Etiqueta: Featured

So is there any merit to the idea that «Aladdin» is a post-apocalyptic tale? Unfortunately for Disney theory aficionados, the film’s creators have largely laughed this idea off. In a 2015 interview with E! News, «Aladdin» co-director John Musker was confused upon learning about it. «Far into the future? I haven’t even heard that one,» he reacted. That said, the filmmakers did confirm the accuracy of another longstanding «Aladdin» rumor.

Many viewers have speculated that the peddler from the movie’s beginning is Genie in disguise, regaling the story of «Aladdin.» The character possessing the lamp, having a witty sense of humor, and being voiced by Robin Williams combine to give this theory a lot of weight. As with all things in animation, these details were not included by mistake.

When speaking about the theory to E! News, co-director Ron Clements pointed out that these dots were indeed designed to connect. «That was the whole intention, originally,» he shared. «We even had that at the end of the movie, where he would reveal himself to be the Genie, and of course Robin did the voice of the peddler. Just through story changes and some editing, we lost the reveal at the end. So, that’s an urban legend that actually is true.»

While it may be disappointing that the idea of a post-apocalyptic Agrabah was not on the minds of the «Aladdin» team during the film’s making, that doesn’t make the theory any less fascinating for fans. In the end, whether you choose to view the film in this light or not, it doesn’t make «Aladdin» any less of a beloved classic.

Nicholas King has spent a good portion of his time on film sets, working stunts. Some of his credits working in that department include «The Green Hornet,» «Paranormal Activity 3,» and «The Babymakers.» In a conversation with Killer Kalyn about his background in stunts, he mentioned that his father worked in the field for decades and that he got his own start at a very young age. «I did my first stunt job when I was eight years old, and that was what I wanted to do. And then when I graduated high school, I went to trade school for power lines and graduated and they went on a hiring freeze, so then I started doing stunts again and I haven’t looked back.»

King has performed some impressive stunts, too. In the same interview, he talks about being inside a house when it was blown up while shooting «The Green Hornet.» Fortunately, he emerged relatively unscathed. But there was one scene playing Bughuul in «Sinister» that proved to be just as arduous.

Looper’s sister site, /Film, spoke with King about his role, including how he had to stay underwater for three hours to get the one shot of Bughuul in the pool. «They fed a breathing hose into the pool for me to stay underwater,» he explained. «Just before filming they would take it out and we stuffed a little one gallon in my sleeve so I could take a few last breaths before the shot started.»

King’s resume may not be long, but he’s a consummate professional. And as Bughuul, he’s earned a permanent place in the pantheon of horror villains who scare the hell out of audiences.

When your average TV viewer thinks of Christina Applegate, it’s likely Kelly Bundy they remember. The «Married…with Children» character was the actress’ bread and butter for a good decade, taking her through her teenage years and helping her launch her adult career.  A dim bulb who loves easy fame, rock and roll, and boys, Kelly is not ashamed of her multiple assignations, her poor grades, or her utterly obvious ambitions — which, by and large, makes her a true Bundy.

Out of all of the memorable characters that populated Fox’s first hit sitcom, Kelly become a cultural cornerstone of the 1990s. The role launched Applegate to stardom and made her a style icon. While she subsequently had minor success in a series of beloved but short-lived sitcoms — «Jesse,» «Samantha Who?» and «Up All Night» — no comedic television role she’s accepted since has ever had quite the impact on the world that Kelly did. The popularity of «Married…with Children» is so enduring that the series has an animated reboot in the works, with Applegate reprising her role.

If you’ve missed out on the hubbub or just want to rewatch the show from the beginning, «Married…with Children» is available to stream in its entirety on Hulu. Select Season 1 and 2 episodes are also available for free on-demand at Pluto, and the show sometimes streams live on that platform’s sitcom-based channels. The series also airs late on Saturday night and into Sunday morning on the premium cable channel Logo.

«RoboCop» and «Star Trek» already have quite the behind-the-scenes crossover going on, as evidenced by their bizarrely high number of shared actors, but the cherry on top of this strange connection is that even the man behind the original RoboCop himself, Peter Weller, has since jumped into the realm of «Star Trek» — not just once, but twice.

