "major dramatic role" in a "prestigious" project, and Deadline (via TheRingReport.com) has now revealed what exactly that is.

Morgan has been cast in Neon's Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo from filmmaker Takashi Miike (13 Assassins). Shun Oguri (Godzilla v. Kong) and Lily James (Pam and Tommy) will also star in the U.S.-Japan co-production.

According to the trade, Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo will follow the Bad Lieutenant (Oguri), a corrupt gambler in the Metropolitan Police Force, who finds himself thrown into a tangled case after an enigmatic FBI agent (James) arrives in Tokyo to investigate the...

Takashi Miike, the Japanese director behind films such as Audition and Ichi the Killer, has lined up his next picture, Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, which will offer an international twist on the series that first caused controversy back in 1992 via Abel Ferrara and Harvey Keitel.

For this installment — which begins filming this month — Takashi Miike has gathered the likes of Shun Oguri, Lily James and WWE Superstar Liv Morgan. As per Deadline, the movie “will follow the Bad Lieutenant (Oguri), a corrupt gambler in the Metropolitan Police Force, who finds himself thrown into a tangled case after an enigmatic FBI agent (James) arrives in Tokyo to investigate the disappearance of a politician’s daughter (Morgan). Meanwhile, a deviant killer operating in the yakuza underworld seems to be shadowing their moves.”

So what does Takashi Miike have in store for viewers? As he put it, “A team of incredibly talented actors and crew has gathered in Tokyo.

Audition director Takashi Miike is to make a new thriller about police corruption – Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, starring Shun Oguri and Lily James.

Over 30 years after New York filmmaker Abel Ferrara finished making Bad Lieutenant, Japanese director Takashi Miike is about to make another entry in one of cinema’s more unusual film series.

Neon, the indie company behind such hits as Parasite, Longlegs, Anora and this year’s The Monkey is behind the latest production, called Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo. It’s another tale of police corruption and criminality, with Shun Oguri set to take the central role as a gambling-addicted cop on the trailer of a missing woman in the seedier parts of Japan’s capital.

Lily James and WWE wrestler turned actor Liv Morgan are to co-star, while the script will be written by Daisuke Tengan, who previously wrote the adapted screenplay for Audition – perhaps Miike’s best-known film in the west.

Two years after her guest appearance on the “Chucky” television series, Deadline reports tonight that WWE superstar Liv Morgan has landed a gig in Japanese master of horror Takashi Miike’s next movie, Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo.

Shun Oguri (Godzilla v. Kong, No Longer Human) and Lily James (Pam and Tommy, Yesterday) will also star in Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, a U.S./Japan co-production from Neon.

If that title sounds familiar, Deadline notes that the upcoming film is indeed an extension of the IP that launched in 1992 with the film Bad Lieutenant starring Harvey Keitel and directed by Abel Ferrara. The late Edward R. Pressman subsequently produced Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans starring Nicolas Cage, which was directed by Werner Herzog.

Deadline details, “Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo will follow the Bad Lieutenant (Shun Oguri), a corrupt gambler in the Metropolitan Police Force, who finds himself thrown into a tangled case...

Exclusive: Neon is gearing up to begin production in May on Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo, with Takashi Miike set to direct. The thriller will star Shun Oguri, Lily James, and WWE star Liv Morgan (Gionna Daddio).

The film will be a U.S.-Japan co-production, produced by Jeremy Thomas for Recorded Picture Company, Sam Pressman for Pressman Film, Naoaki Kitajima for Nippon TV and Misako Saka for Olm. Executive producers include Tom Quinn, Yuzo Kuwahara, Tetsu Fujimura, Paula Paizes, Alainée Kent, Peter Watson, Ivan Kelava, Max Loeb and Mike Apgar. The deal was negotiated by Neon’s Sarah Colvin, VP of Acquisitions, and Paula Paizes from Pressman Film and Recorded Picture Company’s Ivan Kelava on behalf of the filmmakers.

Neon will release the film theatrically in North America and represent the international sales rights in Cannes this month.

