According to Zhao, introducing the MCU’s first openly gay superhero was already “written into the story” before she signed on as director. “The way Phastos’ story plays out in the film is that he’s someone who only sees humanity as a whole and believes that technology’s going to solve the problem. Obviously, he lost faith in us for some very tough things that we’ve done. And then he had to stop looking at us as a whole and look at one person he falls in love with, and one child, to regain the face of humanity....

“I am deeply saddened by the pain caused to the families of the victims, due to the wrongful distribution of our draft script for ‘They Are Us.’ The script is far from final, and never intended to be shared with the affected members of the Muslim community at such an early stage,” Niccol said, adding that pre-production wouldn’t continue until there is “full consultation with New Zealand’s Muslim community has taken place....

“I’ve heard from some of the people who made the first one, and I don’t think they want to touch it,” Mintz-Plasse said. “I think they kind of like where it’s sitting. And, sometimes if you make a sequel to things, it can kind of damper the first one. I think they just want to let it be…If there was a way to do it, [a female version] would be the way, for sure....

Nolan told ET Online in a recent interview that he’s in “disbelief. Especially the way in which they did,” alluding to how allegedly many filmmakers weren’t given much notice, or any at all. “There’s such controversy around it, because they didn’t tell anyone. In 2021, they’ve got some of the top filmmakers in the world, they’ve got some of the biggest stars in the world who worked for years in some cases on these projects very close to their hearts that are meant to be big-screen experiences....

Suddenly, films with budgets under $50 million may not go straight to streaming this summer. In fact, these films are central to studios’ plans to reinvigorate in-person moviegoing. “We continue to believe that if you build it, they will come,” Jim Orr, Universal’s president of theatrical distribution, said during the studio’s presentation at Caesars Palace April 27. “But what we also know for certain is that if you stop building it, they won’t....

As Colin Farrell explained recently on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (via Collider), putting on weight for Andrew Haigh’s AMC+ series “The North Water” didn’t exactly inspire him to want to gain the pounds all over again. And so, the Farrell you see in “The Batman” is actually fitted into a cleverly designed fat suit as opposed to the more method approach of weight gain. “Mike Marino is a genius,” Farrell said of the makeup artist working on the film....

But the problem here isn’t necessarily with Chase’s premise, which the writer-director first explored in the 2017 short “Larry.” For one thing, the poor guy had no way of knowing that — by the time his feature was finished — the prospect of “surrendering your child to some kind of hell dimension” would seem like a tempting alternative to public school. For another, the idea behind “Come Play” isn’t quite as silly as it sounds (even if Larry is introduced with a POV shot from inside a little boy’s iPhone, the slender CGI sludge ghoul wheezing from within the device in a way that makes you think this movie is going to end up at the Genius Bar)....

“[Spike] called me up to congratulate me and I said, ‘Well, man, I’m feeling bad because I thought for sure you guys would get nominated,’” Blanchard told IndieWire, calling from his home in New Orleans. “His response to me was, ‘Onward and upward. You’ve got to represent.’ And he said ‘congratulations,’ and that was it.” Many pundits and other Oscar watchers thought “Da 5 Bloods,” a nostalgic odyssey of four veterans returning to the teeming Vietnam jungle that earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Ensemble, would nab at least a few more nominations on Oscar morning....

Having invested some $78 million (estimates rise to $100-110 million) in Chazelle’s opus, Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins doubled down on the ambitious three-hour-nine-minute epic ahead of its wide opening on December 23 (changed from the originally-planned limited release), announcing a first-look directing and producing deal with the filmmaker. What are the comps? On the one hand, in 2011 Martin Scorsese’s lavish $180-million period fantasy “Hugo” wound up at $73 million domestic plus five craft Oscars....

Daredevil’s return was no secret, teased as early as in trailers and several episodes prior when the camera zoomed in on his red and gold suit at a special superhero tailor shop. Matt Murdock is a lawyer just like Jen Walters a.k.a. She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), so there was always the possibility of them crossing paths professionally as they do in Episode 8. Sparks fly almost instantly, and these two lawyers become partners....