Weller’s first foray came with «Star Trek: Enterprise,» on which he guest starred in two Season 4 episodes as the xenophobic Terra Prime leader John Frederick Paxton. Less than a decade later, he returned to the final frontier to play the corrupt Starfleet admiral Alexander Marcus in the 2013 flick «Star Trek Into Darkness.»

Between Weller and the many other actors who have landed credits in both «RoboCop» and «Star Trek,» it’s clear that the two franchises share a closer connection than one might expect. Of course, «RoboCop» isn’t the only franchise that «Star Trek» shares so much of its cast with. There are also plenty of actors who were in both «Star Trek» and «Star Wars.»

The cars uploaded by @darkside.ai look outstanding. They’d be better only if the characters themselves were behind the wheels so that fans could see how powerful these vehicles truly are. And they’d serve as stellar inspiration for an updated version of «Motor Kombat,» a minigame included in 2006’s «Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.» It’s basically a «Mario Kart» duplicate where the characters ride go-karts that are also based on their styles and various fatalities. Perhaps a new version could see them ride luxury vehicles around that get totally thrashed by the end of a race.

We’d even settle for a car like one of these popping up in «Mortal Kombat 2,» the follow-up to 2021’s rebooted «Mortal Kombat.» It sure would be great if Johnny Cage, to be played by Karl Urban, pulled up to a fight in a ride reminiscent of what we see from @darkside.ai and worthy of a movie star like him. Ultimately, fans seem to love the AI creations, with @antoineeverette0 commenting, «All those cars are badass, just [can’t] pick one.» 

While these rides remain in a world of fantasy right now, one Mortal Kombat fan brought the concept into real life. In 2021, Laredo Morning Times reported that someone in the Austin, Texas, area was driving around in a gloriously remodeled Mortal Kombat vehicle with the franchise’s logo on the door while words like «fatality» and «finish him» were featured on the body. Now, that’s some serious dedication. 

Alexandra Daddario might play something of a homewrecker on «Why Women Kill,» but the actor behind that hot mess is actually a serious romantic. Her own love story got a few new chapters during the pandemic, when she met, fell in love with, and eventually married film and TV producer Andrew Form («Black Sails,» «The Purge»). An avid reader, Daddario says some of her favorite stories are romantic ones, and it’s one of the reasons she went for her role in «Die in a Gunfight.» For Daddario, the Romeo and Juliet theme was too good to pass up. «I love the idea of a good love story,» she told Collider.

When asked what movie she’d love to remake, Daddario chose «Pride and Prejudice.» Recalling the tale, Daddario gushed, «The guy that she’s gonna end up being with — she doesn’t know what his deal is and then, you know, she finds out that he loves her and all the drama with that … the lovers that can’t really get on the same page.»

James Hunt’s lawsuit asserts that Mia Goth had him removed from «MaXXXine» after their altercation, as he was fired and banned from the set following the incident. Since the events that Hunt alleges occurred, he has reported various mental and physical symptoms as a result of Goth’s actions.

The extra says that he has been afflicted with head trauma, including symptoms like vertigo, light-headedness, stiffness in his neck, disorientation, and headaches. As a result, Hunt is seeking $250,000 in damages. The suit claims that this amount is meant to address the extra’s medical expenses and rehabilitation, while also serving as a punitive measure against the defendants named in the suit.

Though Goth’s star has been on the rise in recent years, she could find that she’s fallen out of favor with the public if these allegations stick. At the time of this writing, Ti West, A24, and Goth herself haven’t addressed the accusations.

Aside from working on the Las Vegas Super Bowl commercial and his own music videos, Tobe Nwigwe has also made some serious headway lately as an actor. The rapper appeared on four episodes of «MO» and appeared as himself on an episode of Max’s «Rap Sh!t.» 

However, his most high-profile role came in 2023’s «Transformers: Rise of the Beasts» where he plays Reek, the guy who convinces Noah (Anthony Ramos) to steal a car, setting him on a path with the Transformers. Speaking with ScreenRant about his thief character, he said, «The thief, I had to figure out how to do that because I haven’t been a thief for so long, but I did use to steal Transformers toys out of the mall. Sorry, Hasbro.»

But the Las Vegas commercial for Super Bowl LVIII also allows Nwigwe to be part of a world he lost out on a while ago. The rapper-turned-actor originally had NFL aspirations, but an injury prevented him from continuing down that path. He turned to music afterward, and the rest is history. The ad became a full-circle moment — and also looks like it was a ton of fun to film. 

