NECA has unveiled new versions of Hooper and Quint, along with an updated Jaws game for the 50th anniversary.

You’re gonna need a bigger shelf because NECA has unveiled a set of new figures and toys for the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.

Up first for pre-order from NECA are two 7” scale action figures of Matt Hooper and Quint, two fan favorite Jaws heroes. The Hooper figure is designated as “Amity Arrival”, so the figure comes in his denim getup and gray t-shirt. But he has plenty of accessories as well, such as a fishing hook, scuba tank, shark dart, and duffel bag. With all of that (and a bonus sweater), it allows you to place Hooper in a number of famous scenes from the movie.

And then there’s Quint, who comes with a machete, rifle, harpoon gun, and a crushed beer can — because boy can crush it like Quint! Both Quint and Hooper have interchangeable heads and hands. Fans may note that these 50th anniversary figures for Jaws are strikingly similar to those released just a few years ago. And while the only key difference is in the height (these are 1” shorter?). Sadly, as with that previous line, there is also no Chief Brody, who was also scrapped due to rights issues. As such, we’ll likely never have the full lineup.

But that doesn’t mean NECA doesn’t have more goodies for the 50th anniversary of Jaws, as they are also updating a vintage tie-in game. As per NECA, “Featuring state-of-the-art, detailed sculpting and paint applications, the infamous shark spans 15 inches in length and looks just like its movie counterpart. Get all the items out of the shark’s belly before the jaws snap down on the spear! Be sure to have a steady hand and not get too close to those deadly teeth!” Items for The Game of Jaws include fish bones, a boot, a tire, a lantern, a skull, and more. No doubt this is a serious upgrade from the 1975 original Ideal toy, as that shark looked absolutely ridiculous and most of the items were blue.

All of NECA’s Jaws 50th anniversary products are expected to ship in the third quarter of 2025. So while you may not get them before the Fourth of July, fans will still want to pre-order before the opportunity bites you in the ass!

Lou Ferrigno and Jino Kang taken on a gang called the Goblins in the martial arts thriller Hard Redemption, which is in post-production

Lou Ferrigno will always be best known for playing the title character in the 1977 – 1982 TV series The Incredible Hulk and its TV movie follow-ups, but he has continued working steadily over the decades. He doesn’t have as many cool action movies to his name as he should, but he has a few – and now that we know about it, we have our fingers crossed that the upcoming martial arts thriller Hard Redemption is going to be one of his best.

Deadline broke the news that Hard Redemption, which is directed and produced by Jino Kang and Christine Lam, is in post-production and will be released by Fairway Films Alliance sometime in 2025.

Here’s the film’s quite lengthy and informative synopsis: Bryan, a Korean American teenager who wants out of his ruthless gang the Goblins, setting the stage for gang retribution against him. On his first day of GED summer school for at-risk students, Bryan meets his new teacher, a tough ex-con and ex-gang member named James Park, a middle-aged man on a positive new course in life. When the Goblin gang invades the school to kill Bryan, they accidentally trigger the school’s prototype preventative protocol measure, the Hard Lockdown Security System, locking everyone — and every door — in the school. The Goblin assassins take hostages but can’t get to Bryan unless they find a way into his classroom, but Mr. Park and a seasoned security guard named Rico will risk their lives to save the students and stop the Goblins by any means necessary. A final confrontation between Mr. Park and the leader of the Goblins reveals a startling revelation as to the Goblins’ true intention of invading the school. Mr. Park will have to decide his fate: Run and save himself, or fight in a do-or-die match against the boss and skilled assassins of the gang. Kang and Lam wrote the screenplay with Dustin Leimgruber and David J. Moore.

Ferrigno plays the Rico character and is joined in the cast by Jessie Pettit (Double Agent in Passion), James Aaron Oh (Protection Detail), Mikaila Maei (Refuge), David Kurzhal (The Last Kumite), Preston Yeung (Staycation), and newcomer Alyssa McCullough, with Jino Kang – who previously wrote, directed, and starred in the films Fist 2 Fist and Fist 2 Fist 2: Weapon of Choice – playing James Park.

Are you a Lou Ferrigno fan, and are you looking forward to seeing him in action in Hard Redemption? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

About the Author

Cody is a news editor and film critic, focused on the horror arm of JoBlo.com, and writes scripts for videos that are released through the JoBlo Originals and JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channels. In his spare time, he’s a globe-trotting digital nomad, runs a personal blog called Life Between Frames, and writes novels and screenplays.

Mikey Madison gifted Quentin Tarantino a painting and wrote an ode to Charles Manson to land Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Mikey Madison may have just won her first Best Actress Oscar, but that wouldn’t have ever come about if it wasn’t for Quentin Tarantino. That’s not hyperbole; Anora director Sean Baker even admitted this during his own acceptance speech after being presented the Best Director Oscar by QT himself.

