September 2020 – Page 14

Nia DaCosta’s Candyman Release Date Delayed to 2021

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Nia DaCosta’s Candyman release date delayed to 2021

After this morning brought the news that Warner Bros. was holding off on the release of the highly-anticipated Wonder Woman 1984, Universal Pictures is electing to once again delay the release of Nia DaCosta’s Candyman from its latest October release date to an unspecified 2021 date, according to Deadline.

Oscar winner Jordan Peele (Us) unleashes a fresh take on the blood-chilling urban legend that your friend’s older sibling probably told you about at a sleepover: Candyman. Rising filmmaker Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) directs and co-writes this contemporary incarnation of the cult classic.

For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; HBO’s Watchmen, Us) and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris; If Beale Street Could Talk, The Photograph), move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.

With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer (Colman Domingo; AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, Assassination Nation) exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifyingly wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.

Universal Pictures presents, from Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures and Monkeypaw Productions, in association with BRON Creative, Candyman. Candyman is directed by DaCosta, and produced by Ian Cooper (Us), Monkeypaw President Win Rosenfeld and Jordan Peele. The screenplay is by Peele & Rosenfeld and DaCosta. The film is based on the 1992 film Candyman, written by Bernard Rose, and the short story “The Forbidden” by Clive Barker. The film’s executive producers are David Kern, Aaron L. Gilbert and Jason Cloth.

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Dauberman, Perez & Paramount Animation Partner for Stray Dogs

Dauberman, Perez & Paramount Animation partner for Stray Dogs

After acquiring the rights to the forthcoming graphic novel, Paramount Animation has partnered with The Conjuring spin-off universe scribe Gary Dauberman and Game Night‘s Mark Perez to produce and pen an adaptation of Stray Dogs, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Slated for a 2021 release date by Image Comics, the plot for Stray Dogs is currently being kept close to the chest but it’s being described as “Silence of the Lambs meets Lady and the Tramp,” with Dauberman stating that the plan is to really dive into the terror nature of the source material.

“So much of what makes horror work is taking something innocent and twisting it into something scary,” Dauberman stated. “Like a doll in Annabelle. Or a clown in It. And that’s what we want to do inStray Dogs – take animation and twist it into something terrifying by using it to explore a really dark story. For me, the project combines a lot of my passions: animation, horror and… well, dogs.”

Much like last year’s loose Conjuring spin-off The Curse of La Llorona, Dauberman is attached to the adaptation in solely a producer capacity via his Coin Operated production banner while Perez, who broke out with the 2018 Jason Bateman-led ensemble dark comedy, is set to script the film.

Dauberman first broke out in film with his work on the first installment in the Annabelle series and would go on to pen the screenplay for its 2017 prequel and 2019 sequel, with which he made his directorial debut, and also co-wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed 2017 adaptation of It with Cary Fukunaga and Chase Palmer before writing the follow-up on his own. He is currently set to return to the world of Stephen King with a new adaptation of Salem’s Lot, which he will write and direct, as well as being attached to an English-language remake of the South Korean zombie hit Train to Busan.

Following Game Night, Perez has already begun lining up multiple new projects including the Netflix action comedy Movie Night with Bateman set to direct and John Cena (Bumblebee) set to star as well as Superworld, his second upcoming reunion with Bateman who is attached to direct and produce it for Warner Bros.

(Photo Credits: Getty Images)

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CS Recommends: Star Trek TMP The Art and Visual Effects, Plus TV & More!

Stuck inside? Don’t know what to watch/read/play/listen to? ComingSoon.net has got you covered. In this week’s CS Recommends our staff gives you solid tips on the best media to consume during your downtime, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Art and Visual Effects, Amazon’s The Boys, and more! Check out our picks below!

MAX EVRY’S RECOMMEND: Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Art and Visual Effects

Click here to purchase!

