Bugzy Malone Joins Guy Ritchie’s New Spy Thriller as Filming Begins Tomorrow

According to Deadline, British rapper Bugzy Malone has officially joined the cast of Guy Ritchie’s forthcoming international spy thriller film, reuniting him with the filmmaker, who previously worked together in last year’s The Gentlemen. He will be joining previously announced cast members Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, and Cary Elwes. In addition, production on the untitled film will finally begin tomorrow in Doha, Qatar. The project is also expected to shoot in Antalya, Turkey.

“Guy and Jason have repeatedly impressed audiences with their collaborations, and we’re looking forward to bringing this production to the city of Doha, Qatar, a growing market in the entertainment and media space,” Chairman of Miramax-owner beIN Media Group, Nasser Al-Khelaifi said. “This film marks our third collaboration with Ritchie, adding to our expanding list of nearly 20 projects having been released or currently in production since beIN’s acquisition of Miramax – a testament to our continued success achieving the target goals we set forth for the studio’s evolution while remaining committed to prioritizing investments in innovative and culturally relevant films.”

RELATED: Mimic: Paul W.S. Anderson Adapting Guillermo del Toro Film Into Series

In the film (formerly titled Five Eyes), MI6 guns-and-steel agent Orson Fortune (Statham) is recruited by a global intelligence alliance ‘Five Eyes’ to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order. Reluctantly paired with CIA high-tech expert Sarah Fidel, Fortune sets off on a globe-trotting mission where he will have to use all of his charm, ingenuity, and stealth to track down and infiltrate billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds.

The film will be directed by Ritchie from a script written by Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies (The Gentlemen, Wrath of Man), with revisions by Ritchie. This project marks the latest collaboration between Ritchie and Statham, who have previously worked together on Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and Revolver as well as the upcoming action thriller Wrath of Man.

RELATED: Miramax’s Fletch Reboot Taps Jon Hamm to Lead & Produce!

Five Eyes will be produced by Bill Block for Miramax, which is also fully financing the film. Ivan Atkinson also serves as producer. STXfilms has secured worldwide distribution rights to the film. STX will distribute directly in the US, UK, and Ireland, and STXinternational will launch sales to foreign buyers at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. STXfilms had great success earlier this year with Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, which grossed $115 million at the worldwide box office.

(Photo by Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage via Getty Images)

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Harry Lennix reveals he is Martian Manhunter in Zack Snyder’s Justice League

There’s been a lot of back and forth as to what exactly fans can look forward to seeing in the infamous forthcoming Zack Snyder’s Justice League miniseries, but Harry Lennix has cleared up one detail to Collider with the revelation he will indeed appear as the extraterrestrial superhero Martian Manhunter.

RELATED: Rumor: Zack Snyder’s Justice League Blu-ray Arriving in March?

Lennix confirmed that when he was first cast in the debut DC Extended Universe project, Man of Steel, as General Swanwick, he did not know he would continue the role past one film, let alone the character’s real identity and that though he learned of the real plans with Justice League, he still didn’t get a chance to read the script as “they were still being developed and they keep all of that under lock and key.” Given his schedule conflicts with his role on NBC’s The Blacklist, he never properly filmed his scenes as Manhunter, but once Warner Bros. greenlit the extra shooting for the new miniseries cut of the project, Lennix confirmed he has shot the necessary footage for the role.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League will reportedly cost around $70 million in order to properly finish the editing and visual effects of the director’s original vision, as well as the additional photography. The original post-production crew is also expected to return along with the cast members to record additional dialogue for the cut. 

It was revealed at DC FanDome that the movie will release on HBO Max in 2021 by being broken up into four one-hour parts that will also be released as one four-hour film.

Fueled by the hero’s restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Justice League sees Bruce Wayne enlist the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

Justice League, which features a screenplay from Chris Terrio from a story by Snyder and Terrio, stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, with J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, and Amy Adams as Lois Lane.

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

Released in November 2017, the film earned mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike, praising the action and performances from Gadot and Miller while criticizing every other aspect of the film, namely the inconsistent tone that many fault Joss Whedon (The Avengers) for after taking over directorial duties from Snyder. With a large budget of $300 million and a break-even point of $750 million, the film is considered a box office bomb having grossed only $658 million.