But curiously, adding Notaro after the fact meant the comedian had to perform in a vacuum (specifically in front of a green screen) and without the company of her fellow actors. That remains a weird notion for one of the film’s most adored stars, Dave Bautista, who in the film technically shares scenes with Notaro, but as he explained to Vulture has alas never met his co-star. “It was weird, because, you know, I wasn’t there....

“I don’t really want to get into David O. Russell as a director, but I learned a lot about acting, for better or worse, in terms of how he treats people on set. I’m not condoning that, but I learned a lot from him because he constantly talks throughout your take,” Stiles said. “He’s talking at you while you’re acting or trying to act. It’s very jarring, but it got me out of my own head....

“I think in the next few years, you’re going to see a lot of growth and opportunity around DC,” Zaslav said on November 15. “There’s not going to be four Batmans.” Zaslav’s “four Batman” crack presumably refers to the current complicated state of the character on film, where three actors have recently or are about to portray the iconic superhero. In addition to Robert Pattinson’s “The Batman,” Ben Affleck also plays the character in the vaguely defined DC Extended Universe of linked films, although his most recent appearance as the character was in last year’s “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” cut....

Billed as a documentary special, but at a quaint hour’s length to suggest more could be in store, “Death to 2020” is in serious trouble right from the credits. The Netflix special has, including Brooker, 18 credited writers, and the commotion of voices is deeply felt. Also felt is a sort internal war on the level of the page as to why this project is being done at all. Samuel L....

Chalamet stars in “Dune” as Paul Atreides, whose family gains possession of the desert planet Arrakis. The planet is the home to one of the universe’s most valuable resources, a drug called spice that gives users heightened abilities. Owning Arrakis means owning the spice trade, which makes Paul’s family a target of the villainous Harkonnen empire. Zendaya stars as Chani, a member of the Arrakis natives known as Fremen....

The DGA said in a statement: “The Directors Guild of America National Board at its recent meeting made the decision to temporarily alter its 2022 DGA Awards eligibility criteria for its Theatrical Film Award. The change will allow films that receive a ‘day and date’ release to be eligible for the award if they have a qualifying theatrical run and are marketed as a theatrical film. The National Board made this decision due to the unique and unusual circumstances facing the industry this year....

“He auditioned everyone,” said Kruger, who is currently promoting her new action thriller “The 355.” “He didn’t want to audition me because he saw a movie that I was in he didn’t like. So he didn’t believe in me from the get-go. Literally, the only reason he auditioned me is because there was no one left to audition.” Kruger, who starred on FX’s “The Bridge” and who has appeared in such films as “In the Fade” and “National Treasure,” didn’t specify which movie of hers Quentin Tarantino didn’t like....

But Chapek also reiterated the three distribution options for films that will be released during the rest of the year. Among them is day-and-date theatrical and Disney+ PVOD. The biggest news may be that he declined to reveal how the company planned to release movies in 2022 and beyond, suggesting that the company’s future theatrical strategy hinges on the performance of upcoming titles like “Cruella,” “Black Widow,” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings....

Oscar winner Helen Mirren returns as the host for Season 53 (actually, the fourth season) of IFC’s “Documentary Now!” series, premiering October 19 on IFC and AMC+. “Stories that dare to tell the truth have never been more crucial to our culture,” Mirren says in the trailer. “Now, more than ever, the world needs ‘Documentary Now!’” The “true” series will parody famed documentaries “The September Issue,” “Burden of Dreams,” “3 Salons at the Seaside,” “When We Were Kings,” “Gleaners and I,” and “Beaches of Agnes” across its six-episode season....

Here’s the official synopsis for the film, which world-premiered at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and tackles the Punjabi Sikh experience in Canada: “‘Donkeyhead’ is a film whose title references a term of endearment used by Punjabi parents towards their children. Starring, written and directed by Darshi, the film follows Mona, a failed writer who carves out a life of isolation while caring for her ailing Sikh father. When he suffers a debilitating stroke, her three successful siblings show up on her doorstep determined to take control of the situation....