Wash Me in the River: Migos’ Quavo to Make Feature-Film Debut

Quavo (Atlanta, Narcos: Mexico), a member of the Atlanta hip-hop trio Migos whose real name is Quavious Keyate Marshall, is set to make his feature-film debut with Wash Me in the River, starring alongside Robert De Niro, John Malkovich, and Jack Huston (via Variety).

RELATED: The Formula: John Boyega & Robert De Niro to Star in Gerard McMurray’s Netflix Feature

Directed by Randall Emmett (Midnight in the Switchgrass), Quavo will play Coyote, “a ruthless and heartless drug lord.” The film is described as being in the same vein as No Country for Old Men, and is written by Adam Taylor Barker. The story focuses on a recovering opioid addict who seeks revenge on the dealer (Coyote) responsible for selling the drugs that resulted in his lover’s death.

“I honestly think this movie is going to be one of the greatest to come of this time,” Quavo says. “The experience was unbelievable for me, with Robert De Niro and Jack Huston being so down to earth and making me feel like family. Gonna see me doing some stunts and a lot of what you hear from me in my raps! This is one of my biggest debuts I’ve ever had, and so proud of what we did and to get to work with Randall who’s such an amazing guy — I can’t wait to do more films with him.”

“Quavo is a superstar and a real actor,” added Emmett. “Getting to see him bring the Coyote character to life is very exciting, and I think he is going to have a film career equally as big as his music.”

RELATED: Valley of the Gods Trailer Starring John Malkovich & Josh Hartnett

Emmett/Furla’s Emmett, George Furla, and Tim Sullivan will produce with Nicholas D’Angelo and Lydia Hull executive producing. Wash Me in the River is currently filming in Puerto Rico.

(Photo by Morgan Lieberman/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

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Sulwe: Netflix to adapt Lupita Nyong’o children’s book into animated musical film

Netflix has announced that they’re in the process of developing a new animated musical film adaptation of Sulwe, based on Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o’s best-selling children’s book of the same name. Nyong’o has also boarded the project as a producer.

“The story of Sulwe is one that is very close to my heart,” Nyong’o said in a statement (via Deadline). “Growing up, I was uncomfortable in my dark skin. I rarely saw anyone who looked like me in the aspirational pages of books and magazines, or even on TV. It was a long journey for me to arrive at self-love. Sulwe is a mirror for dark-skinned children to see themselves, a window for those who may not be familiar with colorism, to have understanding and empathy, and an invitation for all who feel different and unseen to recognize their innate beauty and value. I am thrilled that the book is being adapted into an animated musical that we hope inspires children all around the world to celebrate their uniqueness.”

RELATED: Netflix Acquires Brian Jacques’ Redwall for Film & TV Adaptations

Sulwe is the story of a girl named Sulwe with skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone she knows, but all she wants is to be beautiful and bright. One night, Sulwe is visited by a shooting star sent by the Night, and embarks on a magical journey where she learns the eye-opening story of the sisters Night and Day. It is a story about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within.

Pick up a copy of the book here!

Written by Lupita Nyong’o and illustrated by Vashti Harrison, the children’s book was published in 2019 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Soon after its debut, it became a New York Times bestseller and was honored with a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award and NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children’s Literary Work.

RELATED: The Mitchells vs. The Machines: Netflix Nabs Global Rights to Lord-Miller’s New Animated Film

The film adaptation currently has no director, cast and composer attached to it. Sulwe will be part of Netflix’s upcoming animated feature slate which includes Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Adventure.

(Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

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The Marsh King’s Daughter: Daisy Ridley to Star in Neil Burger’s New Thriller

Daisy Ridley (Star Wars franchise, Chaos Walking, Murder on the Orient Express) is attached to star in The Marsh King’s Daughter, a movie adaptation of the psychological-thriller written by Karen Dionne. Neil Burger (Limitless, Divergent, Voyagers) is set to direct, according to Deadline.