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A24’s Saint Maud lands theatrical and streaming releases!

After another festival screening at last year’s Beyond Fest and the indie powerhouse studio initially pulling the film from its release calendar, A24 has announced that the acclaimed psychological horror pic Saint Maud is finally coming to audiences in select theaters at the end of the month followed by a streaming premiere on Epix!

RELATED: [Beyond Fest] Saint Maud Review: A Masterwork in Religious Psychological Horror

At last, she is risen. #SaintMaud arrives in select theaters & drive-ins January 29 — available to stream on @epixhd February 12 https://t.co/H6YVbMwKrG pic.twitter.com/3A9cJ43By0

— A24 (@A24) January 12, 2021

Saint Maud is written and directed by Rose Glass in her feature directorial debut with Andrea Cornwell and Oliver Kassman serving as producers and was set to hit theaters in the US on April 3 and the UK on May 1, but amidst global pandemic concerns is now left undated. It made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September to rave reviews, currently maintaining a 93% approval rating form critics on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes.

Saint Maud is a chilling and boldly original vision of faith, madness, and salvation in a fallen world. Maud, a newly devout hospice nurse, becomes obsessed with saving her dying patient’s soul — but sinister forces, and her own sinful past, threaten to put an end to her holy calling.

RELATED: Joaquin Phoenix to Star in A24 Drama Written & Directed by Mike Mills

The film stars Morfydd Clark as Maud, Jennifer Ehle (The King’s Speech, Zero Dark Thirty) as Amanda, Lily Knight as Joy, Lily Frazer as Carol, Turlough Convery as Christian, Rosie Sansom as Ester, Marcus Hutton as Richard, Carl Prekopp as Pat and Noa Bodner as Hilary.

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New Judas and the Black Messiah Trailer: Power to the People

Warner Bros. Pictures has released a brand new Judas and the Black Messiah trailer for director Shaka King’s forthcoming biographical drama film, starring Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton. The film is scheduled to make its debut on Friday, February 12, 2021 with a simultaneous premiere in theaters and on HBO Max. Check out the video in the player below!

RELATED: Judas and the Black Messiah Trailer Reunites Kaluuya & Stanfield

Based on true events, Judas and the Black Messiah (formerly titled as Jesus Was My Homeboy) chronicles the rise of Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton leading up to his assassination, all told from the perspective of William O’Neal, the FBI informant who infiltrated the Panthers and gave the information that led to Hampton’s death.

In the film, FBI informant William O’Neal infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton. A career thief, O’Neal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Roy Mitchell. Hampton’s political prowess grows just as he’s falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson. Meanwhile, a battle wages for O’Neal’s soul. Will he align with the forces of good? Or subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover commands?

It stars Oscar-nominated actor Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Black Panther) as Fred Hampton, LaKeith Stanfield (Short Term 12, Sorry to Bother You) as William O’Neal, Jesse Plemons (Fargo) as Roy Mitchell, Dominique Fishback (The Deuce) as Deborah Johnson, Ashton Sanders (Moonlight) as Larry Roberson, Martin Sheen (The West Wing) as J. Edgar Hoover, Algee Smith (The Hate U Give) as Jake Winters, Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) as Brian, Jermaine Fowler (Coming 2 America) as Mark Clark, and Darrell Britt-Gibson (Just Mercy) as Bobby Rush. It will also feature Dominique Thorne (If Beale Street Could Talk), Amari Cheatom (Django Unchained), and Caleb Eberhardt (The Post).

RELATED: The Little Things Trailer: Denzel Washington Stars in New Crime Thriller

Judas and the Black Messiah is directed by Shaka King from a script he co-wrote with Will Berson which was based on a story developed by King, Berson, Kenny Lucas and Keith Lucas. It is being produced by Ryan Coogler, and Charles D. King with Sev Ohanian, Zinzi Coogler, Kim Roth, Poppy Hanks, Ravi Mehta, Jeff Skoll, Anikah McLaren, Aaron L. Gilbert, Jason Cloth, Ted Gidlow, and Niija Kuykendall serving as executive producers.

