Category: News

Paul Sorvino Passes at 83

We’ve lost a lot of great performers this year, as with every year, but the number of recognizable faces in character performers gone just recently has been staggering. Unfortunately, news struck today of another as it has been reported that noted actor Paul Sorvino has died at the age of 83. Sorvino’s wife, Dee Dee Benkie, announced his passing from natural causes.

Sorvino is likely best known for Goodfellas, a role that seemed to shoehorn Sorvino into tough guy criminal types for the rest of his career, but he was a master at everything I’d seen him in.

The first time I remember registering Sorvino as an actor in a role is, of course, Paul Cicero in Goodfellas followed almost immediately by his absurd Lips Manlis in Dick Tracy. The scene that jumped out at me would have been during Cicero’s prison time as he shows how thin to slice garlic with a razorblade to make sauce. It’s a simple scene but it stands a testament to what Sorvino could convey with minimal dialog and a comfortable control of his screen presence.

Later on in life, I discovered Sorvino’s abilities as a singer in Darren Lynn Bousman’s Repo! The Genetic Opera as Rotti Largo, a successful businessman searching for the right heir to his fortune running an elective surgery and organ transplant empire. Sorvino was able to use the music to carry the weight of emotional tragedy that pervades Repo! He would later reteam with Bousman on The Devil’s Carnival and its sequel.

Along with being a terrific actor, Sorvino was also the father of actress Mira Sorvino.

What memories do you have of Paul Sorvino? Let me know in the comments below. He will be missed.

Selected Filmography:

  • The Day of the Dolphin (1973)
  • The Gambler (1974)
  • Oh, God! (1977)
  • Cruising (1980)
  • Reds (1981)
  • The Stuff (1985)
  • Dick Tracy (1990)
  • Goodfellas (1990)
  • The Rocketeer (1991)
  • The Firm (1993)
  • Nixon (1995)
  • Romeo + Juliet (1996)
  • Bulworth (1998)
  • Hey Arnold! The Movie (2002)
  • Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
  • The Devil’s Carnival (2012)
  • Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival (2016)


-Kyle A. Goethe

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Law Abiding Citizen 2 in Development: The Question is WHY?

Village Roadshow is heading back to prison to free Law Abiding Citizen 2, but I’m curious who is patiently awaiting this sequel?

Variety is reporting that Village Roadshow is teaming up with Rivulet Films to develop the sequel to the 2009 thriller that starred Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. The original film grossed $126 million on a budget of $53 million, so it may have turned a slight profit (with theaters taking half the gross and an unknown marketing budget), but it recently sparked a resurgence when it debuted on Netflix, entering their Top 10 list of most-watched movies & shows. Variety reports that screenwriter Kurt Wimmer (Equilibrium, Point Break 2015) will return, but not much else is known about the project during this early stage.

I remember very little of the first film outside of my disappointment upon viewing it, so I had to do a little research to freshen my mind on the plot details. Clyde, the “villain” of the film, played by Butler, dies at the end, and I cannot recall any other threats, so I’m curious where the film’s sequel would take us or if this is an ill-advised attempt to cash in any IP that Village Roadshow can.

With the uncertain box office profitability of the first film and the 26% Rotten Tomatoes score, I guess I just don’t understand this play, but maybe there’s an idea that’s been gestating for 13 years. All that aside, I have been very mixed with the current slate of Wimmer’s screenplays (the screenwriter recently wrote and directed a new Children of the Corn film back in late 2020 that has yet to see a release, which doesn’t bode well).

Looks like we’ll be adopting a Wait-and-See policy on Law Abiding Citizen 2, but the question is…

Are you interested in seeing a follow-up to Law Abiding Citizen? Do you even remember the first film? Let me know and drop a comment with your thoughts on this new project!

-Kyle A. Goethe

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Shortbus is Too Much for Amazon Video!

It appears that streaming giant Amazon Video cannot handle the “offensive content” contained in John Cameron Mitchell’s 2006 film Shortbus.

