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HBO has finally announced an official premiere date for the second season of The Last of Us, and the acclaimed survival horror video game adaptation is set to return to our screens sooner than expected.

Season 2 will debut on April 13 at 9 p.m. Et/Pt, taking the Sunday marquee time slot from the current third season of The White Lotus.

Max has also released new character posters featuring Ellie (Bella Ramsey), Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), along with a new promo still and a pretty vague synopsis.

"The Last of Us picks up in Season 2 five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind."

We're not sure exactly how much of the second game season 2 will adapt, but HBO's...

The creators of HBO‘s The Last of Us, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, feel the pressure of the show’s upcoming season but refuse to give into fear. Druckmann and his team at Naughty Dog have spent years thinking about Joel, Ellie, and the dystopia they inhabit, changing the story to keep fans guessing, surprised, and entertained. Adapting the game’s traumatic events for HBO’s award-winning series is complex but also an opportunity to tweak events to tell a different narrative. The creatives behind HBO’s The Last of Us appear ready for the onslaught of criticism. The divide fuels creativity, and now we have a gallery of first-look images from The Last of Us Season 2 to tease upcoming events.

Today, Entertainment Weekly dropped a detailed feature concerning the next chapter of The Last of Us, which consists of seven action-packed episodes that fans unfamiliar with the game...

Lyrical Media chief Alex Black got swarmed with “a million emails and messages” on the day it was announced his young production company was teaming with Ryder Picture Company on a film adaptation of Emily Henry’s best-selling 2024 rom-com “Funny Story,” screen-written by the author herself.

A big get for any studio, the deal was particularly noteworthy for a three-year-old company still establishing itself in Hollywood and going up against the old guard for top titles and talent.

“In the meeting, I think we were able to really pitch to Emily that we would be great partners on this project because of our understanding of the material and our ability to make independent movies — not necessarily indie movies — that allows us to just work more nimbly and do what’s best for the project,” Lyrical Media’s vice president of film and TV Natalie Sellers said. “Emily got really excited...

Season 2 of the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us is pretty close! According to the latest teaser trailer (embedded above) it’s coming in just a few months, with it getting an April release date. The trailer gives us a look at a weeping Joel, as well as our introduction to some of the new characters. Check it out!

The story of the The Last of Us video game is set years after a fungal plague wiped out much of humanity, transforming most into vicious zombie-like monsters, the story follows Joel, who’s living in a militarized quarantine zone. He has a close relationship with Tess, who operates in the black market of this community. Together, they’ve become known by the local criminal underworld for their ruthlessness. On a mission to reclaim their stolen guns, they run into the leader of the Fireflies, a resistance group,...

Exclusive: After co-producing and co-financing Magic Farm, the latest film from writer-director Amalia Ulman (El Planeta), which is set to world premiere in the Premieres section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, Mubi has locked down distribution rights to the dark comedy in North America and the UK.

They’ll release the ensemble film, featuring Chloë Sevigny (Monsters), Alex Wolff (A Quiet Place: Day One), Simon Rex (Red Rocket), and more, in 2025.

In Magic Farm, a media crew mistakenly ends up in the wrong country while trying to profile a musician. As they collaborate with locals to create a viral trend, relationships form amid an unfolding health crisis. Joe Apollonio (Betty), Ulman and Camila del Campo also star.

The film is produced by Spacemaker Productions, Mubi, and Rei Cine and co-financed by Spacemaker Productions, Mubi, and Tango Entertainment. Producers included Alex Hughes, Eugene Kotlyarenko, and Riccardo Maddalosso of Spacemaker Productions. Robert Pattinson’s production company Icki Eneo Arlo was among the executive producers, with The Match Factory handling international sales for the title.

Stated Ulman, “I couldn’t be more excited to have partnered with Mubi on the production of Magic Farm. This was a project that required taking risks, and their team was so supportive in realizing our vision.”

“We’re thrilled to have partnered with Mubi on Magic Farm,” added Spacemaker. “Their taste in bold and uncompromising cinema is unparalleled and we strongly believe in their vision to bring Amalia’s unique film to audiences.”

Recently, Mubi released Coralie Fargeat’s acclaimed body horror pic The Substance, starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, which won Fargeat the prize for Best Screenplay at Cannes and is one of this year’s big awards contenders. Among the company’s recent productions is Kelly Reichardt’s upcoming The Mastermind starring Josh O’Connor.

Buffalo 8 has acquired all North American rights to coming-of-age drama “Disfluency.” The film will open theatrically on Jan. 10th, 2025, with a digital release to follow on Jan. 24th, 2025.

