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Film

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.

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Jay Peters
Here’s a brief teaser of Fortnite’s live Star Wars event.

It kicks off at 2PM ET tomorrow.

Ballerina is a dance-by-numbers return to the world of John Wick

Ana de Armas struggles to carry the weight of Lionsgate’s new John Wick parallel prequel on her back.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore
Hollywood doesn’t want you to know how much AI it’s already using.

The public’s negative response to previous instances of major Hollywood firing up the generative AI slop machine might make you think that entertainment execs have cooled on the technology. But a new report from Vulture makes it sound like more and more studios are jumping on the bandwagon and trying very hard to keep it a secret.

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Hayden Field
There’s going to be a movie about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s ouster (and subsequent rehire).

Amazon MGM Studios is reportedly making a movie that will depict the rollercoaster couple of days in November 2023 when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was ousted by the board, then pulled an “Uno Reverse” and was re-hired, after which nearly all of the board members in question subsequently departed.

Luca Guadagnino is in talks to direct, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with Andrew Garfield in talks to play Sam Altman. Production could begin as soon as this summer, per the report, with filming locations in San Francisco and Italy.

Mountainhead succeeds at showing you how deranged the billionaire mindset can be

HBO’s Mountainhead is a snapshot of everything that’s ridiculous and terrible about Silicon Valley’s billionaire class.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore
These pieces of David Lynch’s legacy can be yours.

If you’ve ever wanted to own a piece of art, furniture, taxidermy, or other ephemera that was once owned and / or touched by the late, great David Lynch, Julien’s is running a massive auction beginning June 18th that you’re probably going to want to keep an eye on.

Four “Mulholland Drive” Prop Menus.
“Mulholland Drive” Scripts.
Handmade Colorful Table.
Personalized Director’s Chair.
Personal 35mm Print of “Eraserhead.”
“Dune” Production Office Moviola Film Viewer.
Six Vintage Dazor Flying Saucer Lamps,
Taxidermy Deer Heads.
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Four “Mulholland Drive” Prop Menus.
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Mia Sato
Getting attention has never been harder.

If you’re a celebrity promoting a new movie or your latest album, you used to follow a standard playbook of late night shows, magazine cover stories, or daytime talk shows. Now you have to do all that and eat chicken wings with YouTubers or give your hottest take while riding the subway. The New Media Circuit is a powerful driver of views, likes, and comments — but does it actually sell anything?

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Charles Pulliam-Moore
Pixar’s Elio has a gorilla fight question of his own.

While you may have forgotten that Elio is hitting theaters next month, the film’s latest trailer makes it seem like Pixar has been listening to the ridiculous 100 men vs 1. gorilla hypothetical fight people have been debating about for the past few weeks.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore
You’ll be able to watch Sinners at home next week.

For folks who’ve been salivating in anticipation of being able to (re)watch Ryan Coogler’s Sinners from their couches, Warner Bros. just announced that the film will be available to purchase on digital platforms beginning June 3rd ahead of its physical release on 4K UHD / Blu-ray / DVD on July 8th.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore
Heartbreak feels good in a movie like Daniela Forever.

In writer / director Nacho Vigalondo’s Daniela Forever, the grief Nick (Henry Golding) feels over the sudden death of his girlfriend Daniela (Beatrice Grannò) leads him to a clinical trial for a drug that induces lucid dreaming. Nick’s drug-fueled dreams are meant to help pull him out of his depression, but as the movie’s new trailer teases, things go terribly (and beautifully) wrong. The movie’s in theaters July 11th.

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Adi Robertson
Unescape to New York.

Bluesky reminded me that John Carpenter’s Escape from New York has a deleted ten-minute opening sequence, and while I think he made the right choice cutting it, it’s a pretty fun short heist film that barely even requires having seen the film.

The new Mission: Impossible is a comedy wearing a convincing disguise

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a spectacularly silly tribute to the franchise’s explosive past.

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Adi Robertson
“We’ll just call you Rye-you.”

Apparently we’ve got some prospective cast members for a new Street Fighter movie, so it’s time to revisit Polygon’s classic Chris Plante feature about the 1994 film’s production trainwreck. RIP Raul Julia.

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Jay Peters
Darren Aronofsky is involved in a new film with AI-generated visuals.

The film, called Ancestra, “is directed by Eliza McNitt and blends emotional live-action performances with generative visuals, crafting a deeply personal narrative inspired by the day she was born,” according to a description from the movie’s trailer.

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Andrew Webster
We have to go back.

If nothing else, the Jurassic Park franchise has done a solid job of coming up with reasons for people to keep returning to dinosaur-infested islands. The latest example is Jurassic World Rebirth, which has Scarlett Johansson searching for some life-saving dino DNA. It also looks like a mix of a number of film franchises — a little Alien, a little Indiana Jones — and it hits theaters on July 2nd.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore
The Predator’s going to have to bring its A game.

The new trailer for Hulu’s Predator: Killer of Killers gives a little bit too much of the plot away, but it also makes the movie seem like it’s going to be kinda fantastic when it premieres on June 6th.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore
Love Me is coming to Paramount Plus next month.

If you didn’t catch co-writers / directors Sam and Andy Zuchero’s Love Me during its theatrical run last year, worry not: the movie’s coming to Paramount Plus (with Showtime) on June 16th.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore
Mickey 17 is coming to (HBO) Max later this month.

If you didn’t see Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 during its theatrical run, you can catch it on Max starting May 23rd.

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Wes Davis
Apple gave Monaco a custom F1-themed Maps treatment.

The update puts a focus on Formula 1 racing in promotion of both upcoming Apple movie F1 and the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix race happening later this month. The update is full of special Monaco Grand Prix-related things, including little renders of Formula 1 cars at the pits and road closure advisories.

Not that any of us will ever use it — this is basically an update for Apple exec and known sports fan Eddy Cue, right?

Apple Maps showing Monaco.
Three screenshots of Apple Maps on an iPhone.
More of the special Grand Prix race locations shown in the app.
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The update lets you see where the route is, so you can join in the fun (just kidding, don’t try to do that!).
Image: Apple
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Dominic Preston
Google Find Hub is turning bounty hunter.

Alongside a shiny rebrand and airline integration, Google is expanding the range of trackers in its Find Hub network. But not with boring practicalities like better battery or more accurate tracking — no, we get Baby Yoda, thanks to a new set of Disney-themed tags from Pixbee.

A screenshot of a Google presenter next to an image of a Baby Yoda Bluetooth tracker.
Screenshot: Google / Dominic Preston
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Andrew Webster
We’ve got Red Hulk at home.

While the MCU is riding high on Thunderbolts, Marvel is about to bring another recent movie to streaming: Captain America: Brave New World hits Disney Plus on May 28th.

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Andrew Webster
This girl is on fire.

Here’s one more trailer before the John Wick spinoff Ballerina hits theaters on June 6th. The new clip plays all of the Wick hits — pulsing nightclub, hotel shootout, bulletproof jackets — but with Ana de Armas as the new trained killer. It also hints that we might get an answer to how John is still actually alive.

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Andrew Webster
Godzilla and King Kong just can’t stay away from each other.

Now they’ll be following up last year’s The New Empire with another buddy kaiju movie called Supernova. Details are slim, but the movie is currently in production, and expected to hit theaters on March 26th, 2027.