The critically acclaimed controversial film Shortbus has finally hit streamers across the landscape after previously being unavailable, and though you can now find a copy of it on Google Play, VUDU, and Apple TV, Mitchell’s film has not appeared on Amazon Video, and we are now learning a bit more about why it’s missing.

Indiewire has reported that Amazon’s official reasoning for the exclusion comes down to “captions are out of sync” and “offensive content.” It should be noted that the subtitles are fine on every other service, and the error response that Oscilloscope Laboratories, who submitted the film to Prime Video, actually received reads: “We aren’t making your title available on Prime Video as it violates our Content Policy Guidelines.”

Oscilloscope’s president, Dan Berger, stated, “There’s no shortage of dicks readily available on Amazon.” He’s not wrong. There’s a sizable number of films on Amazon Video that featured unsimulated sex scenes in their productions and finished products, and I’ve noted several below (some of these are even featured for free as part of Prime Video):

  • Double Face (1969)
  • Cry Uncle! (1971)
  • Score (1974)
  • Female Vampire (1975)
  • Blue Movie (1978)
  • Romance (1999)
  • Sex and Lucia (2001)
  • 8mm 2 (2005)
  • Lust, Caution (2007)
  • Otto; or Up with Dead People (2008)
  • Gutterballs (2008)
  • Enter the Void (2009)
  • The Band (2009)
  • Dogtooth (2009)
  • Stranger by the Lake (2013)
  • Wetlands (2013)
  • Pasolini (2014)
  • A Thought of Ecstacy (2017)

Now, it should be noted that Amazon is a business, and a business is allowed to have principles around what they want to market and sell and what they do not, but it strikes me that they used the excuse of subtitles for this film when their statement about content that violates their Guidelines should suffice.

But that also doesn’t solve the question pertaining to the amount of other films with the same type of CONTENT that should flag the same part of their GUIDELINES. Why is Shortbus excluded from the servce but you can easily watch Blue Movie or Lust, Caution or Wetlands without issue? Is it because Shortbus is incredible well-known for its unsimulated sex? That would’nt surprise me as the service also excludes the notable Nymphoniac Part 1 & Part 2 which featured the same. Or is there another reason we aren’t privy to? Is Amazon Prime excluding because it caters to the LGBTQIA+ group? I’m not saying that I believe that, as I haven’t seen many of the films from the above list that Amazon does service, but I’m just asking questions to figure out why Shortbus would be out when so many other films are not.

I don’t think we can figure out the answers to this mystery at this time, but hopefully the company will provide more clarity to their decision to help readers and fans of Shortbus understand the reasoning behind their decision.

Shortbus is currently available at most other digital services.

So what do you think about Amazon Video’s exclusion of Shortbus? Will you be checking out the film at another digital retailer? Let me know with a comment below!

-Kyle A. Goethe

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Kyle’s Most Anticipated Movies of 2022!

Now that we firmly have 2021 in the rearview mirror, let’s look forward to the movies of 2022, which still shockingly contain some movies originally scheduled for 2020 and 2021. Shockingly, the movies on last year’s most anticipated all actually came out, so let’s hope that by me placing these films on the list that I’m sending good omens their way.

Either way, we’ll celebrate the (possible) films of 2022 that I’m most excited to see. It’s almost as good as actually seeing them.

Just a couple notes, as always:

  • These films are my Most Anticipated, not what I think will end up on my Top Ten of the year come next January. In fact, only 2 films from last year’s list made it to the Top Ten, and that seems fair.
  • There always tend to be a lot of blockbusters on these lists, but that’s because their production schedules are much longer, and their recognizability is easier to connect to. That’s just the way it works, but my favorite films of this year might even be ones I haven’t heard of at the current moment. Big movies get big attention earlier than little ones, so take that as you will.

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A COUNTDOWN. IT’S JUST A LIST AND THE FILMS ARE IN ORDER OF (TENTATIVE) RELEASE DATE.