This week saw the official Star Trek Day celebrating one of sci-fi’s most enduring franchises. To celebrate, I read Titan Books’ latest large-format movie tome Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Art and Visual Effects, which focuses on the visual development on arguably the most visually influential film in the franchise. Yes, ST: TMP is widely considered an overlong chore of a film, but whether you appreciate it’s epic grandeur or not (I DO!) you can’t deny the mark it made, from Jerry Goldsmith’s classic score (later incorporated into The Next Generation) or the gorgeous ship design, elements of which are still present in the Kelvin Timeline films. This book goes into great detail on the effects and set design, from the initial concepts for Phil Kaufman’s abandoned Planet of the Titans movie, to the unfortunate firing of Robert Abel and much more. A feast for fans of TMP!

KYLIE HEMMERT’S RECOMMEND: The Boys Series Adaptation

Click here to watch The Boys Seasons 1 & 2!

Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys series adaptation is known for its jaw-dropping sequences, memorable characters — some you’ll love, some you’ll love to hate, and some you’ll just flat-out despise — and pushing the envelope, but besides the blood, insanity, and its perfectly-timed hilarity, The Boys knows how to pack a punch emotionally thanks to one hell of an ensemble cast and hard-working crew bringing to life the writers’ vision. The first four episodes of the second season are currently available now to stream (along with the first full season), and Season 2 continues the themes fans have fallen in love with while also further fleshing out each of the characters and their relationships with each other. No spoilers, but I’ve seen the remainder of the season and am beyond impressed with the careful balance the show carries in order to maintain its usual violent and hilarious spectacle filled with very real human complexities and plenty of tearful moments, some that will absolutely catch you off-guard.

Created by Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg, the series is an irreverent take on what happens when superheroes, who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians, and as revered as gods, abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. It’s the powerless against the super powerful as The Boys embark on a heroic quest to expose the truth about the supergroup known as “The Seven.”

This series, like the original comics created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, does come with a few trigger warnings, though. To put it simply, The Boys is not for everyone, particularly anyone averse to violence and gore (among other things), and it’s important to do a little research before jumping on board. For those who do decide to start the journey, you are in for a wild and heavy ride.

GRANT HERMANNS’ RECOMMEND: Hannibal

Click here to purchase!

The horror genre has really seen a mixed bag of efforts on the small screen over the past couple of decades and though the character had seemingly been run into the ground on the big screen in 2007, Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal proved to not only be the best adaptation of Thomas Fuller’s work but also one of the best horror and general series of the millennia. Acting primarily as a prequel to Harris’ first novel Red Dragon as well as adapting elements of all of his novels, the series follows gifted criminal profiler Will Graham as he works with the FBI to bring down some of the country’s most twisted serial killers while also struggling with the toll it’s taking on his psyche and is referred to Dr. Hannibal Lecter for therapy, only to further be manipulated by the most dangerous killer he doesn’t know.

Brilliantly expanding the mythos and exploring the deeper relationship between Graham and its titular hero while also offering a more complex portrayal of Lecter, the series is further supported by its stellar performances from its cast, namely Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen, delicious visual palette that will make even the most resolute ponder Lecter’s cannibalistic cooking, and an ending that still leaves the door open for potential future stories.

MAGGIE DELA PAZ’S RECOMMEND: Fight My Way (South Korean Drama Series)

Click here to purchase!

Starring Park Seo-Joon, Kim Ji-Won, Ahn Jae-Hong and Song Ha-Yoon, Fight My Way centers around the lives of four childhood friends named Dong-man, Ae-ra, Joo-man, and Seol-hee as they try to navigate their way through the consequences of adulthood. Despite being considered as underdogs, they’ll draw strength and determination from each other to achieve their individual dreams. At the center of this is the blossoming romance between the childish duo of Dong-man and Ae-ra, and the burgeoning problems that will test long-time couple Joo-man and Seol-hee’s relationship.