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Bliss Trailer: Owen Wilson & Salma Hayek Star in New Sci-Fi Drama

Amazon Prime Video has released the official trailer for Mike Cahill’s psychological sci-fi romance drama film titled Bliss, featuring Owen Wilson as his character finds it difficult to distinguish reality from fantasy. Also starring Oscar nominee Salma Hayek, the film will be available for streaming on Friday, February 5, 2021. Check out the Bliss trailer in the player below!

RELATED: Amazon’s I Know What You Did Last Summer Series Sets Cast

In Bliss, recently divorced Greg (Wilson) — whose life is falling apart — meets the enchanting Isabel (Hayek), a woman who lives on the streets and is convinced that the polluted, broken world around them is not real. She believes they are living in an ugly, harsh world simulation inside of the beautiful, peaceful “real” world of bliss. Doubtful at first, Greg eventually discovers there may be some truth to Isabel’s wild conspiracy theory.

The film also stars Madeline Zima (Heroes), Deron Horton, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Love Simon), Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project), Nesta Cooper (The Edge of Seventeen), Steve Zissis (Her) and Dayne Catalano.

RELATED: Marry Me: Universal Delays Jennifer Lopez & Owen Wilson Rom-Com to May 2021

Bliss is written and directed by Another Earth filmmaker Mike Cahill. Endgame Entertainment’s James D. Stern is producing, with the company’s Lucas Smith serving as executive producer. Marsha Swinton (Hala) is also executive producing.

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Bloody Hell red-band trailer teases wild, gory and hilarious ride!

Just a few days ahead of its select theatrical and VOD debut, The Horror Collective has unveiled a new, red-band trailer for the Nightstream hit dark horror comedy Bloody Hell promising a wild, gory and hilarious fairy tale. The trailer can be viewed in the player below!

RELATED: Nightstream Reviews: Dinner in America, Bloody Hell & More!

The film centers on a man with a mysterious past as he flees the country in hopes of escaping his own personal hell, only to arrive somewhere much, much, much worse. In an effort to survive this new horror, he must rely on the help of his personified conscience.

Bloody Hell is directed by Alister Grierson (Sanctum, Nowhere Boys) and penned by Robert Benjamin (Welcome to Acapulco, A Wanted Man) and consists of a cast led by Ben O’Toole (Hacksaw Ridge, The Water Diviner, Detroit) and co-starring Caroline Craig (Underbelly, Anzac Girls), Meg Fraser in her feature acting debut, Matthew Sunderland (The Lost City of Z, The Nightingale), Travis Jeffery (Preacher, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales), Jack Finsterer (Home and Away, Is This the Real World) and Ashlee Lollback (Harrow, Don’t Tell).

The film first debuted at October’s Nightstream Film Festival, a special online event that saw the Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, The Overlook and Popcorn Frights film festivals band together to get around the global pandemic and deliver fans exciting new titles in their favorite genres from outright horror pics to darker comedies. It received rave reviews from critics and currently sits with a 96 percent approval rating from critics on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes.

RELATED: Sacrifice Trailer: Barbara Crampton Stars in New Lovecraftian Horror

Bloody Hell is set to hit select theaters, drive-ins and VOD on Friday, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on January 19!

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January 12 Blu-ray, Digital and DVD Releases

Welcome to ComingSoon.net’s January 12 Blu-ray, Digital HD and DVD column! We’ve highlighted this week’s releases in detailed write-ups of different titles below! Click each highlighted title to purchase through Amazon! 

New Movies on Blu-ray/DVD

Spell
Marquis (Omari Hardwick) awakens from a plane crash, wounded, trapped and his family missing. Held by a mysterious elderly woman practicing Hoodoo, he tries to outwit and break free from her dark magic and save his family from a sinister ritual.

Ammonite
In 1800s England, acclaimed but unrecognized fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) works alone on the rugged Southern coastline. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to tourists to support herself and her ailing mother. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), she cannot afford to turn his offer down.

Lupin III: The First
The iconic ‘gentleman thief’ Lupin III returns in an action-packed, continent-spanning adventure, as Lupin III and his colorful underworld companions race to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Bresson Diary, before it falls into the hands of a dark cabal that will stop at nothing to resurrect the Third Reich.