RELATED: Lionsgate Unveils New Chaos Walking Clip as Tickets Go On Sale!

Ridley will play Helena in the film, a woman living a seemingly ordinary life, but hiding a dark secret: her father is the infamous “Marsh King,” the man who kept her and her mother captive in the wilderness for years. After a lifetime of trying to escape her past, Helena is forced to face her demons when her father unexpectedly escapes from prison.

Pick up your copy of the novel here!

Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, Overlord, The Midnight Sky) and Elle Smith are adapting the screenplay. Principal photography is expected to begin this summer in Canada.

RELATED: Neil Burger’s Voyagers Lands Ensemble Cast Led By Colin Farrell

The Marsh King’s Daughter hails from Black Bear Pictures, Anonymous Content, and STX International. Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman, Anonymous Content’s Keith Redmon, and Mark L. Smith will produce the project. Black Bear Pictures will finance with STX distributing in the UK, Ireland, and India.

(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

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STXfilms acquires Chris Pine-led thriller Violence of Action

It’s been nearly a year and a half since we last heard word on the development of the project and now STXfilms has announced that it has acquired the domestic distribution rights to the Chris Pine-starring thriller Violence of Action.

RELATED: Sydney Sweeney Joins STXfilms Dramedy American Sole

The film, helmed by Tarik Saleh (The Nine Hilton Incident) on a script from JP Davis, centers on James Harper (Pine) who, after being involuntarily discharged from the Green Berets, joins a paramilitary organization in order to support his family in the only way he knows how. Harper travels to Berlin with his elite team on a black ops mission to investigate a mysterious threat. Barely into his first assignment, he finds himself alone and hunted across Europe, where he must fight to stay alive long enough to get home and uncover the true motives of those who betrayed him.

“We’re incredibly impressed by what we’ve seen so far of Violence of Action,” Adam Fogelson, Chairman of STXfilms Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. :Chris gives the kind of unforgettable performance that will resonate with audiences everywhere. It’s an elevated action film that has real franchise potential and we are tremendously excited to be working with Chris, Tarik, and the teams at Thunder Road and 30WEST.”

Alongside Pine, the cast for the thriller includes Ben Foster (Hell or High Water), Gillian Jacobs (Community, Come Play), Eddie Marsan (Hobbs & Shaw), Fares Fares (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Nina Hoss (A Most Wanted Man) and Amira Casar (Call Me By Your Name).

RELATED: Chris Pine in Talks for Goldstein & Daley’s Dungeons & Dragons

Violence of Action, which was shot on location in the U.S., Germany, and Romania, is produced by Thunder Road Film’s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee (John Wick franchise, Greenland, Sicario) with 30WEST fully financing the film. 30WEST’s Dan Friedkin, Micah Green and Dan Steinman are executive producing along with Pine, Jonathan Fuhrman, Tom Lassally and Josh Bratman and Esther Hornstein of Thunder Road Films. It was previously announced that STXinternational acquired international rights to the film and will directly distribute in the UK, and Ireland.

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Netflix making The Trial of the Chicago 7 free on YouTube for limited time

To celebrate the forthcoming anniversary of the verdict for the titular court case, Netflix has announced that Aaron Sorkin’s five-time Golden Globe nominated The Trial of the Chicago 7 will be hitting Netflix’s YouTube channel free for 48 hours.

RELATED: The Trial of the Chicago 7 Review: Energetic, Stylish & Powerfully Acted

On February 18, 1970 the verdict in The Trial Of The Chicago 7 was announced — to mark the anniversary, starting at midnight tonight, the film will be available for free for 48 hours on Netflix’s YouTube pic.twitter.com/nu7PxdLEjZ

— Netflix (@netflix) February 18, 2021

Based on a true story, The Trial of the Chicago 7  follows protesters who disrupted the 1968 Democrat party convention with an anti-Vietnam war “carnival” that turned nasty. Demonstrators threw bricks, police responded with tear gas and the center of Chicago was engulfed in flames. Curfews only escalated the violence.