Fight My Way is a 16-episode comedy-drama which aired in 2017 and has garnered a lot of acting awards from local award-giving bodies. What I like the most about the series is its Slice of Life storyline that gives a realistic portrayal to the problems and issues faced by young working adults. It is not only very relatable but it also features a well-balanced mix of fun and emotion. On top of its well-executed story, the series’ charming main cast delivered great chemistry and incredible performances which would definitely make us want to have a friendship like theirs. So, if you’re having a hard time looking for a new K-Drama to binge, I highly-recommend you check out Fight My Way!

JEFF AMES’ RECOMMEND: Bugsy

Click here to purchase!

Barry Levinson’s Bugsy is an odd entry in the pantheon of gangster films in that it looks and feels like Casablanca (except in color) but revels in the blood, violence and language of a Martin Scorsese picture. Indeed, the finale in which Warren Beatty’s titular Bugsy Siegel, a violent sociopath who spends his time beating other mobsters to a bloody pulp when he’s not baking cakes for his daughter, bids farewell to Annette Benning’s Virginia Hill on an airport tarmac is strikingly old fashioned in execution and leans hard on the emotions in a manner similar to Beatty’s own Heaven Can Wait. Except, rather than head off for a cup of coffee with Julie Christie, Bugsy gets pumped full of bullets while watching a movie in his living room.

Even so, Bugsy is oddly optimistic for a film about evil crime lords and gun-wielding mobsters, which makes it all the more satisfying. And while writer James Toback sidesteps the famed gangster’s more tantalizing details in favor of crafting a more likeable antihero, played to perfection by Beatty, the story revolving around Bugsy’s desire to turn a barren desert into an oasis (that would eventually morph into the billion dollar revenue generating Las Vegas) stays pretty close to the facts without ever losing its star studded entertainment value. As gangster films go, you can’t do much better.

ComingSoon.net recommends all readers comply with CDC guidelines and remain as isolated as possible during this urgent time.

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Monica: Anna Paquin, Trace Lysette & More to Star in New Drama Film

Monica: Anna Paquin, Trace Lysette & more to star in new drama film

According to Deadline, Oscar winner Anna Paquin (The Piano) and Transparent alum Trace Lysette have signed on along with Academy Award nominees Patricia Clarkson (Pieces of April, Sharp Objects) and Adriana Barraza (Babel) to star in Italian director Andrea Pallaoro’s upcoming drama film titled Monica. Production is expected to begin later this year.

Monica is being described as a family drama film that will explore themes of abandonment, aging, acceptance, and redemption. It will follow the story of a transgender woman (Lysette) who finds herself returning home to the Midwest in order to take care of her dying mother (Clarkson).

“Andrea and the team have an undeniable ability to bring private, intimate stories to life in both a visceral and visually brilliant way. With that in mind, we are very excited to introduce Monica to the global market,” Brian O’Shea of The Exchange said in a statement.

The film will be directed by Andrea Pallaora, who co-wrote the screenplay with Orlando Tirado. It will be produced by Christina Dow, Eleonora Granata, Marina Marzotto, Gina Resnick, Christina Sibul, and BAFTA-winning producer Karen Tenkhoff. The Exchange is currently handling the film’s international sales.

(Photo by Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic & Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Rent-A-Pal Review: A Familiar Premise With a Slick Retro Twist

Rating:

8.5/10

Cast:

Wil Wheaton as Andy

Brian Landis Folkins as David

Amy Rutledge as Lisa

Kathleen Brady as Lucille

Adrian Egolf as Diane

Josh Staan as Camera man

Written, Directed & Edited by Jon Stevenson

Click here to rent or purchase Rent-A-Pal!

Rent-A-Pal Review:

With the modern world feeling so bleak, Hollywood has made quite the habit of late of looking to the past to tell its stories, with the era of the ’80s and ’90s being the favorite of storytellers and while Rent-a-Pal tells a very familiar tale, it gives its story a nicely retro twist that elevates it above other similar genre efforts.

Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David (Brian Landis Folkins) searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother (Kathleen Brady). While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But, Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission.

