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In Vol. 1 of The Sandman Season 2, Dream (Tom Sturridge) faces a difficult choice that comes at a high cost.

Three hundred years ago, Dream’s brother Destruction (Barry Sloane) abdicated his realm, and the only person who could locate him was the oracle Orpheus (Ruairi O’Connor), Dream’s son with the muse Calliope (Melissanthi Mahut). But Dream has not seen Orpheus since their agonizing last meeting on an uncharted island off the coast of Greece.

“I think the difference between the last time Morpheus [sees] his son and the final time that they meet is a difference in the quality of love,” Sturridge tells Netflix of Vol. 1. “[It’s] understanding his failures as a father and a desperate need to give his son the only thing that he desires at the cost potentially of everything for him.”

After granting Orpheus the death he so desperately wished for — and spilling...

[This story contains major spoilers from season two, volume one of The Sandman, as well as from the comics.]

At the start of the second season of Netflix’s hit fantasy drama series The Sandman, the Fates — a trio of goddesses consisting of the Maiden (Dinita Gohil), the Mother (Nina Wadia) and the Crone (Souad Faress) — delivered an ominous, ambiguous prophecy to the eldest Endless sibling, Destiny (Adrian Lester): “A king will forsake his kingdom. Life and death will clash and fray. The oldest battle begins once more.”

That prophecy will seemingly be fulfilled by the Sandman himself a.k.a. Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge), the powerful cosmic being who controls all dreams. After reclaiming the powers he had previously lost in captivity, destroying the dangerous dream vortex and unmaking the Corinthian at the end of the first season, the moody Morpheus has been quietly rebuilding his kingdom, the Dreaming, with an eye towards the future. But the...

Will Ferrell is reteaming with frequent collaborator Harper Steele to bring their 2020 romantic comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga to the stage. Per a report from Deadline, a musical based on the Netflix film is in development from the pair, who are writing the book alongside Anthony King. Savan Kotecha, who has penned songs for Ariana Grande and One Direction and worked as executive music producer on the original film, will return to compose the music while two-time Tony winner Alex Timbers directs. There's currently no production timeline, though it will be produced under Lia Vollack.

Originally meant to release in time for the 2020 edition of Eurovision, The Story of Fire Saga paired Ferrell up with Rachel McAdams as aspiring Icelandic musicians Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir. Representing their home country in the world's pre-eminent music competition, they shoot for pop stardom, fighting the odds of scheming...

Following a three-year hiatus from screens, The Sandmanis expected to bring you your dreams this summer. Netflix has released a teaser trailer for the long-awaited second and final season of the dark fantasy series, based on the comic book saga by Neil Gaiman, confirming that the release of Season 2 will be split into two parts. The first volume, consisting of six episodes, will debut on July 3, while the second volume will have five episodes, which will be available to stream three weeks later, on July 24, bringing the show to its thrilling conclusion.

The minute-long trailer for The Sandman Season 2 was released alongside some first-look images (seen below) teasing the concluding chapter of Dream's story, with Tom Sturridge reprising his lead role alongside his Endless siblings, including Kirby as Death, Mason Alexander Park as Desire, and Donna Preston as Despair. According to the official logline for the series, the family's...

Playtime has acquired international sales rights to Leyla Bouzid’s family drama In A Whisper about three generations of women in Tunisia, and Evi Kalogiropoulou’s Gorgonà about women rising up against the patriarchy at a Greek oil refinery.

Both films are in post-production and Playtime, part of European joint venture Vuelta Group, is launching sales at the EFM.

In A Whisper stars Eya Bouteraa, Hiam Abbass and Marion Barbeau and is about a woman living in Paris who returns home to Tunisia for her uncle’s funeral and sets out to uncover the truth behind his sudden death.

It...

Stars: Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels, Cliff Curtis, Sienna Guillory, Melissanthi Mahut | Written by Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Dean Georgaris | Directed Ben Wheatley

There was a significant degree of excitement in horror circles when it was announced that British director Ben Wheatley was going to be directing the sequel to 2018’s Jason Statham vs Giant Shark blockbuster The Meg. The hope was that Wheatley’s horror sensibilities and eye for jet-black humour would add a bit of bite to what was otherwise a passably entertaining, but ultimately uninspired Jaws retread. Unfortunately, those hopes have not come to pass, as there’s very little trace of the acclaimed British director’s signature touch in this largely derivative sequel.