At a glance, it’s easy to sum up Mark Harmon’s career as a laundry list of procedural TV shows — many of them set in hospitals or crime labs. However, the actor has frequently strayed from these roles into sillier, more fanciful territory. Such was the case in 2003 when he starred in Disney’s «Freaky Friday,» yet another adaptation of Mary Rodgers’ 1972 novel and an iconic film for millennials the world over.

The stars of «Freaky Friday» are, of course, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, both arguably at the peak of their respective powers in the early 2000s. When a strange bout of magic causes the mother and daughter they play to switch bodies, antics, as they say, ensue. Harmon plays Ryan, boyfriend to Curtis’ widowed Tess Coleman and would-be stepfather to Lohan’s Anna. It’s a departure from the gruff charm that «NCIS» fans will associate with Harmon, as Ryan’s just about the sweetest father figure you could ask for in a film like this one. Amidst the chaos, Harmon’s performance is a grounding force, and it’s hard not to fall for him as he tries to win over Anna’s approval.

There are absolutely some things in «Freaky Friday» that have aged like old milk (looking at you, vague fortune cookie curse), but if you add some asterisks, it’s still a fun time. For many, it remains a defining film of the era, and Harmon’s performance as Ryan is a key piece of that success.

In the comics, Simon «Wonder Man» Williams is an extremely strong superhero who doubles as a superstar actor. He also has connections to numerous interesting characters who are already in the MCU — including Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl), whose father gave Simon his powers in the comics, Vision (Paul Bettany), and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). It’s currently unclear whether such ties make the transition to live action, but the set photos seem to confirm that Mr. Williams’ acting gig is going to be an important element of the show.

What we do know about «Wonder Man» is that it brings Yahya Abdul-Mateen II into the MCU. The actor is very familiar with superhero projects as he’s played Manta in «Aquaman» and its sequel, and won an Emmy for his portrayal of Dr. Manhattan on Max’s «Watchmen.» His role as the titular character of «Wonder Man» marks Abdul-Mateen’s first foray into the Marvel side of things, and he’s in good thespian company; Ben Kingsley will also be there as the MCU’s most infamous actor, Trevor Slattery. 

While Marvel still keeps the show’s full cast, premiere date, and other details close to the chest, it’s good to know that the show is progressing. After all, regardless of what else happens in «Wonder Man,» Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley have the acting chops to give fans a memorable experience.  

While plenty of fans are on board with seeing Tom Hiddleston jump ship and join the DC Universe as the Joker, such as @_mr_nightowl_, who commented, «Yay [sic] 🔥 And honestly I think that scars, like Heath Ledger’s Joker, would make it even better,» given how tied together Hiddleston and Loki are with one another, others need a lot of convincing.

Redditor u/Fictional_Apologist, while believing that Hiddleston could pull off a good performance, can see him getting lost in the pantheon of other actors who have played the part. «Personally I think that character needs a break,» they stated. «Also, I feel like it would be lazy casting to get Loki to be a big DCU villain.»

Others don’t take issue with Hiddleston playing a DC villain but feel he better embodies a different Batman baddie. As Redditor u/Gudako_the_beast simply stated, «This man is a well[-]put[-]together [R]iddler.» Redditor u/bugmultiverse agreed, reasoning, «Tom’s just got a bad boy trickster look not a psycho look, but I could see him being [R]iddler.» Evidently, viewers think that Hiddleston’s natural charisma would help his Riddler stand out from Paul Dano’s gritty take in Robert Pattinson’s «The Batman.»

Whatever the case, the consensus is that Hiddleston has what it takes to relive his villainous glory days, whether that’s as Loki, the Joker, the Riddler, or even someone else.

Apart from hosting «Saturday Night Live» four times and popping up on the show at various other points to do cameos, Cameron Diaz completely avoided the small screen for the first 11 years of her acting career. When you strike it big by co-starring with Jim Carrey at the height of his fame in your very first acting role, it’s easy to feel like television is beneath you. But Diaz eventually ventured into the TV world in 2005 when she starred in and executive produced the MTV reality show «Trippin.’» True to her brand, the show was about addressing environmental issues, and also featured Drew Barrymore, Jessica Alba, Diaz’s then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, and others.

