News

THE WANDERING EARTH Sequel Sets CNY 2023 Release Date, Hints At Wu Jing’s Return

It’s been close to a year since director Frant Gwo signaled a sequel to his 2019 blockbuster hit, The Wandering Earth, based on a classic sci-fi novella by Liu Cixin about the global coalition to engineer Earth to travel to a new solar system away from the deteriorating sun. With prelim teaser art already making the rounds, reports are now confirming with an official release date stamped for Chinese New Years Day on Sunday, January 22, 2023, and with statementsfrom Gwo himself, and producer Gong Ge’er, who are both returning in the same capacity. “After two years of pre-production and thinking about the script, we’ve decided to initiate our shooting plan for ‘The Wandering Earth 2,’ and at the same time have set our release date for New Year’s Day 2023,” said Gwo at this year’s Golden Rooster Film Festival. “Next, we will try to begin new production processes, and […]

News Briefs: Nesson’s EL DESCONOCIDO Remake; PANAMA Adds Two; Sanada Boards BULLET TRAIN; Universal Sets VAN HELSING Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

This month, efforts toward Liam Neeson actioner, Retribution have taken years to formulate but the project has officially attached Predators helmer Nimrod Antal to direct. A remake of Dani de la Torre’s El Desconocido (2015), Retribution centers on a bank executive forced to complete a series of tasks whilst trapped in his car with his children, lest the captor holding them hostage via phone detonates the bomb in his car. Jaume Collet-Serra and Juan Sola at Ombra Films and Andrew Rona and Alex Heinemann at The Picture Company are producing the pic which rolls cameras from next March through June. Studiocanal reportedly sold the film in a raft of territories worldwide following AFM. Actor Cole Hauser is starring alongside Mel Gibson and Kate Katzman for action thriller, Panama, which will shoot in Puerto Rico. The Mark Neveldine-directed pic has added Charlie Weber and Victor Turpin to star from a script […]

ARROW: December Seasons, AGFA Titles And More Outline To Arrive Through December Into 2021

Lee B. Golden III

Cutting edge cult cinema streamer, ARROW, is making headway this month announcing its December line-ups and title release plans well into the new year, starting with the December 1 release of Patrick Picard’s slow-burner horror thriller debut, The Bloodhound. Picard writes and directs this, his feature debut billed as “a hauntingly atmospheric tale”, freshly inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”. The film centers on Francis (Liam Aiken – A Series of Unfortunate Events), a dispossessed young man who finds himself drawn into a world of malaise and despair upon visiting the secluded home of his wealthy childhood friend who suffers from a mysterious affliction, and whose family is discovered to carry a dark legacy. The film also stars Joe Adler (The Maze Runner) and Annalise Basso (Ouija: Origin of Evil). Going forward, the seasons commence with “Naughty or Nice” for its following thematic […]

Park Hoon-Jung’s THE WITCH Sequel To Shoot In December

Lee B. Golden III

NEW (Next Entertainment World) and Warner Bros. Korea are reportedly moving forward with the since long-planned sequel to Park Hoon-jung’s 2018 sci-fi action horror thriller, The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion. Production is expected to commence in December according to several sources online, including an exclusive report at Star News which also hint at the return of actresses Kim Da-mi (JTBC drama, Itaewon Class) and Jo Min-su (Pieta). SBS drama While You Were Sleeping star Lee Jong-suk is also expected to take an early leave from his substitute compulsory military service to join the sequel this since declining the lead male role back in 2017; The move hails a reunion for Lee who previously starred in Park’s crime thriller, V.I.P.. The actor, whose screen credits also partly include Han Jae-Rim’s The Face Reader and Jo Yong-sun’s No Breathing, began his military service last March. Circling the backdrop of human atrocity […]

Terracotta Premieres UK’s First VOD Asian Cinema Label

Lee B. Golden III

Terracotta Distribution has officially initiated its in-house Video On Demand offshoot this week. Billed as the UK’s first VoD platform dedicated to East Asian cinema, the new streaming service aims to “showcase a range of new and classic genre, arthouse and indie films from across East and South East Asia”. Terracotta initially took off in 2009 with the inaugural Terracotta Far East Film Festival, as well as a distribution label. The company held five festival events since then and firstly released Hansel and Gretel in cinemas, TV and DVD, whilst steering to bridge itself to meet the demand for Asian cinema for the region’s audience. “We are so happy to have a streaming site purely for Asian film and really pleased with the mix of classics, emerging directors and new releases we’ve put together.” says Terracotta Managing Director, Joey Leung. “We’re really excited to have the Festival Retrospective too, and […]