We’ve waited long enough, let’s dive in…

Scream

  • Okay, yes, this movie is already out and I’ve already seen it, but before I had seen it, it had made it to my Most Anticipated list due to the trailers and the early reviews from colleagues with similar tastes to mine. I loved the idea that Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett had moved from Ready of Not to this franchise, as that film also had a satirical viewpoint and a serious horror tinge. I was excited to see our core cast of characters return to usher in some new Ghostface fodder, and the screenplay by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) and Guy Busick also interested me as they might bring in some new flavor to the franchise. How did it turn out? You’ll find out soon enough.

The Batman

  • There are a few interesting DC projects coming in 2022, but I’m not picking this one because it’s Batman. I love Batman, but I’m selecting The Batman because of Matt Reeves. I’ve been a big fan of Reeves ever since Cloverfield, one of the best found-footage films ever. He also surprised me with his vampire remake Let Me In and then blew me away with TWO incredible Planet of the Apes movies, redefining genre and franchise filmmaking with the once-thought unlikeliest of IP properties. The trailers look great, seeing Batman as an unhinged detective seems like a great idea, and the dynamic with Selina Kyle looks exciting and tense, but if I were to pick one character that won me over, it’s Paul Dano’s Riddler, seemingly modeled after the Zodiac killer. There’s nothing here that doesn’t work for me, though I was sad to hear that this will be disconnected from the Batman character of the DCEU (it could’ve made a hell of a prequel, one would assume), but in Matt Reeves I trust.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

  • See, they won’t all be franchise films! A few years back, the filmmakers collectively known as Daniels released Swiss Army Man, one of the most baffling films of the decade or, perhaps, ever, featuring Daniel Radcliffe as a farting corpse. Now, flash forward to 2022, where they (FINALLY) have a new movie, this one starring Michelle Yeoh as a Chinese immigrant who learns that she has an infinite number of alternate lives spread across a multiverse and she will need them all to save the world. Yeah, that’s a movie, and it’s happening. Every time I see this trailer, I am just enamored with all the What-The-Hell-Is-Happening that is racing from the screen to my brain. I’ve purposely not been looking up more info on this film as I just want to experience it as soon as possible, as Daniels have a very interesting visual flair that looks to be a part of this new feature as well. Check out the first trailer if you need to know more.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

  • Okay, so yes, even I can admit that The Crimes of Grindelwald was a bit of a letdown. In fact, the last Fantastic Beasts is my least favorite movie in the Wizarding World, not something you want as you expand your world and franchise, but it does seem like Warner Bros is righting the ship. Steve Kloves, screenwriter of seven Harry Potter films, stepped in to co-write the screenplay, and I have faith that David Yates can learn from the mistakes of the predecessor, this being his seventh film in the franchise as well. Even at its worst, The Crimes of Grindelwald certainly expanded upon the world in ways that even fans of the Harry Potter books did not see coming, and there are still a lot of great elements at play throughout the film, and the first trailer for The Secrets of Dumbledore seems quite exciting, so I will have faith in this new installment.

The Northman

  • Robert Eggers has done some truly impressive work with both The VVitch and The Lighthouse, both films that have further improved themselves with each rewatch. The VVitch is a regular Halloween season pick at my home, and The Lighthouse is a year-round rotation. The Northman’s first trailer showcased an impressive world and an even more impressive cast. The film looks to be Eggers’s most ambitious film to date, one that combines the mysticism and horror of his two previous outings into a bloody, violent tale of revenge. With the underrated Alexander Skarsgard in the lead and a well-rounded supporting cast including Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe, and freaking Bjork all adds up to a very interesting project.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