After some appearances on «Sesame Street,» «Top Gear,» and the Halloween special «Scared Shrekless,» Diaz helped to bring her hit movie «Bad Teacher» to television by producing — but not starring in — its 2014 TV adaptation. With Ari Graynor playing Diaz’s role from the movie, the series co-starred Sara Gilbert, Ryan Hansen, Kristin Davis, and David Alan Grier. Reviews were mixed, while ratings were such that CBS pulled the plug after only five episodes. However, the network aired the remaining eight already-completed episodes the following summer. After that, Diaz’s producing career seemingly went into hiatus as well. 

Warner Bros. and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s «Bride of Frankenstein» movie may not have an official title yet, but it does have more than a few noteworthy stars attached to it. Indeed, Deadline has revealed that the film will be led by Jessie Buckley, whose previous credits include «Chernobyl,» «Women Talking,» «I’m Thinking of Ending Things,» and «The Lost Daughter,» the latter of which was directed by Gyllenhaal. Buckley’s role in the «Bride of Frankenstein»-inspired film hasn’t yet been confirmed, but her status as its purported star suggests that she may very well play the undead woman at the center of it.

The film’s cast also includes «The Dark Knight» and «Ford v. Ferrari» actor Christian Bale, who has reportedly been in talks to star in the project alongside Buckley since before the start of the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which put numerous Hollywood productions on hold for several months. In addition to Bale and Buckley, Annette Bening («NYAD,» «20th Century Women»), Peter Sarsgaard («Memory,» «The Batman»), and Penélope Cruz («Ferrari,» «Volver») are set to star in the movie as well.

Together, they form what is an already impressively star-studded ensemble. Movie fans will, however, have to wait until more details are revealed to learn who each of the performers is playing in the film.

It’s no secret that while «Star Wars» has largely been rooted in film and television, it’s no stranger to books and comics as well. Since the franchise’s inception, tales of all kinds have made their way into print, expanding on popular characters, recontextualizing canon events, and retelling big and small screen stories. One comic title from the early 2000s even took a swing at telling «What If…?» style stories before Marvel’s «What If…?» comic line was ever adapted for TV. The series is called «Star Wars Infinities,» and it’s one of the most fascinating anomalies in «Star Wars» history. Launched in 2001 and running until 2004, these comics take the original «Star Wars» trilogy and flip it on its head. 

Each film is revised individually, with small changes leading to much larger, timeline-altering ones. For instance, in «Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope,» Luke Skywalker’s failure to destroy the Death Star leads to Princess Leia’s capture by the Empire and transformation into a Sith. In «Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back,» Luke is killed on Hoth, prompting Leia to train as a Jedi under Yoda, and in «Infinities: Return of the Jedi,» Luke and Leia team up to defeat the Emperor, which ends in their father, Darth Vader joining forces with them and returning to the light. He even adopts an all-white suit in the aftermath.

If «Star Wars Infinities» is of any indication, a «Star Wars: What If…?» series could be something special. Hopefully, there’s more to the report that such a production is in development and it’s not a mere unfounded rumor.

On an Instagram post from The Hollywood Reporter about Hudson’s comments, Dave Bautista wrote, «Kate!!!» with a hand-raising emoji. (Hilariously, «Vanderpump Rules» legend Jax Taylor also weighed in on the post, saying, «enough marvel movies we need more rom coms and comedy’s [sic].»)

Bautista — who has been vocal about putting his days as Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe firmly in his rearview mirror — worked with Hudson on Rian Johnson’s second «Knives Out» murder mystery, «Glass Onion,» which was met with commercial and critical acclaim when it was released in late 2022. The wrestler-turned-actor has certainly been spreading his wings as a performer lately; after working with Johnson and Hudson, he starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s 2023 thriller «Knock at the Cabin,» lent his voice to the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated masterpiece «The Boy and the Heron,» and will reprise his role as Glossu Rabban in «Dune: Part Two» after working with director Denis Villeneuve on the first movie in 2021. 

Bautista has serious range as an actor, and if he’s willing to join Kate Hudson in a romantic comedy eventually, it feels like audiences would wholeheartedly embrace that choice.

Hardy had a very low-key presence on set, Stewart says

Paramount Pictures