The plot, such as it is, essentially boils down to “Jason Statham vs More Giant Sharks”, though this time round, his character Jonas Taylor has had...

Director Ben Wheatley cites Steven Spielberg's Jaws as the biggest inspiration for The Meg 2, calling it not only the greatest shark film but one of the greatest films of all time. Wheatley also draws inspiration from monster movies like Godzilla and Thing From Another World, as well as '40s adventure films with scientific elements. The sequel aims to maintain the vulnerable and relatable characters from the first film, offering an adventure where the audience can understand and worry about the protagonists.

While speaking to ScreenRant, The Meg 2: The Trench director Ben Wheatley revealed that Steven Spielberg's Jaws was the biggest inspiration for his latest film and explained how the 1975 classic action thriller as well as other monster movies influenced The Meg sequel.

The Meg 2: The Trench stars Jason Statham, Jing Wu, Cliff Curtis, Shuya Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sienna Guillory, Melissanthi Mahut, and Skyler Samuels.

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being reviewed here wouldn't exist. This article also contains major spoilers for "Meg 2: The Trench."

Every summer movie season deserves a killer shark flick! After all, it was a killer shark movie that pretty much kicked off what we now know as the "summer blockbuster" way back in 1975, the immortal "Jaws." Because of that film's success, every killer shark venture is inevitably compared to that Spielberg classic, its three sequels, and the large number of copies that appeared immediately in its wake. In a subgenre that's been through the waves of popularity, postmodernism, and back, there's not a ton that's wholly new out there in the ocean.

For that reason, the Sharksploitation subgenre has generally settled into a pattern not unlike the slasher, an "if it ain't broke,...

Stars: Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels, Cliff Curtis, Sienna Guillory, Melissanthi Mahut | Written by Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Dean Georgaris | Directed Ben Wheatley

There was a significant degree of excitement in horror circles when it was announced that British director Ben Wheatley was going to be directing the sequel to 2018’s Jason Statham vs Giant Shark blockbuster The Meg. The hope was that Wheatley’s horror sensibilities and eye for jet-black humour would add a bit of bite to what was otherwise a passably entertaining, but ultimately uninspired Jaws retread. Unfortunately, those hopes have not come to pass, as there’s very little trace of the acclaimed British director’s signature touch in this largely derivative sequel.

The plot, such as it is, essentially boils down to “Jason Statham vs More Giant Sharks”, though this time round, his character Jonas Taylor has had...

The Meg 2: The Trench is the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2018 film and has been in development for a long time due to the pandemic. The movie aims to appeal to a wider audience by keeping the violence at a minimum, similar to the first installment of the franchise. The sequel follows Jason Statham's character, Jonas Taylor, as he leads a team on a dangerous dive into unexplored areas where they awaken a group of terrifying Megs, including the biggest one ever seen.

The Meg 2: The Trench is coming to theaters this week, and is already giving a lot to talk about. The sequel to the 2018 film directed by Jon Turteltaub has been in development almost since the release of the original movie, but it took a long time to get it done because of the pandemic.

Movies with monsters and specially sharks as the main stars have...

No one needed a bigger megalodon after 2018’s shockingly dull shark exploit, “The Meg.” But we’re getting one anyway with Ben Wheatley’s outsized shipwreck “Meg 2: The Trench,” a dimwitted sequel committed to plunge into the depths of agonizing boredom, doing so at 25,000 feet, to be exact.

At least the initial chapter came with something that resembled a story. No such luck here, thanks to an inexplicably broad script by Dean Georgaris and Jon and Erich Hoeber (the same trio that penned the first tedious installment) that liberally borrows from “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park,” “Piranha 3D,” “Alien” and so on. In certain sequences, the references from the first two of these pictures feel so shameless that one ponders whether Steven Spielberg would have a legal case against “The Trench” if he didn’t have much bigger fish to fry.

The film superfluously starts in the Cretaceous period to give...

Jon Turtletaub’s The Meg was frustratingly dour and straight-faced for a film that pit Jason Statham’s rescue diver Jonas Taylor and a bunch of research scientists against a prehistoric megashark. And for its first hour, Ben Wheatley’s Meg 2: The Trench is also a derivative and listless affair, feebly drawing influence from the likes of Alien, Jaws, and The Abyss but never coming close to approximating their mood of tension and horror.