  • I limited myself to one MCU pick and, even though Thor: Love and Thunder is mighty interesting, I kind of know the flavor I’ll be getting with that one, but Sam Raimi returning to the world of superhero cinema and going all in on what is being reported as an MCU horror film (let’s be fair, though, this is still a Disney production) is very interesting. Now, I’m praying that this film doesn’t end up a cameo nightmare. Spider-Man: No Way Home utilized its nostalgia to its benefit, but it came very close to toppling under its own fan service. I want a Doctor Strange movie that is focused on Strange, Wanda, and the Multiverse itself, not on cheap cameos and appearances of non-canon characters. I trust that Sam Raimi found something worth his return to the subgenre, and the idea of Baron Mordo returning, the potential of a villainous Scarlet Witch, and some alternate evil Doctor Strange could work very well in the favor of this movie. As much as I enjoyed the original Doctor Strange, it didn’t fully embrace the bonkers madness of the title, so I want to see what a more confident follow-up can do now that the first film set the character in motion.

Salem’s Lot

  • 2022 also has a few interesting Stephen King adaptations incoming. While the new take on Firestarter certainly seems like a winner, I’m limiting myself to one here, and Salem’s Lot is one of my favorite King novels. I enjoyed Tobe Hooper’s original miniseries but the budget wasn’t there. The 2006 miniseries adaptation is often forgotten in the discussion, but I rather enjoyed that version as well, even if it had to forego some of that sweet, sweet gore to satisfy networks. Ah, but this year, Gary Dauberman (who penned the It movies as well as some Annabelle films and directed Annabelle Comes Home) is helming this new adaptation, produced by James Wan. Now, not everything penned by Dauberman has been gold, and not everything produced by Wan has fully worked, but even the chance that this new version of the classic vampire tale works has be all giddy. Bring it on, and bring on that sweet, sweet gore.

Mission: Impossible 7

  • There’s only been one bad Mission: Impossible film, and that was over two decades ago! Not only that, but the franchise has taken on bigger and more epic action set pieces without sacrificing what made the more-restrained original so much fun. M:I works because of the team dynamic, and even though the team has had some shuffling, the series has always evolved for the sake of elevating the action above the general fare. Say what you will about the truly-unhinged Tom Cruise, but the man knows how to execute the good bit of no-holds-barred intensity, and especially following up on Fallout, seeing this M:I 7 as the first of a planned two-parter only adds to the level of high-octane eagerness I feel for the next Ethan Hunt mission, no matter how impossible it may seem.

Halloween Ends

Halloween Kills might be my favorite Halloween film since the original. After multiple viewings, including the Extended Cut, that seems to be the case. It’s a movie that made the 2018 Halloween film better by how it followed through, and if Halloween Ends can bring the story home in a satisfying way, that’ll just mean the world to this horror fanboy. I grew up with Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Chucky. Well, Freddy and Jason have been dormant for over a decade, and Chucky is doing well on his own path from home video releases to television but seeing a movie on the big screen from one of these horror juggernauts will always excite me.

Avatar 2

Lastly, we come to Avatar 2, a movie that probably should’ve come out years ago. People like to dunk on Avatar, but it became the highest-grossing movie of all time and kept that record for 10 years (and continues to fight for dominance with Avengers: Endgame even now), and it was a theatrical experience unlike any other. Don’t bother bringing your comparisons to Dances with Wolves and Fern Gully and Pocahontas because I’ve heard them all before. We tend to forget that every story has been told a thousand times before; it’s all in how to tell you, and James Cameron told it very uniquely, conjuring up not only an epic world with loads of mythology but also crafting the technology with which to do it. I firmly believe it became popular to hate on this movie purely because of its box office prowess and its Best Picture nomination, and while the film has its imperfections, I loved the world and the awe that unfolded before me. As far as Avatar 2 goes, I have come to learn in my years not to doubt James Cameron. He’s a director that has consistently tested himself and improved his skills, and every new film he conquers leads to further advancements in filmmaking. So bring it on, Avatar 2, let’s see this single finally become a franchise.

So there you have it. Hopefully we will end up seeing all of these hit theaters at some point in 2022, as long as we stay vigilant and safe. 2021 was a solid year to return to the cinema, and 2022 looks to be just as great. Comment below with the films you are most excited to see in 2022, and let’s have a great year in movies.