Legendary’s Godzilla vs. Kong has received a brand-new streaming update, after four years since making its theatrical release. The fourth MonsterVerse movie was led by Rebecca Hall as Dr. Ilene Andrews and Millie Bobby Brown as Madison Russell, who are both connected to the secret government organization Monarch.

Starting on April 1, Godzilla vs. Kong will officially be available to stream for free on Tubi. The sci-fi action sequel finally brings together the MonsterVerse franchise’ mightiest and most popular Titans, after starring in their respective solo movies with 2014’s Godzilla and 2017’s Kong: Skull Island. The official synopsis for the 2021 movie reads, “Legends collide as Godzilla and Kong, the two most powerful forces of nature, clash in a spectacular battle for the ages. As Monarch embarks on a perilous mission into fantastic uncharted terrain, unearthing clues to the Titans’ very origins, a human conspiracy threatens to wipe the creatures, both good and bad,...

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Netflix is one of the best places to find the best movies and TV shows you can watch on any streaming service. Every month, it adds hundreds of new titles to its content library, but some titles have to go. So, today, we are here to tell you about the best films and TV shows you should watch before they leave Netflix in March 2025.

Due Date (March 1) Credit – Warner Bros.

Due Date is a dark comedy film directed by Todd Phillips, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, and Adam Sztykiel. The 2010 film follows Peter Highman, who must get to Los Angeles before the birth of his child, but when he gets put on the no-fly list because of an eccentric man named Ethan Tremblay. To get to Los Angeles in time, Peter is...

Netflix has revealed its 2025 slate of Japanese films and television series, with the streamer offering a rich mix of period series, action films and intriguing unscripted offerings.

The standout highlight from the lineup, and a potential breakout global hit, is the period series Last Samurai Standing. The series hails from filmmakers Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi and Toru Yamamoto and could appeal to fans of both FX’s Shogun and Netflix’s Squid Game with its survivalist premise and period setting. Junichi Okada leads the cast in this story that takes place at the tail end of the samurai era in Japan and is about 292 warriors who are invited to compete to the death for a cash prize. Last Samurai Standing is an adaptation of Shogo Imamura’s novel Ikusagami, which has already been adapted into a popular manga series.

‘Last Man Standing’

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Asura is among the streamer...

Netflix has revealed fresh details of its upcoming slate from Japan, including a three features and an epic samurai period drama.

At an event in Tokyo today (February 12), the streaming giant said it would release manga adaptation Demon City this month, action remake Bullet Train Explosion in April and “boys love” (Bl) drama 10Dance in December. All have previously been announced.

Demon City, based on the manga Oni Goroshi and written and directed by Seiji Tanaka (Melancholic), is about a hitman played by Toma Ikuta who awakens from a long coma and embarks on a bloody, revenge-inspired killing spree. The...

Netflix has unveiled its Japanese content slate for 2025, headlined by “Last Samurai Standing,” a period drama featuring 300 samurai warriors gathered at Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto, lured by the promise of a 100 billion yen prize. The series stars Junichi Okada, who serves as lead actor, producer and action choreographer.

“When most people think about samurai, they think about this very glamorous period in Japanese history,” says Netflix Japan content head Kaata Sakamoto. “But what a lot of people don’t realize is that, towards the end of the Edo period, the samurai lost a lot of their glamour and their power. ‘Last Samurai Standing’ is about what would happen if these warriors — the toughest and best in Japan — all of a sudden became common people and had to fight for their lives. Think ‘Shōgun’ meets ‘Squid Game.'”

The streaming giant’s lineup includes “Alice in Borderland” returning for its third season in September,...

A lesser-known (at least on this side of the globe) martial arts epic has surged to success on streaming worldwide. The action sequel, 2024’s Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General, has now powered its way into the top 10 on Netflix, with audiences all over the globe tuning in to discover what happens next in this saga of warring factions in ancient China. Here’s a spoiler, what happens is epic in a way that few movies are.

