Not long ago, in this very galaxy, there was an unwritten rule which allowed movies to exist throughout time... without a sequel. Or prequel, reboot, remake, sidequel or reset. And for that matter, they didn't have to slot into an all-encompassing universe of interconnected films, either. However, that was then and this is now, and movie culture today asserts that for a property to succeed it helps to have other movies relating to it in order to strongly promote a unified brand. And so, the next title selected to join the likes of Marvel, Warner and Sony's cinematic universes is Paramount's Transformers.
AMC's Preacher is stepping up its game. Following months of speculation, which now were likely part of a lengthy negotiation process, Dominic Cooper officially signed on last week to headline the series. In the role of preacher Jesse Custer, Cooper will lead his best friend, an Irish vampire, and his ex-girlfriend, a badass called Tulip across the US to hunt down God. And no trek would be complete without loads of nasties along the way. While we already know Arseface is set to make an appearance - and what a delightful one that will be - there's another newcomer set to make life hell for Jesse.
Warner Bros. is readjusting its series of animated tentpole features due to arrive in theaters over the next four years. The hugely-successful brick-buildin' caper The LEGO Movie received such solid acclaim upon release that it went on to score nearly $500 million at the box office and a torrent of sequels in development. The LEGO Movie Sequel, the LEGO Batman movie, and the LEGO Ninjago movie were all unveiled by the studio last October, and have since undergone a release date shake-up.
A film bearing the title Ant-Man and featuring a leading superhero in possession of that name has gifted Marvel with a ton of opportunities for clever marketing ploys. Right from the get-go, the studio has capitalized on the titular hero's stature to raise audience awareness and get folks talking. That first teaser, for example, was so 'ant-sized' you couldn't really make anything out. Nevertheless, it did its job and kickstarted the early buzz. And now, the fun continues down under where a group of observant fans have spotted the studio's latest promotional angle.
A majority of the official plot details on David Ayer's Suicide Squad remain firmly under lock and key. However, thanks to a preponderance of rumors and speculation, an overall image is beginning to take shape as to what we may see in the supervillain team-up. Today's latest tidbit hails from the most prolific source of info on the movie, Latino Review's El Mayimbe, who has acquired further intel on one of the film's newest arrivals.
With the onset of spring comes one of the biggest events on the film industry calendar - The Cannes Film Festival. The annual festival will welcome jetsetters from across the globe, as filmmakers, producers and actors descend upon the French town to raise the profiles of their current projects. And one distributor is buttering up crowds before the chaos begins, as La Pacte has dropped the first teaser for its bloody fantasy outing, The Tale Of Tales.
Amid all of the excitement surrounding the Avengers sequel and a little movie called Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it's easy to forget than in less than two months Jurassic World hits theaters. By the end of play Monday, Universal is hoping to change all of that around. Today a brand new poster for this summer's beastie vacation sequel has arrived online, which is described as the first of a new trio. The second and third promotional pieces are scheduled to arrive on Saturday and Sunday before the cream of the crop descends onto the web: Monday's brand new trailer. But let's no get too ahead of ourselves.
MTV's small-screen reboot of Scream unleashed the first pieces of its marketing campaign earlier this week. A handful of teaser trailers signalled that we're no longer in the fresh terrain of Wes Craven's 1996 original movie. No, now we're in a world that's all-too-familiar with the tropes of horror, to the point where it's becoming a trope in itself. Self-self-reflexivity? I'm sure that's not where Kevin Williamson imagined his script would lead some twenty years down the line. Nevertheless, Scream is heading back to us this summer, and along with that fresh youthful cast all waiting to get sliced and diced, there's another few changes in store.
Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's next anthology series is expected to do for the horror comedy subgenre what American Horror Story did for plain ole horror. Currently in production, the first season of Scream Queens revolves around a college campus which is rocked by a series of murders. How the storyline will expand past what sounds like the plot from Scream 2 (which, isn't related in any way bar its titular similarity) mixed with Scream 2-ripoff Urban Legend is as yet unknown, because Fox are keeping their cards close on this one.
After a warm critical reception at Sundance, Open Road Films has launched a new trailer for its upcoming teen dramedy Dope. Circling a trio of self-described geeks, Malcolm (Shameik Moore), Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), and Jib (Tony Revolori) are best friends who will do whatever it takes to escape the neighborhood of Inglewood. Their aspirations of landing spots at college are thwarted when together they make a poor decision that may affect the rest of their lives.