-Kyle A. Goethe

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Making Sense of Illumination’s Mario Movie

So…there’s a Super Mario Movie coming from Illumination…Um, what?

It’s been decades since we got the last Super Mario Bros movie, starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo. That film caused Nintendo to swear off any further film adaptations of their properties (though, let’s be fair, the film was way better than that weird live-action/cartoon hybrid television show). Now, in the year 2022, Nintendo has softened on their stance, and they’ll be working alongside Illumination and Universal to bring Mario to theaters once again.

It’s a weird kind of Cinderella story, or perhaps we should refer to it as a Princess Peach story. But wait, it gets weirder.

I remember hearing about this movie a few years back during Collider Movie Talk, or perhaps it was even AMC Movie Talk, but now it’s been officially announced as of September’s Nintendo Direct, a news outlet offered every month or so directly from the video game giant. With that, Nintendo even announced some of the cast, and more bits of casting have eeked out in the weeks since. Let’s take a look at this list:

  • Chris Pratt as Mario
  • Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach
  • Charlie Day as Luigi
  • Jack Black as Bowser
  • Keegan-Michael Key as Toad
  • Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong
  • Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong
  • Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek
  • Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike
  • Charles Martinet will reportedly make a cameo in the film as well.

Pratt’s involvement seems to be the one raising the most eyebrows, and I can’t say I disagree with those who are confused. Pratt doesn’t necessarily sound like the Italian plummer-turned-superhero. He also hasn’t shown his voice acting chops to take on Mario Mario (is his full name canon anymore?). You might be laughing about this, and I get it, it’s not like Mario is a complex character, but he still seems like an odd choice (he’s also voicing Garfield the cat, but let’s just deal with this first).

There are other interesting bits in that casting like Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, but there’s also some inspired choices as well, like Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach. I can certainly see her breathy cadence lending itself to Peach pretty well. Mario’s brother Luigi is also a bit of a fool, so maybe the over-the-top talents of Charlie Day might just work. Same with the utterly brilliant against-type casting of Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, which I can already see in my mind.

I’ve been working my brain on this conundrum of peculiar information for weeks now, and I finally think I cracked it: I believe this Super Mario movie will be more satirical than we originally expected. With the casting of Pratt, Day, and Jack Black as Bowser, I think the aim is to make something akin to The Lego Movie. That seems to line up with Matthew Fogel (The Lego Movie 2) screenwriting and Aaron Horvath & Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) directing.

In other news, Seth Rogen’s Donkey Kong will also appear in a spin-off of his own, but for now, we’ll have to wait until December 22, 2022 to see how this plays out.

What do you think of this new Super Mario movie? Does all this info bode well for the upcoming animated feature or does this film need a few extra lives to succeed? Let me know/Drop a comment down below!

-Kyle A. Goethe

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Actor Michael Kenneth Williams Passes at 54

It’s a sad day to report the loss of such an incredible talent as Michael K. Williams, who died on September 6th. Deadline confirmed his passing with a statement from a rep, “It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams.” The rep also requested privacy for the family at this time and did not give a cause of death.

The actor, who was 54, had a incredible range of credits stretching back to the 90s, and what struck me was how much he had done that I hadn’t even seen. I’ve seen his work in films like Gone Baby Gone, 12 Years a Slave, The Purge: Anarchy, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, and more, but my most frequently viewed work came from the cult television series Community, where he played Professor Marshall Kane, the Biology professor at Greendale Community College. While getting notes together to talk about Williams, I watched those episodes again, and I was shocked to find that he only appeared in 3 episodes of the 110-episode series. Maybe that was the biggest impact of the actor. Whether he had a few minutes or a few years to play with a character, he always left an impression.

His impression could be felt all around the business over the last few days, with everyone from Ava DuVerney to Spike Lee to Leslie Jones all taking a moment to talk about the impact he had on them. If you have a chance, seek out Wendell Pierce’s words on his relationship with Williams.