Meg 2 finds Jonas now working as an eco-warrior alongside engineer buddies Mac (Cliff Curtis) and DJ (Page Kennedy) and a few other scientists. Again venturing into “the trench”—the deepest part of the ocean where megalodons, or megs, in the world of the film still flourish—Jonas and his team encounter an illegal mining operation and eventually find themselves trapped and forced to take extreme measures to escape. This underlit stretch of Wheatley’s film...

Five years ago, The Meg came out and was a pleasant summer-ending surprise. Placing its tongue firmly in its cheek for 113 minutes, the watery spectacle allowed us to watch the ever-watchable Jason Statham go mano-a-mano with a 75-foot shark. The idea behind the movie (which was based on a much more sober-minded novel by Steve Alten than had been in development for nearly a quarter century) was apparently to make a good old-fashioned monster movie with a few knowing winks to the audience.

The Meg’s box office success and its final shot also virtually ensured a sequel, so now Meg 2: The Trench arrives with Statham and a few other holdovers back for another round. Meanwhile workmanlike director Jon Turtletaub has been replaced this time by the eccentric indie maverick Ben Wheatley.

Set 10 years after the first film, the screenplay by Jon and Erich Hoeber and Dean Georgaris (the...

Editor's note: This article contains mentions of abuse and sexual assault.With the release of the bonus episode of The Sandman, Neil Gaiman gives a brutally stark portrayal of the relationship between artist and muse and how it often intertwines with female inequality. The second act of the episode focuses on a struggling writer, Richard Madoc (Arthur Darvill), and his desperation to reclaim some of the success he achieved with his debut novel. Driving himself to extremes, he enslaves the Greek muse Calliope (Melissanthi Mahut), abusing her in the name of inspiration.

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 11 of The Sandman.The latest episode of The Sandman has the honor of adapting one of the most chilling and compelling tales in Neil Gaiman's comic book opus, "Calliope". Said tale centers around the titular muse Calliope (Melissanthi Mahut), who's been trapped on Earth and forced to support the writing career of author Erasmus Fry (Derek Jacobi). Fry eventually gives Calliope to Richard Madoc (Arthur Darvill), so that he can take advantage of her powers. Soon, Fry is found dead - and Calliope wins her freedom when she calls upon the help of her former husband Morpheus (Tom Sturridge). When one of Madoc's assistants named Nora (Amita Suman) is told to free Calliope by Madoc, she finds the muse's room empty - save for a copy of Fry's first book, Here Comes a Candle.

Now that "The Sandman" has dropped its excellent bonus episode, fans are anxiously awaiting news of the show being picked up for a second season. Netflix has yet to make a decision unfortunately, but that hasn't stopped creator Neil Gaiman and showrunner Allan Heinberg from plotting season 2 and beyond. Both previously touched on which comic arcs they were most excited to tackle and Heinberg's in particular, were further down the line than even season 2 would likely get.

"The Sandman" bonus episode, which adapted "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" and "Calliope," introduces the titular Muse, but also reveals that not only were Dream (Tom Sturridge) and Calliope (Melissanthi Mahut) once married, but they also had a son together. Not much is said, though we know some tragedy befell him, resulting in a terrible falling out between his parents. The episode makes some incredibly smart changes, especially to Calliope's story, that really make this adaption sing.

This year “Succession” swept the drama guest acting Emmy nominations, nabbing seven of the 12 available slots. I thought about that while watching “The Sandman” on Netflix. It’s a supernatural fantasy drama based on a comic book series by Neil Gaiman, the type of TV show that might not normally get on awards voters’ radar even in an era when genre shows like “Game of Thrones” and “Watchmen” collect trophies left and right. Sure the sterling crafts of “The Sandman” may be major players in the year to come, but allow me to make a case for the actors who already make a strong case for sweeping next year’s guest acting races. (Spoilers Follow)

SEEEmmy Experts slugfest: Is ‘Only Murders in the Building’ a dark horse in comedy series? [Watch]

“The Sandman” is the story of Lord Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), the ruler of dreams who goes on a quest to...

This post contains spoilers for The Sandman season one and beyond.