Directed by Shinsuke Sato and led by Alice in Borderland star Kento Yamazaki, the rest of the cast includes Ryo Yoshizawa, Kanna Hashimoto, Nana Seino, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Amane Okayama, Takahiro Miura, Takayuki Hamatsu, Riku Hagiwara, Koji Kikkawa, Masami Nagasawa, Shun Oguri, Takao Osawa, Koichi Sato, and Hiroshi Tamaki, Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General is the latest installment in the Kingdom franchise, which is based on the manga by Yasuhisa Hara.

From the highly-anticipated third and final season of Netflix’s industry-defining Squid Game series, to the sequels for thought-provoking breakout shows like Taiwan’s The World Between Us and Indonesia’s Santri Pilihan Bunda, here are the shows out of Asia to look out for in 2025. Add your own thoughts and suggestions in the comments below.

‘Squid Game’ Season 3 (Netflix)

Korea

Even before the second season of Netflix’s most successful series premiered on December 26, the streamer announced that a third and final season of the Korean series is already in the works and will release in 2025. The second season of the drama sees Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), who was Player 456 in the first season, searching for the people behind the brutal survival game, three years after winning the ₩45.6 billion prize bounty. Who knows what Season 3 might entail. Though reviews have been mixed, another run so close behind is an exciting prospect.

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MonsterVerse is one of the most interesting cinematic universes out of all of them. The Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures-owned franchise has earned over $2.5 billion worldwide and also consists of TV shows on different streaming services but the way it all came together is a bit iffy because of the rights issues and the general laziness that we see in the some of the MonsterVerse films, but still Godzilla vs. Kong is still one of the most iconic movies for me. So, we thought of compiling every project that exists in the MonsterVerse and ranking them according to their Rotten Tomatoes score, here it is.

7. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Max & Rent on Prime Video) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42% Credit – Warner Bros.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a monster sci-fi action adventure film directed by Michael Dougherty...

The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (Cape) is partnering with Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) to launch Beyond Japan, a program aimed at connecting Japanese filmmakers with Hollywood opportunities. The initiative, backed by the Japanese government, kicks off virtually this month before transitioning to in-person sessions in Los Angeles.

The inaugural cohort features six Japanese filmmakers: Fujimura Akiyo, whose Amazon Prime and Apple TV-streaming feature “Eriko, Pretended” won the Skip City Award and who contributed to Kore-eda Hirokazu-produced anthology “Ten Years Japan”; Yoshida Mayumi, Warner Bros. Discovery Access alumna and associate producer on A24/Apple TV+’s “Sunny” starring Rashida Jones; Tsukikawa Sho, director of Japan Academy Prize winner “Let Me Eat Your Pancreas” and Netflix’s manga adaptation “Yu Yu Hakusho,” with upcoming Netflix rom-com “Romantics Anonymous” starring Oguri Shun and Han Hyo-joo; Tokyo-based international production veteran Ü Inose; Shibuya Yu, Venice Film Festival alumnus (“Jitensha”) whose...

Japanese sci-fi classic The Human Vapor — directed by Godzilla creator Ishirō Honda and released in 1960 — is set to receive a contemporary reimagining as a live-action series courtesy of Netflix and Toho Studios. The remake project marks the first time the global streamer and Japanese studio giant are collaborating.

The series is being co-helmed by a Korean-Japanese creative dream team. Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Hellbound, Parasyte: The Grey) is serving as the film’s executive producer and co-scriptwriter, while Japan’s Shinzo Katayama (Missing, Siblings of the Cape, Disney’s Gannibal) will direct. Japanese stars Shun Oguri (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Yu Aoi (Wife of a Spy) will co-star in the series.

The third and final film of Toho’s “Transforming Human Series” of cult sci-fi classics from the 1950s and 1960s, The Human Vapor tells the story of a man turned into a gaseous mutant by a radiation experiment gone awry.

Netflix has forged its first ever partnership with Toho, Japan’s leading film studio, to remake 1960 science fiction feature The Human Vapor.