Williams will perhaps best be remembered for his work in television, including The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, and most recently, the now-cancelled Lovecraft Country, for which he is nominated for an Emmy. Below is a selected filmography of his work. Rest in Peace.

Selected Filmography:

  • Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
  • I Think I Love My Wife (2007)
  • Gone Baby Gone (2007)
  • The Wire (2002-2008)
  • The Incredible Hulk (2008)
  • Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
  • Brooklyn’s Finest (2008)
  • The Road (2009)
  • 12 Years a Slave (2013)
  • RoboCop (2014)
  • The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
  • Kill the Messenger (2014)
  • Inherent Vice (2014)
  • Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014)
  • The Gambler (2014)
  • Triple 9 (2016)
  • Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)
  • The Night Of (2016)
  • When the Bough Breaks (2016)
  • Assassin’s Creed (2016)
  • The Public (2016)
  • Hap and Leonard (2016-2018)
  • SuperFly (2018)
  • When They See Us (2019)
  • The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)
  • Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
  • Lovecraft Country (2020)
  • F Is For Family (2017-2021)


-Kyle A. Goethe

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Mad Max: Fury Road Prequel to Drop in 2023

I’ve been nervous to read any news concerning Warner Bros or HBO Max as of late. Their industry-shattering announcement to shuffle all their 2021 releases to a theatrical/HBO Max combination release has really altered the cinematic landscape, so I was very concerned with some of their bigger franchises, like Mad Max. It looks now like they have officially dated a few films, including the Fury Road prequel, for releases in 2023.

Furiosa is now dated for June 23, 2023. The prequel, which will see George Miller return to the world he helped create way back with the original Mad Max decades ago, is set to star Anya Taylor-Joy as the younger Furiosa, replacing Charlize Theron. Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will also star.

Warner Bros also dated the Looney Tunes-style Coyote vs. Acme for July 21, 2023 and The Color Purple musical for December 20, 2023.

To me, this is a good piece of news, even if I’d rather have a Mad Max sequel instead of a Furiosa prequel. I’m much more invested in Mad Max after 4 films and I just want to see more adventures of his, but any new installment is a good deal overall, especially with George Miller directing. I’ve been a little concerned about George Miller actually returning to this franchise, as he’s getting up in age a bit, and overseeing such a technical and effects-driven film can be rather taxing. He’s also consistently brought up other projects that have interested him, so I’ve wondered when, if ever, he would return to this world.

This news also says that Warner Bros is still interested in the theatrical experience. The quotes all seem to point to a theatrical release, so I’m still holding out hope that this HBO Max/Theatrical plan for Warner Bros is only a 2021 thing.

So what do you think? Are you excited to see this world further expanded with a Furiosa prequel? Do you think it will be released to theaters? Leave a comment below and let me know!

-Kyle A. Goethe

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Boss Baby Sequel to be Born a Few Months Later

The current state of cinema in America has had a hand in another shift, this time involving Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, and the upcoming Boss Baby sequel. Just announced this week, The Boss Baby: Family Business will move from its positioned release date of March 26 to the new date of September 17. This move also bumps another Universal/DreamWorks production, The Bad Guys, to be moved off the release schedule entirely, rumored now to drop in 2022.

The original film grossed $520 million and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. The sequel will see the return of Alec Baldwin as the voice of Ted, the titular Boss Baby as well as Tom McGrath in the director’s chair. Family Business will pick up years later with Ted as an adult dealing with his niece (voiced by Amy Sedaris), who is the new boss baby.

This move makes sense to me. I wasn’t a big fan of the original Boss Baby, but I cannot deny that it was quite successful and well-deserving of a follow-up. The IP hasn’t really left the pop culture scene, as the original film spawned a Netflix series and a special choose-your-own-adventure short film. Whether or not I like the movie, the franchise has significant potential. With all the theater problems of the last year, it’s a smart move to push this film into September and save its monetary potential.

What do you think? Was it a smart move to push The Boss Baby: Family Business into September? Or would it have been better to drop on a streaming service? Let me know in the comments below!