THE RESCUE: Key Art For Dante Lam’s New Action Thriller Signals A December 18 Day-And-Date Release

Lee B. Golden III

Peep the gallery above as new key art was unveiled this week as an official announcement for Dante Lam’s long-awaited action thriller, The Rescue, now stakes a pre-Christmas December 18 day-and-date release from CMC Pictures in China, North America, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. The move comes after an extenuating delay for the film among other titles due to the ongoing pandemic. Early screenings gave the film rousing reviews prior to its previous Chinese Lunar New Year release for January at the time, then pushed to December and ultimately delayed again. The film marks a fourth reunion for director Dante Lam and actor Eddie Peng following 2013 MMA drama, Unbeatable, and patriotic action thrillers Operation Mekong and Operation Red Sea. Also starring are Jules Hartley, Will Tomi, Aldo Quintero Torres, Zhilei Xin and Lyric Lan. Billed as one of the most expensive Chinese films ever made, costing $100 million […]

MERCY: Don’t Miss The Official Trailer For Sam Flamon’s Feature Prison Drama Debut

MERCY: Don’t Miss The Official Trailer For Sam Flamont’s Feature Prison Drama Debut

Lee B. Golden III

The twentieth Whistler Film Festival summit kicks off December 1, and on that note, you’re possibly in line to screen Sam Flamont’s feature debut, Mercy. The new prison drama will be made available beginning December 11 with tickets now available, and stars Logan Mainil, Bryan Englund and Shawn Koch, and if you look closer, you’ll even spot Jason Truong as one of the supporting cast. Check out the trailer above and read on! Shot in Regina, and financed by the Telefilm Talent Fund, this is an astute first feature from Sam Flamon about a young man named Finn who is sent to a medium security prison for six months for killing a wounded deer. Finn is a quiet boy who likes to keep to himself, but there are some very scary fellows in the prison., including big hairy men who threaten the lives and the sexuality of their fellow inmates. […]

THE GREAT YOKAI WAR: GUARDIANS Introduces Its Hero In First Look Images For The Miike-Directed Sequel

Lee B. Golden III

If you took a liking any to Takashi Miike’s 2005 Daiei revival from the late 1960s, The Great Yokai War, you’re more than welcome to get your hopes up for more in the new year with the first promo art now online for the follow-up, The Great Yokai War: Guardians. Kadokawa Pictures is also running a first look at young actor Kokoro Terada in the role of Kei Watanabe, as Sci-Fi Japan reports, “an elementary school student with a connection to the yokai”, a hodgepodge of Japanese mythological creatures with a spiritual connection to the world that permeates us. The 2005 film saw a Ryunosuke Kamiki as Tadashi, a young boy tasked with searching for a mystical sword to defeat the evil Yomotsumono and rescue the children of Japan. Official plot details for the sequel are pending but these what we have so far until a teaser arises. Open the […]

Your Next Viewing: SLEEPAWAY SLASHER

Christina Ortega

What do you get when you put a group of horror filmmakers and actors together in a place where a tragedy occurred? You get an awesome cult film, is what you get. Horrortime Productions most recent release, Sleepaway Slasher, is another must-see for fans of cult films. The idea is simple: A group of budding filmmakers are invited to a competition at the site of an unfinished 80’s cult movie.. and the death of it’s infamous starlet. As the retreat progresses, something evil lurking behind-the-scenes begins to steal focus and the group become characters in a real-life horror film. But the delivery is so much more than simple. There is the story itself (of the current contest and the odd happenings at the place where the competition is being hosted), but then you get to see clips of the indy films that the artists are creating so it’s like several […]

SPACE SWEEPERS: Jo Sung-Hee’s New Space Adventure Thriller Streams On Netflix In 2021

Lee B. Golden III

Phantom Detective and A Werewolf Boy director Jo Sung-hee’s new intergalactic sci-fi, Space Sweepers, was another that fell casualty to the ongoing pandemic affecting theatrical exhibitors in 2020. Going forward though, the film getting a guaranteed release on Netflix early next year with the streamer ramping up its K-Content initiative. The film is one of seven titles among which are several television dramas, including Lee Chung-hyun’s The Call, Lee Eung-bok’s ten-episode drama, Sweet Home, Yu Sun-dong’s The Uncanny Counter and many more. “This year marked an incredible milestone for Korean filmmakers with the triumphant of Director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite winning the Oscars, positive reviews around Netflix film Time to Hunt, and the global popularity of #Alive via Netflix across the world.” said Netflix content veep for Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia & New Zealand, Minyoung Kim. “Netflix is at the forefront of changing the way entertainment is enjoyed throughout the world. […]

