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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Family Leave: Jennifer Garner to Star in Netflix’s Body Switch Comedy Adaptation

The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Golden Globe winner Jennifer Garner (Alias, 13 Going on 30, Juno) will star in and lead Netflix’s body switch comedy adaptation Family Leave, based on the book Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

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The movie follows the Brenners, who “wake up to a full family body switch [and] they quickly realize the same thing has happened to a family on the other side of the world; they must unite with this group of strangers and determine how to undo the body switch, all while hilariously navigating daily life in a different body, before it is too late.”

Pick up your copy of Bedtime for Mommy here!

Garner will also produce Family Leave with Nicole King for Linden Entertainment along with Lawrence Grey and Ben Everard for Grey Matter Productions. Jason Brian Rosenthal will serve as executive producer.

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For Netflix, Garner will also be starring in the family comedy Yes Day, based on the book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld, and the sci-fi action movie The Adam Project from Shawn Levy, starring alongside Ryan Reynolds, Zoe Saldana, and Mark Ruffalo.

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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StudioCanal officially developing third Paddington film

A little over two years after we last heard word that the studio was interested in continuing the big screen adventures of the iconic bear, Variety has brought word that StudioCanal has confirmed a third Paddington film is in active development.

RELATED: Pippi Longstocking Movie In The Works From Paddington Producers

“We can confirm Studiocanal is working very hard on film 3 with the utmost craft and care — as with film 1 and 2,” studio reps said in a statement to the outlet.

The news comes just a week after franchise star Hugh Bonneville told BBC Radio 2’s “The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show” that there was “forward momentum” on a third installment in the family-friendly franchise and that its arrival was “somewhere on the horizon.” It also comes two years after original co-writer/director Paul King stated he would not direct a third film but would continue to be involved with the series, while currently attached to direct the Willy Wonka origin movie at Warner Bros. set for a 2023 release.

Click here to purchase the first and second films in the franchise!

In the last sequel, we find our titular bear happily settled with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens, where he has become a popular member of the community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes. While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s hundredth birthday, Paddington spots a unique pop-up book in Mr. Gruber’s antique shop, and embarks upon a series of odd jobs to buy it. But when the book is stolen, it’s up to Paddington and the Browns to unmask the thief.

Paddington 2 premiered in 2017 to rave reviews, maintaining a rare approval rating of 100 percent “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes from critics. King directed and co-wrote the script with Simon Farnaby. The sequel starred Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, and Imelda Staunton as voice of Aunt Lucy.

RELATED: Wonka: Warner Reportedly Eyeing Holland & Chalamet For Titular Role

Paddington is based on the best-selling and internationally adored series of children’s stories by British author Michael Bond, which have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, been translated into over 40 languages and captured the imagination of children and adults around the globe.

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The Irishman’s Jesse Plemons joins Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon

After working with the Oscar-winning filmmaker on the 2019 crime epic The Irishman, two-time Emmy nominee Jesse Plemons has signed on to reunite with Martin Scorsese to star in his long-gestating adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon alongside recent addition Lily Gladstone (First Cow), according to Deadline.

RELATED: Lily Gladstone Joins Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon

With the project set to star both Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Robert De Niro (The Irishman) along with Scorsese directing, insiders report that the budget with the trio’s contracts is already set around $55 million, causing the director to ask for a ballooned budget from the original $160 million report to $225 million. Paramount head Jim Gianopulos felt uncomfortable with the numbers and pulled it back down to $180 million and agreed with the director to talk to streaming services to help attain a better deal for all parties, with Netflix originally prepared to take the project on for $215 million after working with Scorsese on The Irishman.

While final numbers haven’t been revealed on the deal between the two studios, it’s been confirmed that Apple will be taking point as the creative studio behind the project and will shoulder the cost of it while Paramount will distribute the film.

Based on the novel of the same name from David Grann (pick it up here!), the film will follow the investigation into the grisly murders of wealthy Osage people in Osage County, Oklahoma in the 1920s shortly after oil was discovered under their land. The FBI, still early in the creation phase, took on the case and discovered a horrible secret behind the spree. The Fargo alum has signed on to star as the lead FBI agent investigating the murders while Gladstone will portray Mollie Burkhart, an Osage married to DiCaprio’s Ernest Burkhart, nephew of a powerful local rancher (De Niro).