“Ideas in abundance.” Believe it or not, that’s a curse pronounced by Morpheus in “Calliope,” one of the best stories in The Sandman. “Ideas in abundance” sounds like a particularly strange curse for The Sandman, the seminal Neil Gaiman comic book series so rich in concepts and themes that the Netflix adaptation retains much of its depth, even as it necessarily cuts or reimagines some elements. Fans of the series will get to see more of those abundant ideas soon, as Netflix has announced a surprise 11th episode to The Sandman season 1, which adapts not only “Calliope” but also another fan-favorite tale, “A Dream of a Thousand Cats.” Both stories flesh out Dream’s world and the rules of the Dreaming but “Calliope” has deep implications for Morpheus’s larger career arc, paving the way for the end of his story.

Dreams don’t always have a habit of coming true, especially when it comes to Netflix giving the green light to people’s favorite shows. While many fans assumed that The Sandman Season 2 is a lock, the Master of the Dreaming himself, Neil Gaiman, says otherwise.

Gaiman posted a cryptic tweet to his Twitter account on Friday, referencing a bonus episode for the first season that’s available to watch now. Before Gaiman revealed the nature of his mysterious message, a fan asked if he was confirming a Season 2 pick-up for the series. Unfortunately, Gaiman says the future of The Sandman is uncertain, and Netflix is playing a game of wait-and-see before opening their wallet for another journey into the Dreaming.

According to Gaiman, Netflix wants to see how The Sandman performs throughout August before committing to The Sandman Season 2. You know what this means, don’t you? It’s...

Netflix just gave “The Sandman” fans a huge surprise.

On Friday, the streamer debuted two brand new episodes, one animated and one live-action, of the series, based on the classic Neil Gaiman comic book series.

Read More: ‘The Sandman’: First Look At Gwendoline Christie’s Lucifer Unveiled At DC FanDome

The first episode, the animated “A Dream of a Thousand Cats”, features series star Tom Sturridge, along with Sandra Oh, Rosie Day, David Tennant, James McAvoy, David Gyasi, Michael Sheen, Gaiman and more all doing voice work.

“We endeavored to make the animated version of ‘A Dream of a Thousand Cats’ as mesmerizing and hypnotic as we could by utilizing the magic of real oil paintings on canvas,” director Hisko Hulsing said in a statement to Variety.

“We combined the paintings with classically drawn 2D animation, based on realistic 3D animation of telepathic cats in order to create a...

Netflix has surprised fans of The Sandman with an additional “bonus” episode of the popular series. The two-part animated/live-action hybrid episode, which was released at midnight Pt, features favorite stories from Neil Gaiman’s graphic novels, “A Dream of A Thousand Cats” and “Calliope,” with guest stars Sandra Oh, James McAvoy, David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

Watch the trailer below.

The 10-episode drama starring Tom Sturridge and based on Gaiman’s popular DC Comics series has remained at No. 1 on the Netflix Top 10 TV list (English) for a second week in a row with 196.98 million hours viewed since its August 5 debut. The series also appeared in the Top 10 in 93 countries.

The animated “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” portion stars Tom Sturridge in his The Sandman role as Dream. Guest voice cast members include Oh as The Prophet, Rosie Day as The Tabby Kitten, David Gyasi as The Grey Cat,...

If you already binged your way through all ten episodes of the Netflix / Neil Gaiman series The Sandman when the show premiered two weeks ago and desperately want to see more… well, here’s some great news. There is now more of The Sandman to watch on Netflix! The streaming service has released a bonus episode of the show that is, as described by Variety, “a live-action/animated hybrid episode adapting two fan-favorite stories from Gaiman’s The Sandman graphic novels from DC Comics: A Dream of a Thousand Cats and Calliope.”

Directed by Hisko Hulsing, A Dream of a Thousand Cats is the animated portion and stars Tom Sturridge in his leading Sandman role as Dream, as well as a guest voice cast members including Sandra Oh as The Prophet, Rosie Day as The Tabby Kitten, David Gyasi as The Grey Cat, Joe Lycett as The Black Cat,...

Don’t sleep on “The Sandman.”

Neil Gaiman’s critically acclaimed Netflix series premiered a two-part bonus episode exactly two weeks after the season debuted. Featuring the animated story of “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” and a live-action take on “Calliope,” the surprise drop builds out the “Sandman” universe, with both premiering August 19.