We’ve frequently seen tales of lonely men with troubled personal lives losing their minds and lashing out in dangerous ways — last year saw one bafflingly gross over $1 billion and garner 11 Oscar nominations — and Jon Stevenson’s Rent-a-Pal definitely touches on a number of tropes for the formula: lives at home, troubled relationship with his mother, problems connecting with the opposite sex, no true ambition for where his life could go. But yet the way that David is written and performed gives him a few extra layers that make him a more fascinating protagonist than most others.

With a runtime of nearly two hours, Stevenson uses the extra time uncharacteristic of many indie thrillers to actually develop his lead and allow audiences to connect to him and his struggles and awkward personality before crumbling the ground out from beneath them and revealing the darker path he will inevitably take. David truly has some interesting things about him, from his beleaguered profession as his dementia-riddled mother’s caretaker to his desire to genuinely connect with anyone not his own family, and once Andy begins taking over parts of his life, there’s a brief time in which viewers actually do feel sad about his downward spiral before we start to lose our sympathy by his actions.

In addition to the well-crafted character study nature of the plot, Stevenson relishes in creating a wholly authentic recreation of the world of lo-fi televisions, VHS rendezvous and synth-heavy musical compositions and with it being made on its indie budget, it’s truly impressively done. Aside from the crisp look of the film itself, there wasn’t a moment in its entire 108 minutes that I found my immersion even mildly broken, fully believing that this was made 30 years ago.

Another major highlight of the film comes in its performances, most notably the scene-stealing turn from the normally-comedic Wil Wheaton, who brilliantly taps into the tonal blend between the film’s darker humor and its more maniacal and chilling nature. Wheaton finds a way to keep his pre-recorded best friend believable in its quirky and bizarre nature while also allowing audiences to believe that his asides into sinister territory may not all be int he mind of David and offers a new side to the character actor that begs for him to return to the horror-thriller genre far more often.

Rent-A-Pal may suffer from some familiarity in its storytelling, but thanks to a wholly believable ’90s atmosphere, skilled direction in Stevenson’s debut, a stellar performance from Wheaton and strong performance from Folkins and thrilling synthesizer score, it sets itself apart from similar genre fare in stylish and chilling fashion.

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Pixie: Olivia Cooke, Alec Baldwin Comedy Thriller Lands at Saban Films

Saban Films is closing on North American distribution rights to Pixie starring Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and Emmy and Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Alec Baldwin (Mission: Impossible franchise, Still Alice).

The film centers on Pixie (Cooke), who wants to avenge her mother’s death by masterminding a heist. Her plans go awry and she finds herself on the run across the wild Irish countryside with two young men (Hardy, McCormack) who are way out of their depth and being chased by a psychotic hitman and a gang of gun-toting priests. She has to pit her wits against everyone, taking on the patriarchy to claim the right to shape her own life.

Pixie also stars Ben Hardy (Bohemian Rhapsody, X-Men: Apocalypse), Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders), and Golden Globe nominee Colm Meaney (The Banker, Layer Cake).

Barnaby Thompson (St. Trinians) directed and produced the comedic thriller from a script by Preston Thompson (Kids in Love). James Clayton (My Generation, Pride) also produced with Ingenious Media’s Peter Touche (Unhinged, Military Wives, Blinded by the Light) and Samantha Allwinton as executive producers.

Jonathan Saba and Bill Bromiley negotiated the deal for Saban Films along with Endeavor Content on behalf of the filmmakers. Endeavor Content is also handling international sales. Paramount Pictures is releasing in the UK and Ireland. The film was funded by Ingenious Media and Fragile Films with support from Northern Ireland Screen and filmed on location in Northern Ireland.

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Harry Styles to Replace Shia LaBeouf in Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling

Harry Styles to Replace Shia LaBeouf in Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling

Harry Styles to replace Shia LaBeouf in Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling

According to Deadline, award-winning singer-songwriter Harry Styles has officially signed on for one of the leading roles in actress-director Olivia Wilde’s forthcoming period thriller film Don’t Worry, Darling. The “Adore You” singer will be replacing Honey Boy star Shia LaBeouf, who has decided to exit the project because of scheduling conflicts. This marks Styles’ second high project after over three years since his appearance in Christopher Nolan’s 2017 war film Dunkirk.