BARNEY BURMAN’S WILD BOAR Scares Up A Thanksgiving Release On Amazon Prime

Lee B. Golden III

To say that Barney Burman has outdone himself in all of his thirty-six year film career might be an understatement, having just taken to his first feature production, Barney Burman’s Wild Boar following his 2019 Wild Boar short film. The completed thriller has since undergone what could only be described as rows upon rows of accolades and wins from its festival circulation, earning multiple Bests in Feature, Original Concept, Gore, Makeup, VFX and Horror Film, and even Best New Director. And this is from multiple award associations around the country. Alas, the film is coming to a head and with Vangelis Films handling U.S. distribution, Barney Burman’s Wild Boar is now on track to release on Amazon Prime from November 25. The official trailer is just above, with the poster below. A group of weekend warriors venture into a toxic wasteland, where an eccentric billionaire (presumed dead) is said to […]

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THE OGUN: Netflix Action Thriller In The Works, Anthony Mackie To Star And Produce

Lee B. Golden III

Former stuntman-turned-action screenwriter Madison Turner is now the latest subject of Netflix’s latest formal feature film announcement, The Ogun. The streamer signaled on Monday the addition of actor Anthony Mackie (Marvel Cinematic Universe) as star and producer on the new action thriller which also has Jason Michael Berman producing for Mandalay Pictures. The Ogun centers on Mackie in the role of Xavier Rhodes, who brings his teenage daughter to Nigeria to find a cure for the rare genetic condition that he passed on to her. When his daughter is kidnapped, Rhodes goes on a rampage through the criminal underworld to find her before it’s too late, testing his powers to the limit. The Hollywood Reporter‘s Borys Kit notes in his exclusive that the film is being tonally likened “in the vein of John Wick crossed with Dante’s Inferno”. A search for a director is already underway. The film marks the […]

CAUTION, HAZARDOUS WIFE: THE MOVIE: Toya Sato’s New Spy VS. Spy Thriller Spies An Eye For March 2021

Lee B. Golden III

There’s no question as to how crippling the current pandemic has been on businesses, and that especially goes for film studios in Japan who’ve had to otherwise postpone or shelve titles indefinitely with theatrical exhibitors facing closures. With any luck, 2021 will see a much-needed turnaround though, and imaginably, a hope easily shared by Kaiji trilogy and Gatchaman helmer Toya Sato whose latest action comedy, Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie, is now slotting a March 19 release in Japan following a since cancelled June 2020 release. Inspired by Doug Liman’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2010), Sato’s Caution, Hazardous Wife: The Movie takes off from the ten-episode hit 2017 NTV series of the same name. Both actress Haruka Ayase and Hidetoshi Nishijima reprise their roles respectively as special agent-turned-amnesiac, “Kumi”, and Public Security Bureau operative “Yuji”. Married under false pretenses with their true identities and occupations kept secret, the series ends […]

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BLACK PANTHER 2 Signals Start Date, Casting

Lee B. Golden III

Save for whatever expectations you might have for the future of the Black Panther arc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we now have news that production on the sequel is expected to commence next summer in Atlanta with Ryan Coogler returning to the director’s chair. Casting wise, The Hollywood Reporter notes that Tenoch Huerta (Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico) is joining the new movie as an antagonist, opposite returning cast members Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett. The sequel was originally announced last summer at D23 for a May 2022 release among its slate, long prior to the death of actor Chadwick Boseman back in August from colon cancer; Boseman carried the role between four films within the MCU, including Coogler’s 2018 standalone film which garnered more than 1.3 billion dollars at the box office.

PREDATOR Back In Play At 20th Century Studios

Lee B. Golden III

Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) is being tapped to direct the next installment of the Predator franchise. News hints the new film will take a different trajectory than the previous 2018 thriller, The Predator, which Shane Black directed. The franchise has been a cult hit for fans ever since John McTiernan directed the 1987 inaugural starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played the leader of a merc unit that find themselves way in over their heads as they’re pitted in the jungles against a supernatural killer on the hunt. Developments are pending. More at Deadline.