Jungleland (DVD)
When a devastating loss in the ring leaves Lion (Jack O’Connell) and his manager brother Stan (Charlie Hunnam) in debt to a local crime boss, they are forced to risk it all in a bare-knuckle boxing tournament, as the pair fight for a better life.

Jonathan Scott’s Power Trip
Energy freedom for millions of Americans is at our fingertips yet a deeply entrenched, powerful system is waging war against the solar industry and the rights of the people. Jonathan Scott travels the country confronting those at the root of the issue and meeting the ordinary citizens who are fighting back.

Reissues

Buried Alive
After starting a new position at Ravenscraft, a correctional school for girls, teacher Janet Pendelton begins investigating the unexplained disappearances of several students.

New On Digital HD

The Empty Man
This supernatural horror film, drawn from the Boom! Studios graphic novel, centers on shocking events originating in a small Midwestern town. After the mysterious disappearance of a group of teenagers, James Lasombra (James Badge Dale), a troubled retired cop, is thrust into action to investigate.

The Delivered (exclusive clip, Jan 15)

Set on an isolated farm in Shropshire in 1657. The Delivered tells the story of Fanny Lye, a woman who learns to transcend her oppressive marriage and discover a new world of possibility – albeit at great personal cost. Living a life of Puritan stricture with husband John and young son Arthur, Fanny Lye’s world is shaken to its core by the unexpected arrival of two strangers in need, a young couple closely pursued by a ruthless sheriff and his deputy.

American Dream (exclusive clip)
In this intense crime thriller, two American entrepreneurs cut a Russian mobster out of a business deal-and must face his angry vengeance as he tries to destroy their lives.

Curse of Aurore (exclusive clip)
A “Dark Web” thumb drive reveals footage of three American filmmakers in rural Quebec researching a historic child murder case. After witnessing several disturbing paranormal occurrences, they attempt to communicate with the spirit of the child.

Batman: Soul of the Dragon
Faced with a deadly menace from his past, Bruce Wayne must enlist the help of three former classmates to battle the otherworldy challenges ahead.

Redemption Day
Having just returned home, decorated U.S. Marine Captain Brad Paxton’s (Gary Dourdan) wife, Kate, is kidnapped by a terrorist group while working in Morocco. He is forced back into action for a daring and deadly operation to save the woman he loves.

Horizon Line
A couple flying on a small plane to attend a tropical island wedding must fight for their lives after their pilot suffers a heart attack.

TV on Blu-ray and DVD

The Twilight Zone: Season Two
Executive producers Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s modern re-imagining of the classic TV series continues the legacy of socially conscious storytelling. The series’ second season uses introspection and self-exploration to usher viewers into a dimension filled with endless possibilities.

The 100: The Seventh and Final Season
After arriving on a new planet, our heroes found a place where they hoped to try again. Clarke and Bellamy led a group down to this mysterious world to start anew, but not everything on Sanctum was as perfect as it seemed. Despite their determination to do better, threats both seen and unseen once again forced them to fight for their lives and the future of humanity.

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Exclusive Hero Dog Trailer Starring Natasha Henstridge

Lionsgate has provided ComingSoon.net with the exclusive Hero Dog trailer, which you can check out in the player below!

RELATED: Clifford The Big Red Dog First Look Teases 2021 Release

A thrilling family-friendly adventure where man’s best friend comes to the rescue, Hero Dog: The Journey Home will debut on Digital, On Demand, and on DVD March 23 from Lionsgate. An inspiring story of a blind man finding the hope and strength to survive, Hero Dog: The Journey Home was awarded the Dove Seal of Approval for All Ages, and stars Natasha Henstridge and Steve Byers. The Hero Dog: The Journey Home DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.98.

Starring Natasha Henstridge (Species, The Whole Nine Yards, Ghosts of Mars), this breathtaking family adventure shows how one animal’s courage can inspire us all. Crossing a lake by boat to return to his family, Royce (Steve Byers), who is blind, is stranded when the boat’s captain suddenly falls ill. To find help, Royce enlists Chinook, a brave malamute, to serve as his seeing-eye dog as they navigate the wilderness. Chinook must protect Royce from treacherous rapids, jagged rocks, and savage mountain lions on their long, heroic journey of survival.