Originally written by Carey and Shane Van Dyke, Don’t Worry, Darling is a psychological thriller about a 1950’s housewife who uncovers a disturbing truth to her perfect life. It’s also described as a pertinent story for the Time’s Up era and Wilde’s producing and writing collaborator Katie Silberman will rewrite the script and produce the film alongside Wilde and Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee.

The film will also star Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (Midsommar), Chris Pine (Star Trek, Wonder Woman), and Wilde in a key supporting role. Dakota Johnson (Peanut Butter Falcon) was previously in talks to join the film.

New Line Cinema was eager to work with Wilde following her directorial debut Booksmart. Wilde will also star in and produce the film, alongside Silbermann and Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment. The film will also be executive produced by Catherine Hardwicke, Shane Van Dyke and Carey Van Dyke with Daria Cercek and Celia Khong set to oversee the project on behalf of New Line.

Part of the deal includes an asking budget around $20 million, fees for acting, directing, for Silberman’s rewrite, and the “rare” backend. The outlet reports that the filmmakers and producers of Don’t Worry, Darling stand to receive 50 percent in profit participation once the movie breaks even. The last time a deal was made like this was between Warner Bros. and Todd Phillips’ The Hangover.

(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

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Chris Hemsworth Confirms Thor: Love and Thunder Won’t Be His Last MCU Appearance

Chris Hemsworth confirms Thor: Love and Thunder won’t be his last MCU appearance

Following Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans’ MCU retirement in Avengers: Endgame, many fans are speculating if the other four original Avengers’ time in the MCU will also be coming to an end or not, especially when their upcoming individual projects are about the introduction of a new character that might reportedly takeover their superhero personas. Although Scarlett Johannsson’ Black Widow died in Endgame, fans are still waiting to see if her long-awaited solo film will definitely be her last stint as Natasha Romanoff or not.

Meanwhile, during a recent interview with Elle Man, Chris Hemsworth finally opened up about his future in the MCU when he was asked about his rumored Thor retirement. The 37-year-old Australian actor immediately denied the rumor by clearly expressing his willingness to continue playing the God of Thunder even after Taika Waititi’s highly-anticipated Thor: Love and Thunder.

“Are you crazy?! I’m not going into any retirement period (laughs). Thor is way too young for that. I’m only 1500 years old! It is definitely not a film that I say goodbye to this brand. At least I hope so,” Hemsworth said.

He also went to share his excitement for Waititi’s Love and Thunder script: “After reading the script, I can say that I am very excited. For sure there will be a lot of love and a lot of lightning in this production (laughs). I’m glad that after all that happened in Avengers: Endgame, I’m still part of the Marvel Universe and we can continue the story of Thor. Of course, I can’t tell you anything about the plot, but to satisfy your curiosity, I’ll say that I had a lot more fun reading the script than on Thor Ragnarok, and that proves something, because this movie was brilliant.”

Thor: Love and Thunder will be directed by Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) on a script co-written by him and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great), which will be the followup to Waititi’s wildly successful 2017 sequel Thor: Ragnarok. Oscar-winner Natalie Portman is set to return as Jane and will now be wielding the mighty Mjolnir. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will also return as Thor and Valkyrie, respectively. Academy Award winner Christian Bale (The Dark Knight trilogy) will portray the main antagonist in the film. The female Thor storyline is based on Jason Aaron’s run on “The Mighty Thor” in which a cancer-stricken Jane Foster takes up the mantle and powers of Thor.

Thor and Valkyrie were last seen in this year’s highest-grossing film of all time Avengers: Endgame, with the god of thunder entrusting his responsibilities as the King of Asgard to Valkyrie as he joins the Guardians of the Galaxy on their next mission. According to Vin Diesel, the Guardians might also make an appearance in the fourth Thor film.