Human Vapor will be written by Yeon Sang-ho, the South Korean filmmaker behind hit zombie thriller Train To Busan, and directed by Shinzo Katayama of Disney+ drama-horror series Gannibal and 2021 feature Missing.

While plot details remain under wraps, the original centres on the victim of a scientific experiment who can transform himself into gas and uses these powers to commit robberies and kill those who stand in his way. It was directed by Ishiro Honda and featured effects by Eiji Tsuburaya,...

Japanese stars Oguri Shun (“Godzilla vs. Kong”) and Aoi Yu (“Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part I – The Final”) are set to reunite on screen after 23 years in “Human Vapor,” a new Netflix series produced in collaboration with Toho. The duo last worked together in 2001’s “Ao to Shiro de Mizuiro.”

“Human Vapor” is a modern reimagining of the 1960 sci-fi thriller of the same name. The original film, directed by Honda Ishirō of “Godzilla” fame, tells the story of a librarian who gains the ability to transform into a gaseous state after being subjected to radiation experiments. Using his newfound powers, he embarks on a series of bank robberies to financially support a struggling dancer he admires. The film is renowned for its exploration of power structures and societal oppression.

Yeon Sang-ho, known for “Train to Busan” and “Hellbound,” is set to executive produce and has co-written the script alongside...

A decade-long love story of two young men is the subject of Netflix’s latest Asian series, Soul Mate.

The drama stars Japanese actor Hayato Isomura and Korean singer-actor Ok Taec-yeon from boyband 2Pm, and will follow their enduring relationship despite the distance. It begins when Rye Narutaki (Isomura), who left everything in Japan, is saved by a boxer named Johan Hwang (Ok) in a foreign land.

Filming has taken place in Berlin, Seoul and Tokyo, with Shunki Hashizume the writer and director. The series was developed following a conversation between Hashizume and executive producer Dai Ota.

“We arrived at the ultimate destiny story, where people from different cultures and backgrounds meet in a foreign land and their lives intersect,” said Ota. “The story, filled with life’s joys and pains, combined with the exceptional performances from Isomura and Taec-yeon, will warm the hearts of viewers.

Expanding its Japanese content, Netflix has set up “Soul Mate,” a live-action series that charts the ten-year romance between a Korean man and a Japanese man.

Traversing Berlin, Germany, Seoul, South Korea and Tokyo, Japan, “Soul Mate” starts when a man who left everything behind in Japan (portrayed by Isomura Hayato), is saved by a boxer named Johan (portrayed by Ok Taec-yeon) in a foreign land. The narrative goes on to explore the “profound journey of souls connecting and enduring over the years despite the distance.”

The project greenlight follows details of Netflix’s first Japanese same-sex rating reality show “The Boyfriend,” which will go to air from next month.

“This series is a heartfelt depiction of love and its complexities, including joy, pain and unexplainable deep bonds,” said the streamer.

It is written and directed by up-and-coming creator Hashizume Shunki. The idea for the series began with a conversation...

It is a shame that Adam Wingard won't be returning to direct any more movies in the MonsterVerse, but we can hope that the franchise will veer into fresh directions with a change of hands. Wingard's contributions have shaped a chunk of the expectations we have from the kaiju-focused franchise, especially the lore surrounding Hollow Earth and the monsters that inhabit it. Before the director ventured into making "Godzilla vs. Kong" and the recently released "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," he dabbled in low-budget horror projects such as "The Guest" and "You're Next," and has currently set his sights on helming an action-thriller titled "Onslaught." But what was it like for Wingard to adapt to the expectations surrounding a kaiju blockbuster centered on an epic, highly-anticipated fight between two beasts with unresolved beef?

For starters, Wingard had a clear roadmap planned out for "Godzilla vs. Kong," where a singular...

Mechagodzilla is undoubtedly one of the coolest aspects of the MonsterVerse. The villain introduced in Godzilla vs. Kong gave us some visually extravagant scenes and proved a tough adversary for the Titans. Surprisingly, the villain was not initially planned for Godzilla vs. Kong but for another MonsterVerse project.

Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong | Legendary Pictures

The MonsterVerse is known for bringing cool big-screen spectacles with its projects. Before appearing in the 2021 monster blockbuster, Mechagodzilla was slated to increase the visual appeal of Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Writer Max Borenstein confirmed that he wanted to introduce the Gundam beast in the monster-studded 2019 Godzilla film, but he agreed that the monster made more sense in Godzilla vs. Kong.

Why was Mechagodzilla not introduced in Godzilla: King of the Monsters? A still from Godzilla: King of the Monsters | Legendary Pictures

Despite being pitched as a mega conflict between the two renowned Kaijus,...

Godzilla has always been super cool, but what about a Godzilla that's actually a mechsuit? Well, Mechagodzilla was originally intended as an antithesis for the king of monsters, representing attempts to squash a force of nature that wreaks havoc or acts as a benevolent mediator, depending on who you ask. The Gundam version of Godzilla first appeared in 1974's "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla," where a bunch of aliens from Black Hole Planet 3 built a massive robot monster to destroy Godzilla and take over the planet. After thwarted attempts to take down the Og prehistoric beast, humans took matters into their own hands to craft a high-endurance, super-powerful cyborg in 2002's "Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla," who teamed up with other beasts like Mothra to put Godzilla down (and failed).

Coming to the MonsterVerse, Mechagodzilla made its first appearance in Adam Wingard's "Godzilla vs. Kong," where the mecha is controlled telepathically by Ren...

Exclusive: Netflix’s latest original is a Japanese series adaptation of 2011 French film Les Émotifs Anonymes (Romantics Anonymous).

The project, going under the working title of Romantics Anonymous, will feature talent from Japan and Korea — two of the core countries at the center of Netflix’s strategy in Asia. Shun Oguri (Godzilla vs. Kong), Han Hyo-Joo (Moving), Yuri Nakamura and Jin Akanishi have been cast in the series, with Sho Tsukikawa (Yu Yu Hakusho), who’s also known for numerous romantic films, attached to direct.

Yong Film — the Korean producer behind the likes of Believer 2, The Call, 20th Century Girl and My Name is Loh Kiwan — has developed the project as its first Japanese series.

Lee Ha Jun (Parasite) will lead the production design, including the central chocolate boutique set. Yang Jin Mo (Parasite) will serve as editor, and Dalpalan will work on the music. Production has begun ahead of a 2025 debut,...

In an exciting announcement for fans of Great Teacher Onizuka, it has been revealed that the original cast members from the 1998 adaptation will reunite for the upcoming drama Gto Revival.

Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Yuta Yamazaki, Yosuke Kubozuka, Hidenori Tokuyama, Shun Oguri, and Naohito Fujiki, who portrayed pivotal characters such as Kunio Murai, Masaru Watanabe, Yoshito Kikuchi, Kenji Youda, Noboru Yoshikawa, and Ryuji Saejima respectively in the iconic series, are set to reprise their roles in this highly anticipated revival.

It was previously revealed that Takashi Sorimachi will return to portray the role of Onizuka.

Other cast includes:

Shinya Kote as Takeshi Fujiyamada Sae Okazaki as Miyu Ayahara Kosuke Suzuki as Koichi Ichikawa Mei Hata as Rin Endo Rikako Yagi as Suzuka Ichikawa Wataru Hyuga as Haruto Uno

Gto Revival is scheduled to release on April 1, 2024, on Kansai TV, Fuji TV. Blue Encount will perform the theme song “Poison”.

The plot for...

Tubi offers a selection of classic anime films for free, with no subscription required, making it a great platform for anime fans. The anime films available on Tubi in September are highly acclaimed, culturally significant, and have a dedicated fan base. Notable films like Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Harlock: Space Pirate, Paprika, and Lupin the 3rd: The Mystery of Mamo are among the exciting offerings on Tubi, showcasing a range of genres and animation styles.