“Disfluency” has fared well in the festival circuit, earning nine Best Narrative Feature jury awards (most notably at the Austin Film Festival), in addition to Best Actress and Best Screenplay at the Newport Beach Film Festival.

The film was executive produced by “Thunder Road” and “Last Stop in Yuma County” filmmaker Jim Cummings, and stars Libe Barer (“Sneaky Pete”), Ariela Barer (“How to Blow Up a Pipeline”), Chelsea Alden (“13 Reasons Why”) and Dylan Arnold (“Oppenheimer”).

The film follows the journey of Jane (Barer) as she retreats to her hometown after unexpectedly failing her final college class. With the support of her friends, family and a nostalgic summer on the lake, Jane comes to terms with the trauma that derailed her senior year.

Exclusive: More than a decade after his last feature directorial outing with The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, Jay Duplass is back behind the camera for See You When I See You, a comedic family drama to star Cooper Raiff (Cha Cha Real Smooth), David Duchovny (Californication), Hope Davis (Succession), Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody), and Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline).

An exploration of the intricacies of grief and healing, currently in production in Atlanta, See You When I See You is scripted by actor, comedian and writer Adam Cayton-Holland (Those Who Can’t). The film is inspired by Cayton-Holland’s acclaimed memoir Tragedy Plus Time: A Tragi-Comic Memoir, the winner of the 2019 Colorado Book Award for Creative Non-Fiction, which examines the impact of his younger sister Lydia’s suicide on him and his family.

Jay Duplass called the project “the kind of deeply personal dramatic comedy that I grew up on,...

This article contains mild spoilers for "Smile 2."

As I write this article, the third installment of the gore-laden "Terrifier" series is obliterating the competition at the box office, a win for independent film, extreme horror, and non-studio-owned IP everywhere. Lifelong horror fans are no strangers to films with the same levels of ultraviolence and blood-soaked mania on glorious display, but these scenes are overwhelmingly found in independent or underground horror movies. This isn't to say that studio-backed horror films are incapable of bringing the pain, but even looking at something as notoriously grisly as the "Saw" series, the graphic depictions are stylized. Shots of dismembered limbs or meat being torn from the bone are interspersed between adventurous camera movement, cleverly spaced reactions to the carnage, and juuuuust enough of the gruesome goodies to throw the audience's imagination into overdrive. It's taking a page out of Alfred Hitchcock's handbook...

Marvel Comics' new "Ultimate" universe is now knee-deep in its publication, but that shouldn't scare new readers into missing out on "Ultimates" by Deniz Camp.

Set in a version of the Marvel Universe ("Earth-6160") where everything went wrong because of the evil Maker, "Ultimates" follows some familiar heroes trying to build the superhero team the world deserves. Many of these new "Ultimate" heroes have familiar names, but very different backgrounds. Last month's "Ultimates" #4 depicted how this Reed Richards, robbed of his family and future by the Maker, became a heroic Doctor Doom, not Mister Fantastic. The soon-to-publish "Ultimates" #5 (drawn by Juan Frigeri) is making ground-up changes to Hawkeye.

"Ultimates" is the most radical book Marvel's publishing right now — and Camp knows what he's doing. His breakout hit at Image Comics, "20th Century Men," reimagined the Soviet-Afghan War in a world where superpowers had superhero soldiers. Camp has brought that same...

Kevin Williamson’s upcoming Netflix drama series “The Waterfront” is rounding out its cast.

Variety has learned that Melissa Benoist, Jake Weary, Rafael L. Silva, Humberly González, Danielle Campbell, and Brady Hepner have all been cast as series regulars.

Additionally, Michael Gaston and Gerardo Celasco will appear as recurring guest stars, while Zach Roerig will guest star.

Full character descriptions can be found below.

Finally, Marcos Siega has joined the series to direct the first two episodes. He will serve as an executive producer on the pilot.

“The Waterfront” is currently filming. The new cast members join previously announced series leads Holt McCallany and Maria Bello.

The official logline states, “Inspired by true events, ‘The Waterfront’ dives into the flawed Buckley family as their attempts to retain control of their crumbling North Carolina fishing empire drive them to increasingly dangerous means to keep themselves afloat.”

Netflix has commissioned eight episodes.

Charli xcx is bringing brat to the big screen, landing her second live-action film role in the latest from Gregg Araki.

The singer-songwriter will star in I Want Your Sex from Black Bear alongside Olivia Wilde and Licorice Pizza breakout Cooper Hoffman. Karley Sciortino and Araki co-wrote the film that is set to begin production this October in Los Angeles.

The synopsis for the film reads: “When fresh-faced Elliot (Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.”