Sandra Oh, David Tennant, James McAvoy, Michael Sheen, and Tom Sturridge lead “A Dream of a Thousand Cats,” along with Rosie Day, David Gyasi, Joe Lycett, Georgia Tennant, Anna Lundberg, Nonso Anozie, Diane Morgan, Tom Wu, and series creator Gaiman also lending his voice to the animated installment. To note, frequent Gaiman collaborators Sheen and Tennant additionally lead his Prime Video series “Good Omens,” with McAvoy and Sheen also appearing on Audible’s “The Sandman” audiobook adaptation.

“We endeavored to make the animated version of ‘A Dream of a Thousand Cats’ as mesmerizing and hypnotic as...

While Netflix has yet to renew Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman” for Season 2, it’s just given fans of the new hit TV series the next best thing by dropping a surprise “bonus” episode featuring guest stars Sandra Oh, James McAvoy, David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

Dropping Friday at 12 a.m. Pt, exactly two weeks after the first 10 episodes launched, the new installment of “The Sandman” Season 1 is a live-action/animated hybrid episode adapting two fan-favorite stories from Gaiman’s “Sandman” graphic novels from DC Comics: “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” and “Calliope.”

“A Dream of a Thousand Cats” is the animated portion and stars Tom Sturridge in his leading “Sandman” role as Dream, as well as a guest voice cast members including Oh as The Prophet, Rosie Day as The Tabby Kitten, David Gyasi as The Grey Cat, Joe Lycett as The Black Cat, Gaiman himself as Crow/Skull Bird,...

Netflix’s hit fantasy series “The Sandman” hasn’t been renewed just yet, but if you want more from the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s beloved comic book series, your dreams (sorry) just came true.

Right now you can watch “A Dream of A Thousand Cats/Calliope,” a brand new, surprise bonus episode of “The Sandman,” featuring guest stars Sandra Oh, Michael Shannon, James McAvoy, David Tennant, the great Derek Jacobi, and many more.

Like “The Sound of Her Wings” before it, “A Dream of A Thousand Cats/Calliope” combines two different “The Sandman” comic book stories for a single-episode story.

“Calliope,” directed by Louise Hooper and based on “The Sandman” issue #17, follows Richard Madoc, a one hit wonder novelist crippled by writer’s block who is offered a guaranteed cure — for a sickening and cruel price.

Also Read:

‘The Sandman’ Rises and Shines at Top of Most In-Demand New...

For some things, being a fan is almost like being part of a cult, it makes the utmost sense to you but not very much to others. And when it comes to the Eurovision song contest, it is one hell of a wild, weird, embracing and wonderful world to immerse yourself in. Arguably no movie can capture what Eurovision is because it is in itself magical, parodic and downright bonkers but in the unlikely and unexpected delight that is Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga we have a movie befitting of Eurovision.

Hailing from the town of Húsavík in Iceland, best friends since childhood Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) and Lars (Will Ferrell) have lifelong lofty dreams of not only entering but winning the Eurovision song contest and come 2020, call it fate, hope or a miracle but they get the chance to sing on the big stage for their country as duo Fire Saga.

During an evening that celebrated every incredible game that came out in 2018, it was the odds on favorite, God of War that claimed the top prize of the night! More within...

2018 was a huge year for gaming. Tons of quality games provided millions of gamers with memorable experiences to share with the rest of the gaming community. For developers, several years of blood, sweat, and tears paid off when their game finally hit shelves, to the delight of the masses. The 5th Annual Game Awards set out to honor those who worked (and continue to work) so hard to give us these lasting experiences with nominations, platforms to talk about their process, and of course the highly-sought after award.

Early on in the night, Red Dead Redemption 2 looked to have the most momentum, as they secured 3 awards for Best Narrative, Best Score, and Best Audio Design. However, no one can...

John Saavedra Dec 7, 2018

Which title took home Game of the Year? Here are all the big winners at this year's Game Awards!

The Game Awards 2018 will celebrate the year in video games, recognizing the best in both Aaa and indie gaming. This year's show features huge titles such as Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, Fortnite, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Indie hits such as The Missing, Celeste, and Return of the Obra Dinn are among the titles that represent the impressive list of smaller-budget games.

God of War took home the big prize, winning Game of the Year as well as the awards for Best Game Direction, and Best Action/Adventure Game. It's very well deserved. A truly brilliant reboot for the franchise.

Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War led this year's show in nominations, with eight nominations each. It's not surprising considering these...