Originally set to debut on November 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder will now be arriving in theaters on March 25, 2022.

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CS Interview: Hugo Weaving Talks Measure for Measure

To celebrate the release of Paul Ireland’s gritty adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, ComingSoon.net had the opportunity to speak with the film’s star Hugo Weaving (The Lord of the Rings franchise, The Matrix franchise, V for Vendetta). The actor discussed his role in the flick and also went into great detail about all things Shakespeare and acting. You can purchase or rent the new film here!

Here’s the official synopsis for Measure for Measure: “An improbable love affair flares up between Karima, a modern Muslim girl, and Claudio, a local musician, in Melbourne’s most notorious housing estate, where ruthless gangs rule, drug abuse spreads and racial tension grows.”

ComingSoon.net: How did you get involved with Measure for Measure?

Hugo Weaving: I saw a film that Paul Ireland and Damian Hill had made together. And Damian acted in it, Paul directed it, a film called Pawno, which I absolutely loved. It was set in contemporary Melbourne, a suburb, and saw it about three years before we worked on Measure for Measure. And I met them then and I just was really interested in working with them because I knew that they’d made that with a lot of determination and good humor and good fellowship and with a minimum budget. And they’d done a fantastic job, so I was just interested in working with them, to be honest. And we talked about a few projects and one of them was this Measure for Measure, was then called M for M. And Damian had written a screenplay for it, which I then read and we talked about over a couple of years’ period, various drafts. And they got their funding and they wanted me to play Duke, and I was really taken with actually the character of Duke.

I thought he was very well-written. I think there were all sorts of other issues with the script that we were continuing to work on, but I was sort of committed to working with them, and I was committed to playing this particular role. I was just interested in all the complexities within that character so I could go figure if you like, he’s like a King Lear character. He’s stepping down. He’s very aware of his own mortality. And even though he’s a crime figure, he’s a crime boss, he’s actually a man of moderation, a certain amount of wisdom that had come through living through so much, a great deal of guilt, perhaps for certain things he’s done, a great deal of grief. Lost his wife and child and a great deal of empathy for other characters within the film. And he has a certain code, his sort of moral and ethical code. You know, he’s an old school kind of gangster, if you like. And it wasn’t so much the underworld that I was interested in, but I was interested in that concept, that idea of relinquishing power and sensing your own decline, which is all inside that character. So that’s really why I was interested in doing it.

CS: Well, so how familiar were you with the original Shakespeare play?

Weaving: I’ve never been in a production of Measure for Measure, but I’ve seen I think four or five productions, actually, unusually. Yeah, probably about four or five. And always been fascinated by elements within it and thought other elements within the play incredibly tricky, which I don’t think I’m the first person to say that. I mean, they’re problem plays of Shakespeare’s, but not because they’re problematic to do, but I think they are. I think Measure for Measure is an incredibly dark play. And there are certain aspects of the morality tale, which are very hard for us to take these days. There’s certain aspects of it which are very difficult to take. But there are other aspects of Measure for Measure, which seem very, very present, actually.

So yeah, I knew the play, but had never investigated it as a performer, never been involved in a production of it. But Damian had and was really keen to set it in contemporary Melbourne in Council Flats in Melbourne. So and I thought that was a pretty wonderfully brave and interesting idea. There were all sorts of issues with how do you make that reality, the morality of the original play work in contemporary Australia? And there’s something that they’ve found with the Jaiwara, Karima and Farouk characters, the intense religious sort of hold that the brother, the Farouk character has on his sister. It’s both familial and there’s a male/female domination. There’s a religious dictate and there’s also that their father figure has gone.