DEADPOOL 3 Taps ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Writers

Lee B. Golden III

Deadpool 3 is still in its nascency following its confirmation of development with Marvel by Ryan Reynolds late last year. Nevertheless, Justin Kroll’s latest exclusive at Deadline is nothing short of a sparkling reminder that the film is insofar definitely happening, with word that sibling scribe duo Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin and Wendy Molyneux (Bob’s Burgers, animated comedy “The Great North,”) have been tapped to write the next installment. The franchise has been a major box office success up to this point with Tim Miller and David Leitch directing the 2016 and 2018 films, respectively, with Ryan Reynolds staking his claim as the titular merc-with-a-mouth based on Rob Liefield’s longstanding hit comic book creation. Reynolds is also a producer on the pic, and though a director still yet to be attached, the Molyneuxes’ involvement ought to serve as a nice little stocking stuffer going into the Holiday season for Deadpool fans. It also […]

HBO Max Briefs: DMZ In The Works; THE LAST OF US Ordered To Series

Lee B. Golden III

This week’s seen a fantastic growth of news for HBO Max subscribers, the latest two of which include current development of DC/Vertigo adaptation, DMZ, and Friday’s announcement of a series take based on the hit video game, The Last Of Us. Production is set to commence next year for a four part adaptation of DMZ, based on the 2005 Vertigo/DC publication, marking the latest milestone since its planned development first landed at SyFy in 2014. DMZ is set in the near future where America is embroiled in a bitter civil war, leaving Manhattan a demilitarized zone (DMZ), destroyed and isolated from the rest of the world. The show will chronicle the harrowing journey of fearless and fierce medic Alma Ortega (series star Rosario Dawson), who sets out on a harrowing journey to find the son she lost in the evacuation of New York City at the onset of the conflict. […]

HERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN: Well Go USA Lands Early 2021 Release For Eoin Macken’s Gritty Irish Teen Drama From Arclight

Lee B. Golden III

Gritty Irish teen drama Here Are The Young Men has locked a North American distribution deal for next year from Well Go USA Entertainment. The film was adapted for the screen by director Eoin Macken who co-wrote the film with Rob Doyle, whose acclaimed 2014 novel serves as the basis for the film. Set in 2003, the film catalogs the last summer of three Dublin high school graduates – aimless Matthew (Dean-Charles Chapman, HBO’s Game of Thrones), his charismatic yet deranged friend Kearney (Finn Cole, HBO Max’s Peaky Blinders) and their precocious friend Rez (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Sing Street) – as they embark on an epic binge to celebrate a future without limits. But when they witness a catastrophic accident, the incident sends them spiraling, forcing each to grapple with the most daunting challenge of their lives: facing the demons inside. Also headlining the ensemble cast are Travis Fimmel (Ridley Scott’s […]

THANH SOI: Dong Anh Quynh To Star In Veronica Ngo’s ‘Hai Phoung’ Origin Spin-Off For 2021

Lee B. Golden III

Word around the martial arts fandom this week is the commencement of pre-production for Thanh Soi, an origin tale based on Veronica Ngo’s latest action thriller hit, Hai Phoung, (a.k.a. Furie). The new film – to be likely titled Furies for markets outside Vietnam – will see Ngo shepherding the pic under her Studio68 banner. She will direct from a script by Aaron Toronto who penned Ngo’s 2016 fantasy adaptation, Tam Cam: The Untold Story, casting actress and model Dong Anh Quynh for the title role previously played by third-degree blackbelt, actress Hoa Tran opposite Ngo in the 2019 inaugural thriller. That film saw the two go toe-to-toe with Ngo in the role of Hai Phoung, an ex-gangster whose daughter’s kidnapping jettisons her into a rip-roaring mission through her former criminal network in the big city, tearing through streets and hordes of villains until catching up with the infamous criminal […]

WONDER WOMAN 1984 Stakes A Day And Date Theatrical/HBO Max Release This Christmas

Lee B. Golden III

A little over a year since its originally-planned release last December, it appears that Warner Bros. Pictures is done kicking the can down the road further and has resigned to a releasing the long-awaited Wonder Woman 1984 simultaneously in 3D/2D/IMAX theaters and via HBO Max. The announcement was made Wednesday with a trailer relaunch, dating the film’s release accordingly in time for Christmas on December 25 in the U.S., with HBO Max releasing the film at no additional cost to subscribers. International markets will get to debut the film a week in advance from December 16. The move definitely cements things a little further as the country continues to struggle with the on-going pandemic and its crippling effect on select businesses, particularly the traditional theatrical model, as some exhibitors continue to face foreclosures and bankruptcy, while some consumers in select areas turn toward drive-in screenings as a more feasible model […]