I Want Your Sex is being produced and financed by Black Bear. Seth Caplan, Araki and Sciortino will produce, along...

The third feature film from Bretten Hannam, writer/director of the 2015 crime thriller North Mountain and the 2021 teen drama Wildhood, is currently filming in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the project is a supernatural thriller called Place of Ghosts. Forrest Goodluck, whose credits include The Revenant, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, and Lawmen: Bass Reeves has a lead role alongside Blake Alec Miranda (To and From), his Pet Sematary: Bloodlines co-star Glen Gould, and Brandon Oakes (Diggstown).

Place of Ghosts centers on siblings Mise’l and Antle, close confidants as children who have drifted apart as adults. When a malevolent, rotting spirit of teeth and bones begins tormenting them, the siblings are forced to reunite and journey into Skite’kmujuekati’k, or the Place of Ghosts primordial forest that exists outside of time, to face their violent upbringing.

Hannam, who is a Two-Spirit L’nu filmmaker,...

HBO/Max has released the first official teaser for the second season of The Last of Us, and in addition to featuring some shots that should be very familiar to fans of the second video game, it gives us a first look at several new characters, including Jeffrey Wright as the villainous Isaac and Kaitlyn Dever as Abby Anderson.

We only catch a couple of brief glimpses of the young woman who will go on to become Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) nemesis, but the shots of Abby crawling through the snow while infected attempt to get tear through a chain-link fence suggests that season 2 will stick pretty close to the game when it comes to certain events.

We also see Joel (Pedro Pascal) being asked if he hurt Ellie in season 1 by Catherine O'Hara's (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) mysterious character, to which he tearfully replies, "no... I saved her."

Check out the promo at the link below,...

More than a year ago, it was announced that Oscar-winning Juno writer Diablo Cody was set to produce a film based on Violet Karim’s webcomic Death of a Pop Star. Just three months ago, we heard that Cody would be writing the screenplay for a remake of the iconic 1980 comedy 9 to 5. Now, we have updates on both of those projects, as Entertainment Weekly reported that, during an appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con, Cody revealed that she has already finished writing the script for the 9 to 5 remake, but the Death of a Pop Star adaptation is still in the development phase.

Directed by Colin Higgins, who also wrote the screenplay with Patricia Resnick, the original 9 to 5 was an office satire about three female secretaries who decide to get revenge on their tyrannical, sexist boss by abducting him and running the business themselves. The trio, one...

Today at the San Diego Comic-Con, AMC Networks announced that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has been renewed for a third season, which will be produced and set in Spain. Production of season three will begin next month and be based in Madrid, with extensive location shooting planned in the Galicia, Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia regions.

The announcement came during the show’s standing-room-only session in Hall H, which was attended by series stars and executive producers Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, cast member Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, showrunner David Zabel, and executive producer and director Greg Nicotero.

Season three tracks Carol (McBride) and Daryl (Reedus) as they continue their journey toward home and the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.

Today, AMC Networks’ The Walking Dead Universe returned to Comic-Con International’s Hall H with a star-studded panel for The Walking Dead: Dead City, moderated by Chris Hardwick. Executive Producer Eli Jorné, Executive Producers and Stars Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Cast Members Gaius Charles and Željko Ivanek surprised fans with an exclusive new teaser and casting announcements for season two, which returns to AMC and AMC+ next year. New images from the series were also released.

Season Two casting announcements include:

Keir Gilchrist, in the role of “Benjamin Pierce”

Dascha Polanco, in the role of “Major Lucia Narvaez”

Jake Weary, in the role of “Christos”

Pooya Mohseni, in the role of “Roksana”

The Walking Dead: Dead City follows fan-favorite characters Maggie (Cohan) and Negan (Morgan) as they travel into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead...

Documenting the adventures of Negan and Maggie in a zombie-infested New York City, “The Walking Dead: Dead City” Season 2 is on the way, and the teaser trailer for the new season just debuted out of San Diego Comic-Con. It’s set to premiere on AMC in 2025.

AMC Networks’ The Walking Dead Universe returned to Comic-Con International’s Hall H with a star-studded panel for The Walking Dead: Dead City tonight. Executive Producer Eli Jorné, Executive Producers and Stars Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Cast Members Gaius Charles and Željko Ivanek surprised fans with the exclusive new teaser and casting announcements for season two, which returns to AMC and AMC+ next year.

“The Walking Dead: Dead City” Season 2 casting announcements include:

Keir Gilchrist (Atypical, It Follows), in the role of “Benjamin Pierce” Dascha Polanco (Orange Is the New Black, Poker Face), in the role of “Major Lucia Narvaez” Jake Weary (Oh,...