After the clashes, independent investigators blamed eight police officers and eight protesters including Abbie Hoffman, who had already disrupted the New York Stock Exchange with showers of fake money. The police were not charged but the protesters were accused of inciting a riot. One was jailed for contempt, leaving the seven to fight the charges.

Sorkin’s second directorial effort features Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald) as Tom Hayden, Oscar-nominee Sacha Baron Cohen (Who is America?) as Abbie Hoffman, Jeremy Strong (Succession) as as Jerry Rubin, Golden Globe-nominee Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Snowden) as Richard Schultz, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) as Bobby Seale, Alex Sharp (The Hustle) as Rennie Davis and Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Luce, Waves) as Fred Hamptom. It will also star Michael Keaton, William Hurt, Thomas Middleditch, John Carroll Lynch, Daniel Flaherty, Noah Robbins, Mark Rylance, J.C. MacKenzie and Max Adler, who also serves as an executive producer.

RELATED: CS Video: The Trial of the Chicago 7 Interview With Aaron Sorkin

The film will also be executive produced by Matt Jackson. Marc Butan and Anthony Katagas. The Trial of the Chicago 7 will be produced by Oscar nominee Marc Platt (Bridge of Spies, La La Land), Stuart Besser, and Tyler Thompson.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 is currently available to stream on Netflix and will hit the platform’s YouTube channel on midnight tonight!

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Exclusive Five Trailers: 5 Women-Directed Short Films About Inspiring Women Around the World

ComingSoon.net is debuting Five exclusive trailers on the upcoming series of five short documentaries, each directed by women, with focuses on five women entrepreneurs from around the globe who have successfully created a purpose-driven business to improve and uplift their communities. You can view the trailers for each documentary short in the players below, as well as view the posters in the gallery!

RELATED: Exclusive Days of the Bagnold Summer Clip From Simon Bird’s Feature Directorial Debut

The businesses each address global challenges we are faced with today, including the topics of food insecurity in America, discrimination in hiring practices, sustainable farming, employment opportunities to women, and specialized education for children with disabilities. Each film is set in the subject’s respective country – the United States, Brazil, India, Lebanon, and Croatia – and are directed by a woman from or connected to each of the regions.

The series titled Five was commissioned by Mastercard in the hopes that these stories will bring further awareness to some of the world’s most critical issues, but these films are not branded content. As more and more companies are saying they want to put money into areas of doing good, Mastercard has done so already by commissioning these films, in order to shine a spotlight on real women entrepreneurs, making a real difference in their communities.

The documentaries include Harfa (Croatia) directed by Ella Mische; Justice of the Pies (USA) directed by Michelle Marrion; ONganic Foods (India) directed by Lisa Madison; Sarah’s Bag (Lebanon) directed by Nadia Naffa; and Talento Incluir (Brazil) directed by Renata Sette.

RELATED: Exclusive The Arbors Trailer Promises a Creepy Crawly Nightmare

All Five will be distributed by ShortsTV and will premiere on demand and digital on March 6th, as well as virtual cinemas, ahead of International Women’s Day.

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Spider-Man composer Danny Elfman to score Raimi’s Doctor Strange 2

In a recent interview with Inverse, award-winning composer Danny Elfman has finally confirmed that he is indeed reuniting with Sam Raimi for Marvel Studios’ highly-anticipated MCU sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Elfman also revealed he has already started doing some preliminary work on the Benedict Cumberbatch-led film.

“I am starting to do bits of pre-work for Doctor Strange 2 that Sam Raimi’s directing,” he said. “Even though I don’t start it for some months, there’s bits of recorded music they need for the sets.”

This marks the sixth collaboration between Elfman and Raimi, who have worked together on 1990’s Darkman, 1998’s A Simple Plan, 2002’s Spider-Man, 2004’s Spider-Man 2, and 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful. However, this isn’t his first project with Marvel Studios as he previously scored 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.