Killers of the Flower Moon, written by Eric Roth (A Star is Born), is produced by Imperative Entertainment, who acquired the rights for the novel for $5 million, as well as Scorcese, Appian Way Productions and Sikelia Productions. It will be starring Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio with fellow Scorsese alum Robert De Niro previously in talks to join the cast.

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Killers of the Flower Moon will mark DiCaprio and Scorsese’s seventh collaboration together after working on multiple Oscar-nominated and winning films beginning with 2002’s Gangs of New York followed by 2004’s The Aviator, which was the actor’s first Oscar-nominated performance with the director, 2006’s The Departed, 2010’s Shutter Island, 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street and the 2015 short film The Audition.

(Photo Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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The Old Guard’s Marwan Kenzari Joins Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam

Marwan Kenzari (Aladdin, The Old Guard) has joined Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam action-adventure thriller based on the DC Comics antihero (via The Hollywood Reporter). Details on Kenzari’s character are being kept under wraps.

Welcome Marwan Kenzari to BLACK ADAM. He brings a real weight and skill and will be that force our story needs. #blackadamhttps://t.co/ZpOSaI49Au

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 17, 2021

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The film also includes Noah Centineo (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) as Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell (Trinkets) as Cyclone, and Aldis Hodge (The Invisible Man) as Hawkman, with Doctor Fate also slated to appear in the film though an actor has yet to be officially cast in the role.

During its appearance at last year’s DC FanDome event, it was revealed that the film would feature the appearances of Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Cyclone to set up the Justice Society of America, while also bringing word that Hawkgirl would have to remain absent for the time being. Over the years, many superheroines have assumed the secret identity of Hawkgirl. The only recurring element is her partner/romantic interest Hawkman since it’s nearly impossible to see one without the other. Recently, fans saw the Shiera Sanders Hall version of Hawkgirl as part of the Justice Society of America in the Stargirl television series. Sadly, she lost her life to Brainwave on the night the Injustice Society attacked the JSA headquarters.

Dwayne Johnson has been working on Black Adam for 10 years. The character was originally supposed to appear in this year’s Shazam! but decided to save his highly-anticipated debut for a later film in order to let each character get some breathing room. However, despite not appearing in Shazam!, his character was teased with the wizard Shazam, played by Djimon Hounsou (Guardians of the Galaxy), telling his origin story to Billy Batson.

Based on the DC Comics character created by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck, Black Adam will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows) with Johnson starring as the titular anti-hero and Adam Sztykiel having written the current script. Noah Centineo will play Atom Smasher in the movie. The film will be the second collaboration between Collet-Serra and Johnson, who have also been working together on Disney’s forthcoming adventure film Jungle Cruise.

RELATED: Mortal Kombat Motion Poster Revealed, Trailer Hits Thursday

The film will be produced by Johnson and FlynnPicturesCo’s Beau Flynn along with Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions. Scott Sheldon will be overseeing the project for FlynnPictureCo.

Black Adam was slated to hit theaters on December 22, 2021, but was recently pushed back to an unspecified release date due to production delays from the global pandemic. The movie is reportedly expected to start production this April in Atlanta.

(Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

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IFC Midnight unveils trailer & poster for sci-fi horror Come True

Following its debuts at the Fantasia International and Nightstream film festivals, IFC Midnight has unveiled the first trailer and poster for the mind-bending sci-fi psychological horror pic Come True, which is set to hit select theaters and VOD in March. The trailer and poster can be viewed below!

RELATED: Shudder Unveils Trailer & Premiere Date for Feminist Slasher Lucky

High school student Sarah (Julia Sarah Stone) is at her lowest point yet when she runs away from home and finds herself with no one to rely on and struggling with recurring nightmares. She chances upon a university sleep study that offers the promise of safety and money and brings her an unexpected friend and confidant in the overseeing scientist Jeremy (Landon Liboiron). But there’s something curious about proceedings and being under observation seems to make Sarah’s disturbing dreams even worse. As the darkness begins to close in, it’s soon clear that Sarah has unknowingly become the conduit to a horrifying, new discovery…

A distinctive and compelling work of science fiction that haunts the space between wakefulness and sleep, Come True is the sophomore feature by Canadian writer, director, cinematographer, and composer Anthony Scott Burns. Featuring an unforgettable electronic score by Electric Youth and Pilotpriest (the filmmaker’s composing moniker) and a striking performance from breakthrough actress Julia Sarah Stone (Allure, Everything Will Be Fine, The Killing), Come True is a cinematic dream well worth the submersion.