Expect four new characters to join the action in the season 2 return of The Walking Dead: Dead City in 2025.

Executive Producer Eli Jorné revealed the cast additions at the AMC show’s Hall H panel Friday. They are Keir Gilchrist (Atypical, It Follows), who will play Benjamin Pierce; Dascha Polanco (Orange Is the New Black, Poker Face), in the role of Major Lucia Narvaez; Jake Weary (Oh, Canada, How to Blow Up a Pipeline) as Christos; and Pooya Mohseni (Law & Order: Svu, See You Then) as Roksana.

The Walking Dead: Dead City follows Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) as they travel into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long ago cut off from the mainland. The crumbling city is filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror. In season two, in the growing war for control of Manhattan,...

“Twisters” is sweeping audiences off their couches and into the theaters.

The standalone follow-up to “Twister” (1996) grossed over $80 million in its first weekend and was the third highest-grossing film of 2024.

Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos lead the disaster film as a ragtag group of storm chasers. Jones plays Kate Carter, a once disaster-seeker turned to corporate weather pro, while Powell plays Tyler Owens, a viral “tornado wrangler.” The two team up with Javi, a longtime friend of Kate’s played by Anthony Ramos, to tackle the biggest twister Oklahoma’s seen in generations.

The cast also features some newcomers but (spoiler alert!) no cameo from Helen Hunt. For the complete “Twisters” cast and character guide, keep reading.

Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate Carter Daisy Edgar-Jones on the “Twisters” red carpet (Credit: Getty Images)

Kate Carter is a young woman who suffered through a tragedy while attempting a new experiment...

Earlier this year, we got a blurry first glimpse of Isabela Merced filming scenes as Dina for the second season of HBO's The Last of Us adaptation. Now, thanks to some new photos from the Vancouver set, we have a much better look at the Madame Web and Superman actress as she patrols the streets with her gun drawn alongside Bella Ramsey as Ellie.

If you've played The Last of Us Part II video game, these photos will probably look very familiar. If not, beware of major spoilers from this point on.

Seriously, these are massive Spoilers - last chance!

Based on these shots, we'd say there's a good chance we're seeing Ellie and Dina shortly after arriving in Seattle in search of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and her Washington Liberation Front allies after they brutally murdered Joel (Pedro Pascal).

There's always a chance that the show won't stick rigidly close...

“The Tomorrow War” and “The Lego Batman Movie” filmmaker Chris McKay has been tapped to direct an adaptation of Brynne Weaver’s bestselling serial killer romance, “Butcher & Blackbird,” for Lyrical Media and Ryder Picture Company (Rpc).

The novel is the first installment of Weaver’s popular “Ruinous Love” trilogy, which was released in October. It became a New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestseller and was a favorite on BookTok, TikTok’s hub for book lovers. Weaver recently signed a seven-figure deal for her upcoming dark rom-com trilogy. She has sold over 1 million copies of her books in over 18 countries.

Lyrical Media’s Alexander Black and Rpc’s Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett will produce the film, with Rpc’s Emma Rappold serving as co-producer. Lyrical Media’s Jon Rosenberg and Natalie Sellers will executive produce alongside Weaver. The film does not have a screenwriter attached.

According...

A defining scene in Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s startling movie Evil Does Not Exist shows an adversarial meeting between the residents of an idyllic Japanese village and the representatives of an opportunistic Tokyo-based company. The two groups have gathered to discuss plans for the construction of a luxury camping site. To build goodwill for the project, the representatives, a pair of meek city dwellers, deploy banal commercialese to make their case. They use phrases like “optimize” and “invigorate” to describe what the site might bring to the area. They insist it will be “mutually beneficial.”

But these benefits, if they are even to be taken seriously, are one-sided. Life in this pastoral community depends on finely tuned interactions between humans and the environment. Throughout Evil Does Not Exist, Hamaguchi offers elegant glimpses of daily routines as evidence of this carefully navigated relationship. We see Takumi, a central character played with haunting ambiguity by Hitoshi Omika,...

At one time, the first season of the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us was meant to consist of ten episodes, with Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole) directing the first three. For reasons that have never been fully revealed, Balagov only ended up directing the first episode, with series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who also wrote and directed the video game source material) taking over as directors on episode two and three, respectively. Then the first and second episodes were combined in post, with Balagov going uncredited for the scenes he directed, and the Druckmann-helmed third episode became the second episode. The Last of Us season 2 is now in production, and industry scooper Daniel Richtman has heard that Druckmann will be directing the sixth episode of the season.