RELATED: Doctor Strange 2: Feige Confirms Spider-Man 3 Ties Into Multiverse of Madness 

Cumberbatch will next be reprising his role as Dr. Stephen Strange in the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man 3 in addition to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The sequel is being described as the first horror film in the MCU with Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch returning as the titular sorcerer supreme and Elizabeth Olsen also appearing as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. According to Kevin Feige, the upcoming Disney+ shows WandaVision and Loki will both directly impact the events the Doctor Strange sequel.

Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch appeared in Avengers: Endgame, where they were both last seen attending Tony Stark’s funeral. Loki also appeared in Endgame and was last seen after the events of the Avengers’ first battle in New York, where he escapes with the Tesseract cube.

Originally set to be directed by Scott Derrickson, the sequel will now be helm by Spider-Man‘s Sam Raimi with Loki head writer Michael Waldron set to rewrite the script that was first written by The Turning scribe Jade Bartlett. Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Benedict Wong will be reprising their roles, with Rachel McAdams recently confirmed to make her return as Dr. Christine Palmer.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will hit theaters on March 25, 2022.

RELATED: CS Soapbox: Why Daredevil in Spider-Man 3 is More Exciting Than Tobey

The first Doctor Strange movie was released in 2016 with Benedict Cumberbatch starring in the titular role. Joining him in the film were Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo, Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer, and Michael Stuhlbarg as Nicodemus West. It also featured the MCU debut of critical characters from the pages of Marvel Comics, including Benedict Wong as Wong, plus Mads Mikkelsen as villain Kaecilius, and Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One (who is of Celtic origin in the film instead of East Asian origin). Doctor Strange was directed by Scott Derrickson, whose previous credits were primarily horror films like The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, and Deliver Us from Evil.

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First Mortal Kombat trailer brings beloved game to bloody life!

After unveiling a brief snippet of footage and images from the highly-anticipated new adaptation of the hit Midway Games franchise, Warner Bros. and HBO Max have unveiled the first full red band Mortal Kombat trailer for Simon McQuoid’s reimagining, which can be viewed in the player below! Also check out some bloody new stills in the gallery!

RELATED: Mortal Kombat, Godzilla vs Kong & More Footage in HBO Max Promo

In Mortal Kombat, MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?

The diverse international cast reflects the global nature of the brand, with talent spanning the worlds of film, television and martial arts. The ensemble includes Joe Taslim as Sub Zero; Ludi Lin as Liu Kang; Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson as Kano; Tadanobu Asano as Raiden; Mehcad Brooks as Jackson “Jax” Bridges; Chin Han as Shang Tsung; Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion; Max Huang as Kung Lao; Sisi Stringer as Mileena; and Lewis Tan.

James Wan (The Conjuring universe, Aquaman) and Todd Garner (Into the Storm, Tag) are producing. Larry Kasanoff, E. Bennett Walsh, Michael Clear and Jeremy Stein are serving as executive producers.

Bringing the hugely popular property to the big screen, director Simon McQuoid lead a team of Australian and U.S. filmmakers, including director of photography Germain McMicking (True Detective, Top of the Lake: China Girl), production designer Naaman Marshall (Underwater, Servant), editor Scott Gray (Top of the Lake, Daffodils), and costume designer Cappi Ireland (Lion, The Rover).

The first video game in the series was developed by Midway Games and released in 1992. The storyline sees a diverse range of fighters hailing from eighteen different realms become pitted against one another in an epic tournament. Quite a few sequels followed the original game with the most recent, Mortal Kombat 11, being released earlier this year.

RELATED: New Zack Snyder’s Justice League Images From the Upcoming Film!

Two Mortal Kombat movies were previously made. The first, simply titled Mortal Kombat, was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and was released in 1995. It was followed two years later with a sequel, Annihilation, which also paved the way for two television series: the animated Defenders of the Realm and the live-action Konquest. Two web series have been released based on the property as well from director Kevin Tancharoen.