DVD & DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES
• Cast Interviews
• Interview with Guest Director Erin Pitt
• Trailer Gallery

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CS Interview: John Rhys-Davies Talks Grizzly II: Revenge

ComingSoon.net had the opportunity to chat with Emmy nominee John Rhys-Davies (Shogun, The Lord of the Rings films, Indiana Jones franchise) about Grizzly II: Revenge, the horror sequel nearly four decades in the making from director André Szöts. You can check out the interview below and order your copy of the movie here!

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Reacting to the slaughter of her cub, a 15-foot grizzly bear seeks revenge and kills anyone that gets in her way. The terror continues as the giant grizzly finds its way to a major concert to go on a killing spree.

Written by Joan McCall and David Sheldon, the thriller also stars Charlie Sheen, George Clooney, and Laura Dern. The movie is a follow-up to William Girdler’s 1976 Grizzly and is finally hitting select theaters and VOD this year.

RELATED: CS Interview: Roberto Benigni on the New Reimagining of Pinocchio

ComingSoon.net: I’ve actually known about this movie for a long time because in horror movie circles, there aren’t a lot of, A, movies that were never completed or are missing, and two, movies with this many names, including yours. It’s pretty unprecedented. I know a version of this story, but can you talk to your experience of sort of being there on the set, as this train was collapsing on the tracks?

John Rhys-Davies: We had a lovely Hungarian director called André Szöts. It was his big opportunity. He was struggling because the producer didn’t turn up. My correction. The producer turned up for one day and then that’s it. The Hungarian producers were doing their best. This was going to be their entrée into the big-budget world of American filmmaking. This was going to transform the film industry of Hungary, which was constrained and of course, oppressed by being in the Soviet Bloc and itching to be able to get out into the world. Very strong independent streak that had been ruthlessly suppressed, what, 30 years before. The Hungarian uprising, I mean, it’s heartbreaking.

And so, it was important to them, it was important to the country. And they were taking it very seriously. One never really got to know exactly what was happening financially in the background. But as you know, in the end, prison sentences were served. But it was a – one-time, actually, I met him twice. I think I met him in the States as well. A charming, confident, easy man, who, in that freelance producer way – and there were lots of them in those days, you know?

CS: Joe Proctor. And this is the guy who absconded with the funds for the film?

Rhys-Davies: [Laughs] Don’t forget. This is a time when suddenly we had VHS and you could watch a movie over and over again at home. You could own a movie, you know? And there was suddenly more of a demand than the big studios could ever meet and produce. And suddenly, there were funds from video cellars and things like that. There was a lot of money around. There were a lot of people putting money together. There were some notorious – and I’ve got to be very careful, they may still be alive, and they were connected, I believe, is the euphemism.

CS: They were these guys.

Rhys-Davies: Yeah. They could oblige you to have all your trousers shortened to the knee, you know? I had five percent of one of the films that they financed and that vanished, too. [Laughs] It was a little bit like the Wild West. But it gave wonderful opportunities for a lot of young actors. One or two of them did quite well afterwards in this film. And I cannot emphasize how much you actually learn when things go bad. You do a Bond film, and things go wonderfully. You do Lord of the Rings, you learn to appreciate the genius of great producers, who have the foresight and organization, the plan B, the plan C. I remember when we were doing Lord of the Rings, we were meant to be – we were going down to Queenstown to film a five, six-week, maybe two-month section. We got down there and the rain fell. And it fell. The production office is here. The center of the town is there. It is three miles between the two. The rain hits a hillside so much that it wipes 13 houses out and the main road, right.

CS: Wow.

Rhys-Davies: So now it’s a single track, 19-mile journey from the town to the production office. There was suddenly a little bit of commotion, that when I got back from the production office, where I had been told to collect a pair of Wellington boots. I got back and I got into my hotel by step ladder to the first floor because the ground floor was underwater. That was the night the classic daily schedule went out with a note, “There will be no filming tomorrow because the lake is underwater.” Not just the lake, but you know, 30, 40 miles around it flooded. So we did not work that day. We moved the following day to another part of New Zealand. You understand, you got what, 20 principles that you’re moving. You’ve got 200 horses. You’ve got a huge number of extras. You’ve got a crew of roughly around 200. And you’re moving in South Island, New Zealand, where the hotel industry hasn’t developed yet. So you’re really trying to find accommodation that will take three crew members there, two crew members there…

CS: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Rhys-Davies: A logistical nightmare. We did not film on the day that the lake was underwater. We traveled the next day, and we resumed shooting the day after that.