Richtman also heard that “two Latinx brothers, 16 and 13” will have major roles in The Last of Us...

Kanopy – the no-fee, ad-free film and TV show streaming service that’s available to some 45 million people in the United States with a library card and through more than 85% of large American colleges and universities – is featuring movies selected by GLAAD in celebration of Pride Month in June. The GLAAD Pride Month Picks include films that feature “fair, accurate and inclusive LGBTQ+ representation” as part of the service’s full Pride Month collection of 107 movies and documentaries.

GLAAD is the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer media advocacy organization. Its Pride Month choices (including the 2023 Oscar Best Picture winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once”) are below:

“The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (1994) “The Aggressives: The World of Lesbian Subculture” (2005) “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” (2022) “Bodies Bodies Bodies” (2022) “The Blue Caftan” (2022) “But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999) “Call Her Ganda” (2018) “Changing the Game” (2019) “Everything Everywhere All at Once...

That was fast. Just five days ago, it was announced that Jeffrey Wright, whose credits include American Fiction, Westworld, Basquiat, Shaft, The Batman, and multiple James Bond and Hunger Games movies, was joining the cast of season 2 of the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us to play a character named Isaac. A character Wright provided the vocal performance for when he appeared in the video game The Last of Us Part II. Now Wright has been spotted on the set of The Last of Us season 2, and a spy pic gives us our first look at him in character now that he’s playing Isaac in the flesh:

First look at Oscar Nominated & Emmy Winner #JeffreyWright on the set of #TheLastofUs playing “Issac’s” #TheBatman #JamesBond Very easy to talk too, & super nice to fans. Was very nice signing autocards & photo’s,funko’s @yvrshootstweets @TheLastofUsNews @TLOUSource pic.

The super popular original webtoon Death of a Pop Star from creator Violet Karim is getting the adaptation treatment from Wattpad Webtoon Studios.

Death of a Pop Star is a global success, with over 33 million views worldwide. It regales readers with the story of a beloved pop star who suddenly dies and wakes up in Hell. Luckily for her, the Grim Reaper is a massive fan of Sophie's, and he gives her another chance at life on Earth, but that comes with dangerous consequences.

Oscar winner Diablo Cody and Oscar nominee Mason Novick, with Wattpad Webtoon Studios, are adapting the popular webcomic. Cam screenwriter Isa Mazzei will pen the script. As a fan of Cody's work and Mazzei's highly underrated 2018 movie Cam (now on Netflix), I'm very excited to see what these two come up with together.

Cody recently wrote the excellent horror-comedy film, Lisa Frankenstein and the Academy Award-winning film Juno.

Start making friendship bracelets and hold onto the railing when ascending a flight of stairs because Violet Karim’s webcomic Death of a Pop Star is getting a film adaptation from Diablo Cody and Mason Novick!

Death of a Pop Star revolves around Sophie, a gifted but somewhat naive pop star on the verge of superstardom. As she’s about to take her blossoming career to the next level, Sophie tumbles down a flight of stairs and wakes up in Hell. Luckily for Sophie, the Grim Reaper is a fan and, unbeknownst to Sophie, strikes a deal to bring her back to life. However, when management notices the numbers don’t add up, the Reaper must return to the surface to correct his mistake or risk the wrath of the underworld. Things become more complicated when Sophie realizes she didn’t fall down those stairs; someone pushed her! Together with...

Diablo Cody and Mason Novick are teaming with Wattpad Webtoon Studios to produce an adaptation of the popular Webtoon webcomic “Death of a Pop Star” as a film.

The script will be written by buzzy screenwriter and producer Isa Mazzei. Named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film, Mazzei is the writer and producer behind Blumhouse’s psychological horror film “Cam,” as well as producer of Neon’s 2022 eco-thriller “How to Blow Up A Pipeline.” Her first book, “Camgirl,” was selected as one of NPR’s favorite books, and her writing has also been featured in New York Magazine’s The Cut, Glamour Magazine, and Het Hem’s The Couch. She is currently in post-production on an adaptation of “Faces of Death” that she wrote and produced for Legendary Pictures.

The “Death of a Pop Star” webcomic, written by creator Violet Karim and boasting 33 million global views,...

Grindstone Entertainment Group has bought North American rights to Uppercut, a boxing thriller starring Ving Rhames, for Hello Moment Productions.

World sales are being handled by Sublimity Entertainment, which will be presenting the film to international distributors at the Cannes marketplace.