Are you an Anime fan? Do you want some classic anime films but don't want to pay a monthly subscription fee? Here comes Tubi to save the day, as their anime offerings in September are sure to excite fans young and old alike. Tubi has always been a fascinating place for its inclusion of obscure anime shows, but its selection of anime feature films is no slouch either. Just about all of them are either critically acclaimed,...

Masaki Suda is a remarkably active and popular young Japanese actor with multiple film awards to his credits and for his role in Akira Nagai's “Teiichi: Battle of Supreme High” he again won another Best Actor award at the 41st Japan Academy Film Prize in 2018. The two team up again in “Character” in which Suda plays a struggling manga artist desperately looking a career break.

Good-natured assistant manga illustrator Keigo Yamashiro is very good at drawing but he wants to go independent and get into the big league. Recently, he submitted his best work to a publisher but they refuse to publish it due to his lack of a strong villain character which makes his story less appealing. Disappointed, he decides to give up drawing manga altogether even though his girlfriend Natsumi Kawase (Mitsuki Takahata) fully supports him. Regardless, he still accepts an assignment of looking for a resident...

Idol culture is one that has often been dissected and critiqued in both Japanese and South Korean cinema, as has the otaku culture which is closely linked to it. While a lot of them focus on much similar issues, there’s still a few productions that will take you by surprise with their handling of the subjects and Yuichi Sato’s 2007 feature “Kisaragi” does just that.

On the first death anniversary of C-list gravure idol Kisaragi Miki, five die-hard fans, who met on a dedicated online forum, get together to commemorate the occassion and to show off their collection on Kisaragi items and share memories with each other. Soon however, conversation turns to how their beloved idol died, with the official police statement declaring the untimely death as a suicide. The more these five fans talk, however, the more dubious that claim seems to get and the closer...

A scrapped Hollow Earth setpiece from Godzilla Vs Kong could have made Kong's ending even better. Godzilla Vs Kong wasn't the first time the two Titans had clashed onscreen, but that did little to dampen anticipation for the 2021 blockbuster. Adam Wingard's crossover movie wisely moved the story along at a quick pace and kept the human drama to a minimum. While Godzilla Vs Kong isn't the best entry in the MonsterVerse universe, it was one of the most purely fun. It was also a sizable hit during the pandemic, with Wingard signed on for Godzilla Vs Kong 2.

Godzilla Vs Kong also introduced audiences to the Hollow Earth, a subterranean ecosystem that was the original home of the Titans. Much of the story is spent with the human heroes and Kong trying to reach the Hollow Earth, which is home to any number of bizarre creatures. This locale will no...

Godzilla vs. Kong has officially crossed the $400 million mark at the global box office. Warner Bros., who produced the movie along with Legendary Pictures, made the announcement following another successful weekend of raking in cash from around the globe. The latest entry in the MonsterVerse franchise managed to accomplish the feat in roughly a month. Considering the circumstances, that is hugely impressive.

As of this writing, per Warner Bros., Godzilla Vs Kong has taken in $85.3 million domestically. Meanwhile, it has earned a massive $315.8 million overseas. The movie won its first three weekends at the domestic box office and had a strong debut in China. It has managed to keep that momentum rolling for several weeks, bringing it to this major milestone. Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution Jeff Goldstein had this to say about it in a statement.

"It's evident that 'Godzilla vs. Kong' is reigniting moviegoing...

(Welcome to Now Stream This, a column dedicated to the best movies streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and every other streaming service out there.) Godzilla vs. Kong Now Streaming on HBO Max Release Date: 2021 Genre: Monster Movie Director: Adam Wingard Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, […]

The post Now Stream This: ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’, ‘McCabe and Mrs. Miller’, ‘Devil in a Blue Dress’, ‘Lake Mungo’, ‘Unstoppable’, ‘Waterworld’ and More appeared first on /Film.

“Godzilla vs. Kong,” the new special effects extravaganza that imagines a battle royale between two of cinema’s most famous monsters, has surpassed $350 million at the global box office.

The Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures release is the first true blockbuster of the pandemic era. Domestically, “Godzilla vs. Kong’s” box office total stands at $69.5 million. Overall, the film has earned $357.8 million and counting. Internationally, “Godzilla vs. Kong” has amassed a sizable $288.3 million, with China accounting for the lion’s share of the grosses with a $165.4 million haul. Other top markets include Australia ($16 million), Mexico ($15.8 million), Taiwan ($11.7 million) and Russia ($11.1 million). The film is currently screening in nearly 40 markets.

What makes “Godzilla vs. Kong’s” box office performance so impressive is that it is also available in the U.S. on HBO Max. It is pulling in these sizable grosses despite the fact that most theaters are only operating...

Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir | Written by Eric Pearson, Max Borenstein | Directed by Adam Wingard

Godzilla vs. Kong is the fourth film in the new Monsterverse franchise that started with Godzilla in 2014 and has gained steam with each film since. Godzilla vs. Kong pits the two Titans against each other and while the film is the weakest of the franchise, the payoff of the confrontation between Godzilla and Kong makes the film a worthy monster film.

The Plot:

The film begins five years after Godzilla: King of the Monsters as the rise of the Titans has caused the government agency, Monarch, to be given more power to keep these monsters in check. Kong, one of only two Alpha Titans alive, is still living on Skull Island, but is now surrounded by a Monarch...

(This article contains detailed story spoilers for “Godzilla vs Kong”)

What with “Godzilla vs Kong” being the culmination of the Monsterverse franchise, you might have been surprised to learn that it’s under two hours long — a rarity in this age of lengthy megablockbusters. But there is a price to that sort of efficiency.

I’ve watched “Godzilla vs Kong” a few times now, and it’s pretty clear that we ended up with a pretty slimmed down version of this story. It’s a point made with emphasis when Lance Reddick shows up late in the film to deliver a single unimportant line before being completely forgotten. It’s tough to imagine Reddick wasn’t supposed to have a significantly larger role.

Likewise for Kyle Chandler’s character, who returns from “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and does absolutely nothing at any point. My guess is that they only...

Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir | Written by Eric Pearson, Max Borenstein | Directed by Adam Wingard

Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse franchise reaches its apex with this titanic battle between two classic movie monsters. Directed by Adam Wingard, Godzilla vs. Kong delivers mightily on the epic title bout whose groundwork was laid in the three previous MonsterVerse movies: Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).

The plot is essentially just the title of the film, but there are a number of human characters milling about too. Chief amongst these are “Kong Whisperer” Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and discredited geologist Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård), who mount an expedition deep underground to Hollow Earth, hoping to provide Kong with a safe haven after he’s targeted by a newly-resurfaced Godzilla (who doesn’t like...

This article contains spoilers for Godzilla Vs. Kong. Read our spoiler-free review here.

As Godzilla vs. Kong enters its third act, multiple plotlines are coming to a head: an exploration team led by Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgard) and Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) has followed Kong through a tunnel from Antarctica to the center of a Hollow Earth, the kingdom deep under the Earth’s surface from which Kong’s race and other Titans first originated.

A team of Apex Cybernetics personnel are also with them, and their goal is to discover a new power source in the Hollow Earth that’s strong enough to charge up Apex’s giant robot, dubbed Mechagodzilla. Once it has enough juice, it’ll be able to fight Godzilla and finish him off. This is of course the big twist of the finale, one that both explains why Godzilla went on a seemingly unprovoked rampage in Pensacola,...

Image Source: Everett Collection

It's been 59 years since Godzilla and Kong last came to blows in 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla, and now they're back and bigger than ever for 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong. Unlike the first film, where Godzilla is viewed as the villain of the story, both Titans are still viewed as "good" from their respective solo films: Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, specifically. So, exactly why are the pair fighting in the new film and who is ultimately victorious?

If you were hoping they were fighting because of a need to protect or destroy mankind, you're thinking too hard. Both Kong and Godzilla view themselves as the Alpha when it comes to the Titans, aka Rodan, Mothra, Behemoth, and more. The pair's rivalry has also been teased in prior films through cave paintings and allusions to an ancient Titan War, with both being...