-Kyle A. Goethe

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Zac Efron Joins Blumhouse’s Firestarter

Zac Efron has reboot fever. In addition to joining Disney’s new take on Three Men and a Baby, Efron has also just joined Blumhouse’s new take on Firestarter, based on the novel by Stephen King.

Deadline is reporting that the new film, written by Scott Teems (Halloween Kills, TV’s Rectify) and directed by Keith Thomas, will be produced by Akiva Goldsman and Jason Blum, who teamed up previously for the Paranormal Activity franchise. There’s no notice in the report about the role that Efron would play, but it seems likely that the role will be that of Andrew McGee.

King’s novel features a pyrokinetic little girl and her father on the run from a secret government agency who wish to use her abilities for military and other bizarre purposes. It was previously adapted in 1984 starring Drew Barrymore as Charlie McGee and David Keith as her father, Andrew McGee. That film received a sequel miniseries, Firestarter: Rekindled, in 2002.

It’s been some years since I last read King’s novel, and as I’ve said before, no studios care if you’ve read the book, but I have, so I’ll try to give it the thought. When I think back on Firestarter, I know that Andrew McGee was always cast on the younger side in the book as well, and I could conceivably see Efron as a young father protecting his nine-year-old daughter. I think it’s just that Efron has seemingly always played younger than his age that gives the notion that he’s still a High School Musical-type. I could definitely see him adding the warmth of a father who has no idea what to do in the scope of protecting his dangerous daughter from the clutches of an insidious government organization.

It all comes down to the casting of Charlie, and the chemistry between the two. There’s also a number of meaty roles from the antagonist side of things, but knowing only the initial casting of Efron (and the presumed role of Andrew), things are looking very good so far.

Now, what do you think? Do you like Zac Efron for Firestarter? Are you a fan of his previous work? Let me know/Drop a comment down below.

Firestarter does not currently have a release date.

 

-Kyle A. Goethe

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John Wick-Helmer Chad Stahelski Has Interest in Blade!

You may not know Chad Stahelski right now, and outside of the John Wick franchise, it’d be hard to blame you. The director of the trilogy, set to return to the franchise with the 4th and 5th installments shot back-to-back, was mostly known in the industry for his stunt choreography in films like Captain America: Winter Soldier, The Matrix, and The Hunger Games, but now he’s becoming a hot director among action films, with an upcoming take on Highlander in the near-future.

Stahelski was recently speaking with Comicbook.com when he was asked it he’d ever take on a Marvel film of his own, and he said:

“If the opportunity ever came, the one that really jumps out to me would be like ‘Blade.’ If they were going to redo ‘Blade’ or something like that, just because I feel that one, for some reason, the vampire martial art action vibe. That would be a cool one to stretch and try and reinvent.”

For this film fan, I find that Stahelski is doing impressive work with Keanu Reeves in the John Wick franchise, and given the choice of him continuing on that path of leaving to do a Blade film, I’d rather see him do more Wick. Purely selfish, but I like when he has an edge and Marvel won’t give him that. Even as far as Highlander goes, that’s a tough egg to crack, and I think he’s capable, but much like Justin Lin’s work on the Fast & Furious franchise, Stahelski seems to only get better with each film.

All that being said, if Marvel approached him for Blade and he said Yes, I could only be excited. His stunt coordinating on Winter Soldier and its follow-up, Civil War, were both so kinetic and raw and they excited the realm of superhero films and became hard action films. What Stahelski could bring to a vampire martial arts action film could only be good, and I’m all for it as long as he keeps turning out good work (the most frequent John Wick film is the best one yet, fight me).

So what do you think? Would you like to see Chad Stahelski keep on directing John Wick films or should he broaden out by trying to nab a Blade film? Is there another property you’d like to see him tackle? Let me know/Drop a comment below!

John Wick: Chapter 4 is scheduled for release on May 27, 2022.

 

-Kyle A. Goethe

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