Set in New York City, Uppercut begins in 2014 as Toni (Luiii), a determined fighter, seeks out Elliott (Ving Rhames), a former boxer turned gym owner in gritty Bushwick. Though Elliott first dismisses the idea of training her, an unexpected bond blossoms between them, breaking through the boundaries of boxing and exploring the complexities of respect, love, family, and personal convictions. It culminates in a final showdown that alters Toni’s destiny profoundly.

Years later, Toni, now a pioneering female boxing manager, guides Payne (Jordan E. Cooper) to his first championship fight, drawing upon Elliott’s wisdom. On this very night, Toni might not only lose a fight, but also herself,...

As production continues on the second season of HBO's adaptation of best-selling survival horror video game, The Last of Us, we have another late casting addition in the form of an Academy Award-nominated actor.

Variety (via GameFragger.com) reports that Jeffrey Wright has signed on to play Isaac Dixon, the character he provided the voice for in The Last of Us Part II game.

This take on Isaac is described as “the quietly powerful leader of a large militia group who sought liberty but instead has become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.”

In the game, Isaac leads the Washington Liberation Front (Wlf), who are engaged in a long-running war against the fanatical Seraphites (Scars). Abby Anderson (Kaitlyn Dever) is his most trusted and valued soldier, but she soon begins to question his ruthless and uncompromising tactics.

HBO recently unveiled the first official images from the second season,...

In the year plus since The Last of Us became a Max hit series with Season 1 debuting on the streamer January 15, 2023, the second season has gone full steam ahead in production after the dual Hollywood strike. Exciting developments such as an expanding cast and projected release date were given even before Warner Bros. Discovery’s Upfront presentation in May, where a first look was provided.

The cast of Season 1, which was shot in Calgary, Alberta, included Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, Elaine Miles as Florence, Ashley Johnson as Anna, and Troy Baker as James.

Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal will reprise their roles as Ellie and Joel...

Production is underway on season 2 of the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us, and Deadline has just revealed the name of a cast member who will be joining the show in this new batch of episodes: Jeffrey Wright, whose credits include American Fiction, Westworld, Basquiat, Shaft, The Batman, and multiple James Bond and Hunger Games movies. Also on Wright’s list of credits is the video game The Last of Us Part II, where he provided the vocal performance for the character Isaac – and that’s the same character he’ll be playing on the HBO series.

Wright’s character Isaac is “the quietly powerful leader of a large militia group, known in the video game as the Washington Liberation Front, who sought liberty but instead has become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.“

The story of the The Last of Us...

Lyrical Media has entered into a first-look film deal with Ryder Picture Company (Rpc), a production company helmed by industry veteran and Academy Award-nominee Aaron Ryder and partner Andrew Swett.

Lyrical Media, which is run by CEO Alexander Black, COO/CFO Jon Rosenberg and vice president of development and production Natalie Sellers, and Rpc recently partnered on Michael Sarnoski’s “The Death of Robin Hood,” starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer, which WME Independent introduced in Cannes, as well as Adam Wingard’s action-thriller “Onslaught” with A24.

“We’re thrilled to be making this collaboration between Lyrical and Rpc official,” Black said. “Aaron and Andrew are incredible talents and the perfect partners to build an independent ecosystem for leading filmmakers and storytellers.”

“Over the years, we’ve enjoyed success not only through our collaborations with some of the best filmmakers in the industry, but also through vital partnerships we’ve forged,...

Exclusive: Nicolas Cage, FKA twigs, Noah Jupe and Souheila Yacoub are set to star in Egyptian-American director Lotfy Nathan’s The Carpenter’s Son exploring the rarely told story of the childhood of Jesus with a horror take.

Paris-based Cinenovo and L.A.-based Spacemaker are producing. Goodfellas is overseeing international sales apart from in North America, which it will co-rep with Anonymous Content and WME.

Nathan has taken inspiration from the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas for the screenplay. Dating back to the 2nd Century Ad, the text recounts the childhood of Jesus.

Per the official synopsis, “The Carpenter’s Son tells the dark story of a family hiding out in Roman Egypt. The son, known only as ‘the Boy’, is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter, revealing inherent powers and a fate beyond his comprehension. As he exercises his own power,...

Exclusive: Following a competitive auction that saw several studios chasing the package, A24 has landed the action thriller Onslaught with Adam Wingard on board to direct. The film is reuniting writers Wingard and Simon Barrett and returning to Wingard’s roots where they made a name for themselves with films like You’re Next and The Guest.

Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett will produce under their Ryder Picture Company (Rpc) banner alongside A24, Alexander Black for Lyrical Media, Wingard and Jeremy Platt under their new shingle Breakaway Civilization, and Simon Barrett. Lyrical’s Jon Rosenberg, Stuart Manashil and Natalie Sellers will serve as executive producers with A24.