NFTs are all the rage in the online art world, and Legendary Entertainment is jumping on the trend in celebration of their impending blockbuster monster release Godzilla Vs Kong. They even brought in famed fan artist extraordinaire BossLogic to get in on this game. The collection of digital art is from BossLogic with collectibles from Terra Virtua. The Nft drop will be available starting on March 31. This will mark the first Nft drop tied to a major motion picture release.

In anticipation of Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures epic action-adventure motion picture Godzilla vs. Kong, Legendary Entertainment is launching two new exclusive Nft (non-fungible token) collections specially created for fans and art lovers alike. Celebrated fan artist Boss Logic and Terra Virtua Ltd will each offer two unique lines of digital collectibles that represent the long-awaited face-off between these two mighty Titans, giving fans a chance to own a unique souvenir from the film.

Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla vs. Kong, directed by Adam Wingard, may not hit HBO Max or U.S. theaters until this Wednesday, but it already opened in 38 markets overseas this past weekend, setting box office records for pandemic-era releases — “the biggest debut for a Hollywood film in China since 2019,” swoons the Los Angeles Times. So no matter which of the titular Titans triumphs in the actual movie, the only Titan that seems to matter to the American movie business — the flailing, repetitive, play-it-safe studio system — can, at long last,...

Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse isn’t messing around: Seven years and four films in, the franchise is already delivering the sort of massive battle royale that might take other series decades to create. Adam Wingard’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” takes two of cinema’s most beloved overgrown villains and pits them against each other in

There’s already a mishmash appeal to the MonsterVerse, which has hopped and skipped through directors, characters, and time periods to deliver a series that makes sense, sorta, at least if you don’t look at it too hard. Wingard approaches such messy material with a hearty sense of respect and an eye for what really makes this thing work. From Gareth Edwards’ “Godzilla” (the elegant one) to Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ “Kong: Skull Island” (the fun one) and even Michael Dougherty’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (the bad one), “Godzilla vs. Kong” fuses and tweaks...

One of the most anticipated movies to spin out of Warner Bros.’ upcoming phalanx of 2021 movies heading to theaters and straight to HBO Max is “Godzilla vs. Kong.” The sequel to “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” and “Kong: Skull Island,” the fourth entry in Legendary’s evolving MonsterVerse arrives day-and-date on the rookie streaming platform and in available theaters this coming March 31.

The film is set in a time when monsters walk the Earth, and humanity’s fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages. As a group of scientists called Monarch embark on a perilous mission into uncharted terrain and unearth clues to the titans’ origins, a human conspiracy threatens to wipe the creatures, both good and bad, from the face of the earth forever.

Sequels are made because there is big money to be made. When you run out of sequel ideas, there is always the brainwave of clubbing associated franchises of the same studio, because there is bigger money to be made. If Batman can take on Superman, if Alien can fight Predator and rake it in, Godzilla Vs Kong was waiting to happen.

The film literally goes for a monster kill in search of its pot of gold. The challenge here was obvious. You have fans of Godzilla, you have fans of Kong. The big deal always was to keep both the armies happy.

Calling the shots on the extravagantly expensive monster mayhem is Adam Wingard, who rose up the Hollywood ladder directing low-budget Hollywood horror. Wingard's grindhouse background perhaps made him apt for the creature feature tone of Godzilla Vs. Kong textually. The filmmaker goes about juxtaposing standard big-studio pomp -...

Monster mash-up launches across most of world this weekend, North America on March 31.

Warner Bros/Legendary’s Godzilla Vs. Kong has scored the highest opening day for a Hollywood release in China since the onset of the pandemic, grossing an estimated $21.5m (Rmb 140m) on Friday (March 26).

According to sources, the number was achieved with 75% occupancy rates due to Covid restrictions.

The monster mash-up directed by Adam Wingard recorded the highest pre-sales for opening day for all imported titles since Covid with Rmb 45m, surpassing Tenet on Rmb 22.5m.

Christopher Nolan’s thriller previously held the opening day record for...