CS: It’s incredible.

Rhys-Davies: When you’ve got production ability like that, you are in the higher realms of filmmaking. But we struggled on. We struggled on. There were some difficulties. I think I do recall that one of our actors, and I shall not mention his name, it was hard to tell which was the greater, his ego problem or his nose problem. The quantifies of powder that he was putting up his nose, plus giving him a certain personality, a quality of aggression and a belligerence perhaps.

CS: This was on Grizzly, just to clarify? This was Grizzly you’re talking about, right?

Rhys-Davies: This is Grizzly yes sir.

CS: Okay I’m like, was that Ian McKellan, was that Elijah Wood? Who was that?

Rhys-Davies: [Laughs] I’ll tell you what, you never saw a lovelier [cast] than Lord of the Rings. There was only one miserable son of a bitch on it, and I wore his boots every day.

CS: But in terms of your time in Hungary on the set, did everything collapse mid-shoot, towards the end of the shoot? At what point in the shoot did everything kind of fall apart?

Rhys-Davies: Well, as Claudius will say, I am rank corruption mining all within, infects unseen. You know, on the surface, it looked okay. There were suddenly a few urgent sort of production meetings and things like that, but we continued shooting. We were looking forward to the grizzly bear.

CS: Because they built like a big animatronic creature, right?

Rhys-Davies: That’s right. And it didn’t work. Now I’ve heard different reasons why it didn’t work. The from the top thing was the guys couldn’t do it, they couldn’t deliver the thing. If we had some money, we might have development money to be able to do this thing.

CS: Right.

Rhys-Davies: So I can only pass on gossip as far as that is concerned. But really, we managed to shoot the big rock festival and because we did not have a proper animatronic bear, we had a lot of issues there. And I think it was after that, and that was quite later on in the shooting, that things really did fall apart because my sense was that people weren’t being paid. So some of us had managers and agents who made sure we got paid sort of upfront. I don’t think any overage was ever paid, but I can’t remember now. It’s 38 years ago or something like that.

CS: Right. But there were probably like, a lot of below the line people that didn’t get – yeah.

Rhys-Davies: Almost certainly, that was true. But you understand the madness being in Hungary at that time, it was Soviet. You know, it was well known that in the rather lovely, stately hotel room that we were staying in, and I can’t remember, it’s one of the great hotels in Hungary, an old palace overlooking the river. And there were mirrors in every room that you could not get out of the view of. I did call my wife once. I put the phone down and I thought, oh I forgot to tell her. And called back and I heard the last three or four phrases of the call that I’d had before.

CS: Yeah, you gotta be careful they don’t get any kompromat on you.

Rhys-Davies: Absolutely. Well, I think the policy was to do whatever you were doing very publicly facing the mirror with a big of that, you know? Which seemed to be the favorite sort of response.

CS: But do you have any memories – like you had a very interesting accent. You got to get basically crucified. Your character gets to do a lot of cool stuff. Do you remember the actual experience of shooting?

Rhys-Davies: I do. And I loved it. I mean, it’s a super part. There was going to be more to it, but somehow, we never quite got around to shooting that. But Bouchard, you know actors can very rarely judge their performances. And you’re either immersed in the part or you’re judging it and performing at the same time. And it was 1985, was it ’84 or something like that?

CS: I think it’s ’83.

Rhys-Davies: ’83? Good god. Well, you know, I was what? 14 years out of drama school. I was in my early, mid-30’s. I was beginning to make a little bit of a dent in the recognition thing.

CS: Yeah, because this was post Raiders.

Rhys-Davies: Post-Raiders, post-Shogun. And post-Victor Victoria. But I thought of it as being actually one of my better performances at the time. Now since I haven’t seen it, I’d be interested to do it. I mean, I probably will go, oh my god, how could I have imagined? But at the time, I thought, actually, I think that this is an interesting character and I played him interestingly. And so, I was a little bit disappointed when it didn’t sort of work out. But you know, I consoled myself with at nighttime, taking $100 in American cash down under the bridge and meeting the guy who was connected and buying an eight-ounce tin of caviar for $100.