So I think some of his extreme morality plays well into this. And then, you’ve also got sort of the code and the chaos of the younger generation coming through, wanting to sell crack cocaine on the streets and make money that way. And so, there was quite an extreme sense of darkness and light and of chaos and balance, I suppose, within the piece that I thought could be perhaps contained in a screenplay. You know, I don’t know if you know that Damian Hill died the day before we shot the film. He was going to play Angelo and had written the piece and would’ve been co-directing and producing it. So this project’s really, there’s a lot of tragedy both in the piece itself, but much more for the people making the film. And it was – yeah. So that has informed the experience for all of us hugely.

CS: It’s interesting how you describe the play as being dark when it is typically referred to as a comedy.

Weaving: Yeah, that’s right.

CS: So when you guys approached it, did you approach it as a dark comedy?

Weaving: Yeah, no, well, we did talk about certain comic elements, but no, we didn’t look at it as a comedy. And I think all of — look, I think all great Shakespeare plays have great, fabulous comedy in them. I mean, Hamlet’s a case in point. You move from a clown grave digger talking to another clown grave digger into a scene where the body of a beautiful woman arrives and she goes into the grave and another man leaps into the grave declaring his love for her. And then, her brother drags him out and they start fighting. It’s like intense life and death mixed up with comedy and philosophy about life and death. So I think Shakespeare’s, that’s why he’s so great, is that even in the darkest moments, there are ways of looking at life that make you laugh, yeah.

CS: Okay, so I watched online you performed a soliloquy of Hamlet.

Weaving: Right, yeah.

CS: And I just got to know, how difficult is Shakespeare to pull off?

Weaving: I think it’s interesting because, yeah, the Sydney Theatre Company, basically because they haven’t been putting on plays this year, although I’m now rehearsing one with them. We’re about to open in about three weeks in a sort of social distancing theater. But yeah, they were basically trying to ask people to do things to help raise money for them because they weren’t doing any shows, you know? So I’ve been working with them since I was about 21, and one of the characters that I never got to play was Hamlet. And Tim Minchin, the musician/writer/composer/actor, who you may or may not know of, wonderful character, he did a soliloquy of Hamlet. And I had been thinking the same thing, although I was looking at all sorts of other things. I was looking at all sorts of plague things from The Decameron to The Diary of the Plague Year. I was trying — or Camus’ The Plague, reading sections from that. And then — well, look “to be or not to be” has just been going around in my head forever, ever since I was 18, 17, you know. I’m also interested in the idea of actually doing a production of Hamlet with every actor, everyone in it has to be over 65, so you get all the wonderful old actors, male-female to play, not necessarily play — just get all this fantastic experience so you hear the language and you hear the words, you hear the text, you hear what’s being said. His words are so extraordinary. And if you really understand, I don’t know.

You can’t ever dig and find the water. You’ve just got to keep on digging, you know, with Shakespeare. You can’t ever quite get there, but you can hope to try and get somewhere near there, but the well will just get deeper and deeper, I think, with him. And so, it’s endlessly challenging and fascinating. So incredibly difficult to make it work, to pull it off, if you were doing a Shakespeare play on film, but wonderful, some fantastic, some of the most extraordinary films. There’s a great Russian Hamlet. There’s all of Akira Kurosawa’s, Throne of Blood — a fantastic take on Macbeth. Orson Welles and [Roman] Polanski’s Macbeth is amazing. So you can do it. And but there are some of them are much more problematic. I think Measure for Measure is challenging and problematic, but it’s challenging and problematic to do on the stage.

CS: And so, do you have a favorite Shakespeare play?

Weaving: Yeah, Macbeth’s my fav, Macbeth and I love Twelfth Night. Macbeth, Twelfth Night. Yeah, and Hamlet. Hamlet, the soliloquies are extraordinary. I did play Macbeth with the Sydney Theatre Company about five years ago, and it was a massive theater and we put all the audience on stage and we performed on the lip of the stage and they were looking past us into an empty auditorium. And we also used the auditorium as well for different scenes. And it was incredibly claustrophobic for them. They were all sitting on the precipitous sort of stage seating. And yeah, smoke and lights and candles and a fantastic play — really, really headlong, dark, nightmare, wonderful. Just a fantastic play. Yeah, love it. But Twelfth Night I love, too. It’s just a beautiful, joyous, yeah, anyway. But you can make such a mess of them all. They can just be awful, but they’re wonderful, you know?