“I’d been fascinated with this concept of sleep paralysis since I first experienced it in my youth,”  Burns wrote in a statement. “When people are in this state, they often seem to see the exact same thing: dark shadows with eyes watching over them. Science obviously declares this a mass hallucination, but you have to wonder… Why do people see the same thing?” Inspired by the work of Nicolas Roeg, William Friedkin, Stanley Kubrick, and David Cronenberg, as well as sleep studies conducted by Berkeley University, Come True seeks to ask what would happen if we could see other people’s dreams? What would we see? What would we discover about ourselves? What if these shadows from our collective dreams saw us looking back at them? Artistically, the goal of the film was to create a classic genre narrative that could slowly hypnotize that would clearly deliver a building ‘feeling’, and finish with a moment for the audience that leaves them disoriented, lost, questioning where the line between the film and their own life ends. A dream come true.”

RELATED: The Toll Trailer: Everyone Pays in the End in New Horror Thriller

The horror thriller hits select theaters and VOD on March 12.

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Apple Acquires Luck & Spellbound in Overall Deal With Skydance Animation

In a new overall deal with Skydance Animation, Apple has acquired the upcoming animated movies Luck and Skydance, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The deal covers feature films and TV series for the company’s streaming service, Apple TV+.

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The multi-year pact promises more movies and series to come, including Apple Original Films now being set to debut Luck and Spellbound in addition to a two-season order given for The Search for WondLa series. The animated features were originally set up at Paramount. The outlet reports the deal with the studio allows Skydance “to move the films” at the discretion of CEO David Ellison.

Spellbound is an animated musical that follows the story of a young who must break the spell that has split her kingdom in two. The film will be directed by Vicky Jenson (Shrek) from a script co-written by Mulan‘s Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin along with Linda Woolverton (The Lion King).

It will feature music from Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken which will reunite him with long-time collaborators and fellow Grammy-winners, lyricist Glenn Slater and former Walt Disney Music President Chris Montan, who have all worked together on The Little Mermaid and Tangled.

Directed by Peggy Holmes and written by Kiel Murray, Luck centers around the unluckiest girl alive who stumbles upon the never-before-seen world of good and bad luck and must join with magical creatures to uncover a force more powerful than even luck itself. The project hails from John Lasseter and Holly Edwards.

RELATED: Claire Danes to Replace Keira Knightley in Apple TV+’s The Essex Serpent

The Search for WondLa is an original animated TV series based on Tony DiTerlizzi’s book series. The Apple Original series will be written and executive produced by showrunner Lauren Montgomery. Chad Quant, DiTerlizzi, and Gotham Group will also executive produce.

(Photos courtesy of Apple/Skydance Animation)

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Shudder unveils trailer & premiere date for feminist slasher Lucky

Following its well-received debut at last year’s unique horror festival Nightstream, Shudder has unveiled the first trailer for the feminist slasher pic Lucky from writer and star Brea Grant (12 Hour Shift), which is set to premiere this March. The trailer can be viewed in the player below!

RELATED: The Toll Trailer: Everyone Pays in the End in New Horror Thriller

Life takes a sudden turn for May, a popular self-help book author, when she finds herself the target of a mysterious man with murderous intentions. Every night, without fail he comes after her, and every day the people around her barely seem to notice. With no one to turn to, May is pushed to her limits and must take matters into her own hands to survive and to regain control of her life. Home invasion horror by way of a time loop mystery, Lucky is a uniquely nightmarish, darkly funny, and timely slasher, and a thrilling addition to the Final Girl genre.

The film is helmed by Iranian-American filmmaker Natasha Kermani (Imitation Girl) and penned by Grant, who stars in the film alongside Dhruv Uday Singh (Good Trouble) and Kausar Mohammed (East of La Brea, What Men Want) and is produced by Patrick Ewald, Chelsea Davenport and lensed by Julia Swain.

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

Hailing from Epic Pictures and Dread Presents production, Lucky is set to premiere on Shudder on March 4 in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, as well as via the Shudder offering within the AMC+ bundle where available.

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