CS: Whoa.

Rhys-Davies: Oh yes, yes, yes. I was nearly put in prison and never emerged if they sort of caught us in those days, but the smuggling was well known, and that one really, they weren’t worried about.

CS: I wouldn’t think so.

Rhys-Davies: But Hungary at that time was a fascinating place. The Hungarians are also one of the cleverest people on the planet, you know? Basically because they all speak about five languages. And I loved that part of it. The Hungarian production team I thought were super people. You know, when you’re young, a young up and coming actor, you don’t really pay much attention to the young kids who are playing the small parts. And you know, you just say hi, hello and I’m off now to go learn my lines and this sort of thing. You see, it’s only when you get older, I suppose, and not that the ego ever vanishes, but I suppose you feel confident enough and interested enough to actually look around and see what other people are doing and what they’re like. And but that’s happened after. So I cannot give you any great stories about George Clooney.

CS: Yeah, sure.

Rhys-Davies: Or Laura Dern. Or a young Sheen. I remember meeting Sheen and thinking, yeah, interesting kid. His father’s a good actor.

CS: Well, they all had a big of lineage, didn’t they?

Rhys-Davies: They did.

CS: Yeah.

Rhys-Davies: Yeah, they did, which is presumably how the career gets its start. But your destiny in the end, you can’t get by on dad indefinitely. In the end, you make your own destiny and they made their own destiny.

CS: Yeah, more or less.

Rhys-Davies: You know, I very rarely criticize my fellow actors. It’s such a mad business. And anyone who achieves their 15 minutes of fame actually has something. One tends to respect those whose careers have long legs, you know, they are the warriors that have survived. They have [enemies] and the enemy’s promise, drink, drugs, illness, whether brought on foolishly or just inadvertently, like coronavirus.

CS: Right.

Rhys-Davies: In the end, one sort of loves your fellow survivors. But I do now watch the goings on of younger actors and the ones who only got a couple of lines on the set, and I do try and talk to them and pass on the great, wicked stories, which is part of the inheritance of being a victim. We love to bitch and gossip, not in an adverse way, but to tell the great, notorious stories that have kept the profession alive, and particularly theater in the stories, how legendary.

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Moonfall: Michael Peña to Replace Stanley Tucci in Roland Emmerich’s New Sci-Fi Epic

According to Deadline, The Martian star Michael Peña has officially signed on for the role of a wealthy car dealer named Tom Lopez in Roland Emmerich’s upcoming sci-fi epic Moonfall. Peña will be replacing Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci, who was forced to exit the project due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic. Carolina Bartczak (X-Men: Apocalypse), Maxim Roy, and Stephen Bogaert (The Umbrella Academy) have also been cast for the project.

Bartczak will play Brenda, Tom Lopez’s loving and fierce wife while Roy’s Gabriella Auclair is being described as a hardened army captain whose fighting spirit helps position our heroes to save the world, as they navigate the impending disaster. Bogaert will be playing NASA Director Albert Hutchings.

RELATED: Michelle Pfeiffer Says She’s Back For Ant-Man 3 In Spring 2021

In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact, and against all odds, a ragtag team launches an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love and risking everything to land on the lunar surface and save our planet from annihilation

The film will be led by Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring, Aquaman), John Bradley (Game of Thrones), Charlie Plummer (Spontaneous, Words on Bathroom Walls), Halle Berry (John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum) and Stanley Tucci (The Witches).Donald Sutherland (Ad Astra) and Eme Ikwuakor (Marvel’s Inhumans).

RELATED: Samberg, Siara, Hawley & Stiller Unite for Apple Sci-Fi Comedy

Directed by Emmerich, Moonfall begins production this fall in Montreal with a script written by Emmerich, his 2012 co-writer Harald Kloser, and Spenser Cohen. Emmerich is producing the independent feature film under his Centropolis Entertainment banner with Kloser producing through his company, Street Entertainment. Executive producers are Dennis Wang, James Wang, J.P. Pettinato, Marco Shepherd, Ute Emmerich, Carsten Lorenz, and Stuart Ford.

The film is still set for a 2022 theatrical release.

(Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for NCLR)

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