CS: It’s true. It’s like, if you have a great production then you can make something absolutely astounding, but you can screw it up.

Weaving: Very easily.

CS: What is your method of approaching a character?

Weaving: Well, I guess there’s an element of trust there. So you go reading, well, what sort of film is this? What is the style of this piece? How much humor is in this? How much self-deprecation needs to be in here from the point of view of the actors? How serious are these characters or how knowing are they? How innocent are they? And also, the filmmaker, are they really in control of their camera and are they in control of the material? And are the producers and will it be edited in the right way? So you don’t know. You have to trust as an actor. Like actors can look awful, just by their own performances, you know? It doesn’t mean they’re bad, it just means they’ve made a decision and jumped in with something. And maybe their communication between them and the director/producers is all wrong.

And so, actors can end up looking shocking. Similarly, an actor can be made to look amazing when they’re perhaps not amazing. And similarly, an actor can be really made amazing when they are amazing and they can be awful when they are awful. So I think to some extent you’ve got to — well, to a large extent, you’ve got to be able to communicate really, really — feel like you’re all on the same page, but also be prepared to fall on your face and be prepared to hopefully be picked up by someone and say, actually, that’s fantastic and thanks for that offer, but look, I think now we need to do this.

So you need to be looked after, but in order to learn, you need to jump over the cliff every now and then and hope that it’s not too far that you’re going to fall. I think part of — well, you’ve got to do to learn, don’t you? And yeah. You can play it safe and think about your career and play it safe and just look perfect all the time, or you can, you know, challenge and hopefully look pretty good sometimes and other times not so.

The post CS Interview: Hugo Weaving Talks Measure for Measure appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Tenet Coming to Select Drive-In Theaters in Los Angeles Area!

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Tenet coming to select drive-in theaters in Los Angeles Area!

For those in Los Angeles who have been avoiding heading to an indoor theater to see the latest Christopher Nolan blockbuster due to the safety concerns, the wait has paid off as Tenet is coming to select drive-in theaters in the Southern California region, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The decision to screen the film at drive-ins comes on the heels of the revelation at the end of August that Warner Bros. had issued a mandate to exhibitors that it would only be releasing the film in drive-ins in areas in which indoor theaters were also open, therefore if state or local governments were keeping indoor theaters closed, the local drive-ins would not be allowed to show Tenet.

With indoor theaters currently closed in the greater LA area, it’s unclear why WB is reversing their decision on the mandate. It could come from the studio’s hope to make back its money on the film sooner, given it’s Nolan’s most expensive original film to date with a $200 million budget, or just from WB’s desire to bring the film to LA audiences, who are one of the groups that are pretty instrumental in Nolan’s box office hits, but no matter the case this proves to be an exciting revelation for SoCal audiences.

Tenet is an international espionage thriller filmed across seven countries. John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman) stars, with a supporting cast that includes Robert Pattinson (Good Time), Elizabeth Debicki (Widows), Dimple Kapadia (Fugly), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Michael Caine (The Dark Knight Rises) and Kenneth Branagh (Dunkirk).

Armed with only one word—Tenet—and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist (Washington) journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real-time. Not time travel. Inversion.

The director first made an impact in 2001 with his indie film Memento. His next film, Insomnia, was also a modest hit. but it wasn’t until Batman Begins hit theaters in 2005 that Nolan became a box office force in his own right. The Prestige was Nolan’s last movie to gross under $200 million worldwide. His other films include The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk.

Looking to binge-watch some movies? Check out Amazon’s Director’s Collection of Christopher Nolan films here!

Tenet is written by Nolan and will utilize a mixture of IMAX and 70mm film, which is something he’s become famous for. Nolan is the film producer along with his partner Emma Thomas.