Plot details are being kept under wraps but the film is in the vein of Wingard and Barrett’s cult classics like The Guest and You’re Next. Lyrical Media and A24 will co-finance. A24 will handle worldwide releasing. Principal photography will begin in Fall...

Isabela Merced was just seen on the big screen in Madame Web, she has the lead role in the drama Turtles All the Way Down (which gets a Max streaming release in May), and she has Alien: Romulus coming our way in August. While we wait for her new movies, Merced is currently in production on season 2 of the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us, where she is taking on the role of Dina, a romantic love interest for the Ellie character, played by Bella Ramsey. Merced is doing the press rounds for Turtles All the Way Down, and during an interview with Collider she took a moment to talk about playing The Last of Us Part II video game and her chemistry with Bella Ramsey.

When asked if she was a fan of The Last of Us before being cast on the show, Merced said,...

Lukas Gage is on a roll. In shows like The White Lotus, Euphoria, You, and the latest season of Fargo, films like How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Down Low (which he also co-wrote), and now the eagerly anticipated Road House reboot, he’s been able to display his immense talent and range. He’s even played himself in Gossip Girl and The Other Two. On this episode, he explains how sometimes doing the opposite of what’s described is beneficial in an audition, why over-directing doesn’t work for him, the importance of creativity for the actor, how he arrived at his current […]

The post “There Is an Acceptance that Is Happening with Me Right Now Where I Just Only Care About Doing the Work”: Lukas Gage, Back To One, Episode 283 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Lukas Gage is on a roll. In shows like The White Lotus, Euphoria, You, and the latest season of Fargo, films like How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Down Low (which he also co-wrote), and now the eagerly anticipated Road House reboot, he’s been able to display his immense talent and range. He’s even played himself in Gossip Girl and The Other Two. On this episode, he explains how sometimes doing the opposite of what’s described is beneficial in an audition, why over-directing doesn’t work for him, the importance of creativity for the actor, how he arrived at his current […]

The post “There Is an Acceptance that Is Happening with Me Right Now Where I Just Only Care About Doing the Work”: Lukas Gage, Back To One, Episode 283 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Awards season is not over just yet.

The GLAAD Media Awards went down inside the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on Thursday, a ceremony that saw trophies handed out to winners across film, TV, music and media. Wayne Brady hosted the star-studded event at which Oprah Winfrey took home a Vanguard Award presented by Chilli Pepper and Paola Presta, and Niecy Nash-Betts was honored with a Stephen F. Kolzak Award for LGBTQ visibility from pal Sharon Stone.

In categories announced from the stage, Showtime’s steamy political drama Fellow Travelers starring Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey from creator Ron Nyswaner took the top prize as outstanding limited or anthology series. The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso, which introduced a gay soccer star this past season, bested the competition in the outstanding comedy series category. The Trace Lysette-starrer Monica from IFC Films was honored as outstanding film in limited release,...

This article contains major spoilers from The Last of Us Part II and will therefore spoil HBO’s The Last of Us season 2.

The recent cast announcements for The Last of Us has fans of HBO’s Emmy Award-winning drama speculating about how the upcoming sophomore season will approach the divisive central story of Naughty Dog’s 2021 video game, The Last of Us Part II. When it comes to the sequel’s shocking inciting event, players familiar with the post-apocalyptic game’s story are split into two camps as we trudge, Joel and Ellie-style, towards the show’s 2025 return.

HBO’s The Last of Us finished its first season identical to the original game’s ending. Hardened smuggler Joel Miller massacres his way through a Utah hospital to save his unconscious surrogate daughter Ellie from being killed for a cure to the fungal zombie pandemic. Pedro Pascal was deservedly praised...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2024 Oscars Predictions:

Best Original Score Killers of the Flower Moon Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone Credit: AppleTV+

Weekly Commentary: It’s Ludwig Göransson taking home another Oscar for “Oppenheimer,” following his first win for “Black Panther.”

Next.

Will Win: “Oppenheimer” (Ludwig Göransson)

Could Win: “Killers of the Flower Moon...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2024 Oscars Predictions:

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Weekly Commentary: “The Creator” has the advantage, but honesty, any film can win.

“Godzilla Minus One” is in the discussion and could be a cool choice for the Academy to make, similar to “Ex Machina.” However, don’t count out the power...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2024 Oscars Predictions:

Best Achievement in Directing The Zone Of Interest, 2023. © A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection

Weekly Commentary: Christopher Nolan… in a walk. It’s not really worth going over any other potential upsets, but if you prefer — Jonathan Glazer for “The Zone of Interest.”

