Cinema isn’t just about the latest Disney/Pixar project or Star Wars spin-off. Memorable storytelling is happening all over the film industry, from Hollywood’s box-office-busting superhero smashes to small, innovative indie experiments. The Verge’s film section is here to help you sort through the latest Hollywood news and reviews, from favorite genres like sci-fi, fantasy, and horror to the independent movies that matter.
You could see that Blumhouse really believed it could recreate the success of the original M3gan with its recently-released sequel. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, M3gan 2.0’s bombing at the box office this month has spooked the studio into reassessing its plans to put out a spin-off next year.
If you missed Brandon Salisbury’s documentary George Romero’s Resident Evil earlier this year — which, as the name implies, explores Romero’s failed adaptation of the the Capcom survival horror series — now it’s available to watch for free on YouTube.
Not long after the first trailer for The Long Walk, we’re getting a look at another adaptation of a Stephen King dystopia about forward momentum, this time with Edgar Wright’s take on The Running Man. The movie hits theaters in November, but the trailer drops tomorrow.
The Brad Pitt-starring racing drama opened to more than $55 million in the US this weekend, and $144 million worldwide. That’s still a ways short of the movie’s $200-300 million production budget, but it’s easily on track to beat the $221 million-earning Napoleon as Apple’s biggest film yet.
Sadly we may never know how many of those ticket sales came from the unexpectedly pushy ads in Apple Wallet notifications.
The M3gan sequel embraces sci-fi to tell a timely but muddled story about the dangers of artificial intelligence.
The cast also includes Jason Momoa as Blanka and singer Orville Peck as Vega, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie is set to debut in March 2026.
[hollywoodreporter.com]
Our first look at Ari Aster’s upcoming feature Eddington made it seem like a pandemic-era drama, but the film’s latest trailer makes it feel like it’s going to be more of a politically-charged thriller when it hits theaters on July 18th.
Amazon announced that the Blade Runner 2049 and Dune director is going to take on another high-profile franchise with the next James Bond flick. It will be the first one produced after Amazon reportedly paid $1 billion to obtain full creative control over James Bond.
Villeneuve:
I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr. No with Sean Connery. I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory. I intend to honor the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come. This is a massive responsibility, but also, incredibly exciting for me and a huge honor. Amy, David, and I are absolutely thrilled to bring him back to the screen.
Kim Kardashian’s side quests don’t always make the most sense, but Deadline reports that she’s attached to produce and star in Amazon MGM’s new movie based on the Bratz dolls, which somehow feels very right.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ latest trailer features some cool new shots of the team using their powers to take on Galactus and the Silver Surfer, but its most surprising reveal is the fact that Ben Grimm can apparently grow a beard made out of his rock-like carapace.
The new 28 Days Later sequel’s infected ghouls aren’t all that scary, but the film’s Brexit-y undertones sure are.
Primordial Soup’s new short film feels like a snapshot of everything that’s disappointing about gen AI.
That’s according to The Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin, who also said, “It felt less like watching a blockbuster in the modern sense than the greatest game of dressing up in the desert anyone ever played.”
The Hollywood Reporter points out that George Lucas has been tweaking the flick going back to its rerelease in theaters in 1981, along with this YouTube report from Cinema Savvy detailing “so many little things” that are different. If you want a better blend of the updates without CG fluff and “Greedo shot first,” you may have to wait for Harmy to get back from his honeymoon.
A Minecraft Movie will start streaming on Max on June 20th, according to Warner Bros. Discovery. The movie was a huge hit in theaters.
Director Eliza McNitt’s new short film produced by Darren Aronofsky’s Primordial Soup and Google DeepMind, uses generative AI to tell the story of a woman going through a difficult birth. The project’s meant to be a testament to the potential of AI video generation models, but...well, you can see the results for yourself. We’ll have more to say on this soon.
If you’ve been waiting for Warner Bros. Japan’s follow-up to Batman Ninja, some good news: (HBO) Max announced today that Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is set to make its streaming debut this summer on July 3rd.
I’m dead excited to see Laika’s spooky 2012 stop-motion movie return to theaters for a one-week limited run, starting on October 25th in the US and October 23rd for other global screens. The re-run also includes the premiere of “ParaNorman: The Thrifting,” a new CG short film starring Finn Wolfhard and Anna Kendrick, who reprises her role as Norman’s sister, Courtney.
Apple CEO Tim Cook got to appear in a shiny Variety profile about F1 and Apple’s entertainment efforts. Poor Craig.
The distribution rights to Warner Bros. Japan’s animated adaptation of All You Need Is Kill — Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s 2004 sci-fi novel that inspired Edge of Tomorrow — have been acquired acquired by Gkids. The company plans to put the film in theaters “soon.”
If you’ve got an iPhone running iOS 18.4 or later, the Apple TV Plus tab of the TV app now features a trailer for the upcoming Brad Pitt F1 movie that’s now enhanced with vibrations created by the modern iPhone’s Taptic Engine.
You can not only feel an F1 car’s engine revving, but subtler events in the trailer like the click of a seatbelt being fastened, and buttons being pressed on a steering wheel.
Hulu’s animated Predator prequel film feels like a perfect pre-Badlands appetizer.
In case you were wondering what sorts of new / returning series and movies are making their way to Apple TV Plus this year, the studio has just dropped a sizzle reel teasing some of what we can expect to see from Chief of War, Invasion season 3, Foundation season 3, Slow Horses season 5, and more.
It’s a major turn in the high-profile dispute between Baldoni and Blake Lively that spiraled into an entire genre of social media content. Baldoni had sued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment. A judge also dismissed Baldoni’s defamation suit against The New York Times, filed after its coverage of Lively’s claims.
Ana de Armas struggles to carry the weight of Lionsgate’s new John Wick parallel prequel on her back.