Mortal Kombat is set to hit theaters and HBO Max simultaneously on April 16!

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Stars Collective & Aja team for feature adaptation of Mr. Thisforthat

As proven with The Babadook, Mama and Lights Out, some horror shorts work great for the big screen and now Thomas Mendolia’s Mr. Thisforthat is the latest to get the feature treatment as Peter Luo’s Stars Collective has acquired the rights to the project, according to Deadline.

RELATED: William Eubank & Christopher Landon Team for Paranormal Activity Reboot

The short, which debuted at last year’s Fantasia International Film Festival and was directed by Mendolia on a script from Michael Karr, centered on a young girl in a broken home who is visited by the titular mysterious creature in her closet who offers her anything she wants, but at an irreversible price.

“The discovery of great source material from talented young creators is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences for me, and is one of reasons Stars Collective has become such a key pillar in what we do,” Luo said in a statement. “The broad commercial potential with this project is evident to us and the creative vision and tastes we share with Craig and Alex in terms of how this comes to life, line up perfectly.”

The feature-length adaptation is set to be penned by Karr and helmed by Mendolia once again, who bonded over Karr’s script while attending USC’s Film Program and successfully pitched it for the Graduate 546 film class and have become the latest filmmakers to join the collective, with their project slated to be one of the first to be launched by the studio.

“Alex Aja and I are always on the hunt for innovative horror stories with franchise opportunities that give birth to iconic sinister characters who will haunt audiences dreams the same way Freddy Kruger did for our generation,” executive producer Jake Wagner said in a statement. “With Mr. Thisforthat, Michael and Thomas have crafted a very unique dark lore that sends us back to our deepest fear and the consequences of our choices. We were super impressed with their proof of concept short!”

RELATED: Tim Burton & Netflix Teaming for Live-Action Wednesday Addams Series

Mr. Thisforthat is set to be produced by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Crawl) via his Fire Axe Productions banner alongside Craig Flores (Crawl, Immortals) for his Brad and Circuses Entertainment label and Luo (Marshall, Midway) while Wagner is attached to executive produce.

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John Patrick Shanley to write & direct The Twinkle Brothers for Rivulet Media

Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer John Patrick Shanley will write and direct the upcoming comedy The Twinkle Brothers for Rivulet Media. Rivulet Films will produce with recently named President Rob Paris taking the lead. Casting is underway with filming to begin in New York this fall.

RELATED: CS Video: John Patrick Shanley on Joe Versus the Volcano 30th Anniversary

The Twinkle Brothers is a tale told by avuncular café owner Mordecai who, when tasked with the responsibility of looking after his precocious six-year-old granddaughter Rita for an afternoon, spins her a yarn about Freddie and Miguel, two insanely competitive brothers from Puerto Rico who come to New York and end up with competing restaurants directly across the street from one another. The brothers stop at nothing to be the best on the block, ratcheting up the competition to the delight of their neighbors who are treated to bizarrely spectacular light shows, dueling Santas, and seemingly endless plates of delicious and comforting food.

Shanley is a playwright, screenwriter, and director whose original screenplay, Moonstruck, won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Shanley also wrote and directed Miramax’s Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis and was based on his Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Doubt, A Parable.” Most recently, Shanley wrote and directed Bleecker Street’s Wild Mountain Thyme, an adaption of his play “Outside Mullingar,” starring Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, Jon Hamm, and Christopher Walken.

RELATED: CS Video: John Patrick Shanley & Jon Hamm Talk Wild Mountain Thyme

The Twinkle Brothers reunites Shanley with Paris, who previously served as Shanley’s agent during his tenure at CAA. Said Paris, “I so desperately missed speaking with John every day that I stalked him until he agreed to let me be a part of this film. I cannot wait to get started.” 

(Photo by Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty Images)

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