After a year hit with Hollywood...

The filming of the anticipated second season of HBO’s hit series, The Last of Us, is currently underway. The Last of Us had recently made big casting announcements, such as adding Kaitlyn Dever as Abby Anderson, Young Mazino as Jesse, Isabela Merced as Dina and Catherine O’Hara in an unspecified role. Merced recently spoke of her experience starting filming, “Craig Mazin is one of the most brilliant people, actually, I think, a genius. I’m sure if they did the test, they would find out that it’s true. And he’s just has a way of bringing these characters to life that no one could ever just come up with in such a short amount of time. I love him. He’s amazing.“

Deadline now brings us some new names that have been added to this season. The HBO show has now cast Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick...

The cast for “The Last of Us” Season 2 continues to grow, with Entertainment Weekly reporting that Tati Gabrielle (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”) will play video game character Nora in the new season. Additionally, the site reports on more casting news for Season 2.

Spencer Lord (“Riverdale”) will play Owen, Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) will play Mel, and Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick) will play Manny.

HBO describes the video game characters as follows…

Nora: “A military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past.” Owen: “A gentle soul trapped in a warrior’s body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate.” Mel: “A young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism.” Manny: “A loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most.

The Last of Us is expanding its Season 2 cast, adding Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick), Ariela Barer (How To Blow Up a Pipeline), Tati Gabrielle (You) and Spencer Lord (Riverdale).

Based on Naughty Dog’s video game, The Last of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.

Ramirez will play Manny, a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most.

Barer portrays Mel., a young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism.

“The Last of Us” Season 2 has added four new cast members, Variety has learned.

Danny Ramirez, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, and Spencer Lord have all joined the hit HBO series’ second season.

Ramirez will play Manny, described as “a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most.” Barer will play Mel, said to be “a young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism.”

Gabrielle has been cast as Nora, “a military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past.” And Lord will appear as Owen, “a gentle soul trapped in a warrior’s body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate.”

Ramirez is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content, Viewpoint, and Hansen Jacobson. Barer is repped by Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment,...

Winners were celebrated at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 25, 2024. The ceremony took place at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA and honored outstanding achievement in film and television. Gold Derby associate editor Latasha Ford and senior editor Marcus James Dixon enjoyed an exclusive spot on the red carpet, interviewing many of the celebrities who were honored, presenting or enjoying the night’s festivities.

Watch each short video below from the 2024 Spirit Awards by clicking that person’s name:

Alan Barinholtz and Ron Song (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series

Susan Berger (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series

David Brown (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series

Ronald Gladden (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series

Trisha Lafache (‘Jury Duty’), winner for Best Ensemble Cast...

“Past Lives” se lleva el Spirit Award 2024 a la Mejor Película.

Ayer se anunciaron los ganadores de los Spirit Awards, conocidos como los “Film Independent Spirit Awards”, unos premios cinematográficos que honran los logros en la producción de películas independientes en los Estados Unidos. Unos premios en los que Past Lives se llevó el de Mejor Película y el de Mejor Dirección. Aquí os dejamos con la lista de los ganadores de esta edición:

Mejor PELÍCULA

Past Lives

Mejor DIRECCIÓN

Celine Song, Past Lives

Mejor ACTUACIÓN Protagonista

Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Mejor ACTUACIÓN De Reparto

DaVine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Mejor ACTUACIÓN REVELACIÓN

Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers

Mejor Guion

American Fiction

Mejor FOTOGRAFÍA

The Holdovers

Mejor Montaje

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Mejor ÓPERA Prima

A Thousand and One

Mejor Primer Guion

May December

Mejor PELÍCULA Internacional

Anatomy of a Fall

Mejor Documental

Four Daughters

¡SÍGUENOS!

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Can you use the Film Independent Spirit Awards to predict the Oscars? That's a risky endeavour, but when you consider that last year's Indie Spirit Best Feature Everything Everywhere All At Once went on to win big at the Oscars, hopes are certainly higher for Celine Song's Past Lives' Best Picture chances come 10 March.

Song also picked up Best Director for her emotional tale of reconnection and regret, While Av Rockwell took Best First Feature for A Thousand And One and Co-writer/director Babak Jalali won the John Cassavetes Award for best feature made for under $1 million for Fremont.

The Holdovers took home the most film gongs, nabbing Best Cinematography for Eigil Bryld, a welcome Best Breakthrough Performance for Dominic Sessa and in what should probably this year be renamed the Da’Vine Joy Randolph Award, she won her latest trophy: Best Supporting Performance.

How To Blow Up A Pipeline...