Mikey Madison appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! a few months back ahead of the release of Anora but considering Once Upon a Time in Hollywood just got a little push from her Oscar win, let’s take a look back at how she landed the role of Sadie, modeled after Susan Atkins. “I got this audition, I think I was 19 years old, and I was like, ‘This is my one opportunity to meet Quentin Tarantino’ so I was like, ‘I’m just going to go all out.’ So, I did a lot of research into the Manson family, and I found out that they would take a lot of acid trips together.”

But Mikey Madison wasn’t tripping on an abandoned movie set; instead, she took it to the canvas. As she added, “So, I painted this painting like my character was on this wild acid trip, and I wrote a very dramatic poem to Charles Manson on the back. I cut off a piece of my hair and sewed it in, and I, like, very dramatically performed it to Quentin, and I guess he liked it.” Madison ended up giving Tarantino the painting, which he proudly displayed in his office.

For Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Tarantino found an insanely talented cast early on in their soon-to-be bursting careers. In addition to Mikey Madison, some of the other Manson girls include Maya Hawke as Flowerchild (Linda Kasabian), Margaret Qualley as Pussychat (Ruth Ann Moorehouse) and Sydney Sweeney as Snake just to name a few. (Also in a small role in Rumer Willis, daughter of Demi Moore, who Madison beat out for Best Actress.) But only Madison gets one of the wildest deaths in any of Tarantino’s movies, meeting her fate by way of flamethrower.

Where do you want to see Mikey Madison’s career go after her Oscar win?

The cause of death of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa has been revealed, with the actor dying a week after his wife.

We were all shocked and deeply saddened by the death of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, last week. There have been plenty of rumours and speculation about what led to their deaths, but authorities may finally know what happened.

According to Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, Hackman died of cardiovascular disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease listed as a significant contributing factor. “It is reasonable to conclude that Mr. Hackman died on February 17th,” Dr. Jarrell said. “He was in very poor health.” In the case of Arakawa, she’s believed to have died a week earlier, on or around February 11th. The cause of Arakawa’s death is hantavirus, a potentially fatal virus transmitted by mice.

There’s also evidence that Hackman hadn’t eaten for a number of days before his death. It’s truly awful to imagine.

“The cause of death for Mr. Gene Hackman, aged 95 years, is hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor,” Dr. Jarrell explained. “Autopsy examination and a full body post mortem CT examination demonstrated no acute findings of internal or external trauma, and showed severe heart disease, including multiple surgical procedures involving the heart, evidence of prior heart attacks and severe changes of the kidneys due to chronic high Blood Pressure.“

During a news conference, Santa Fe Sherriff Adan Mendoza said that Arakawa was seen running errands on February 11th. She visited the Sprouts market and a CVS pharmacy and also emailed a massage therapist. Her vehicle was seen entering the gated subdivision where she and Hackman lived at around 5:15 pm, but the investigation couldn’t find any evidence of activity or communications beyond that time. In addition to Hackman and Arakawa, one of the couple’s three dogs was also found deceased at the scene.

Fast & Furious director Justin Lin will take the helm of BRZRKR, the adaptation of the comic-book series co-created by Keanu Reeves.

THR reports that Fast & Furious director Justin Lin has been tapped to helm BRZRKR, the live-action action flick based on the comic of the same name co-created by Keanu Reeves.

BRZRKR is a “brutally epic saga about an immortal warrior’s 80,000 year fight through the ages. The man known only as ‘B’ is half-mortal and half-god, cursed and compelled to violence, even at the sacrifice of his sanity. But after wandering the earth for centuries, B may have finally found a refuge — working for the U.S. government to fight the battles too violent and too dangerous for anyone else. In exchange, B will be granted the one thing he desires — the truth about his endless blood-soaked existence … and how to end it.”

Reeves will star in BRZRKR and will also produce alongside Stephen Christy for Boom! Studios, Stephen Hamel for Company Films, Ross Richie, and Justin Lin for Perfect Storm. Mattson Tomlin (The Batman Part II) penned the script for the movie. Netflix is also developing a BRZRKR anime series, which will expand the universe by exploring different elements of the story with Reeves attached to voice his character.

Reeves co-created and co-wrote the comic series with Matt Kindt, which was illustrated by Ron Garney. The first issue was one of the best-selling comics of the last decade, selling over 600,000 copies. The series spanned twelve issues and has been followed by several spinoffs and a novel, The Book of Elsewhere, which Reeves wrote with China Miéville.

Justin Lin certainly knows his way around action sequences, but it’s interesting that Reeves once considered directing BRZRKR himself. “I know how it’s a lot of work, but the film that I directed, Man of Tai Chi, was born; I became the director because I was part of the writing process, and I didn’t want to hand it over,” Reeves explained in 2022. “I was like, oh, okay. I have to direct this. I’m not quite there yet on ‘BRZRKR.’ I have to read the script, but I’m also interested in having a collaborator and what they could bring to it.“

The two acting thespians talk the challenges of their roles, while Lithgow picks between some of his most famous villain roles.

It’s always exciting to see major actors try their hand at horror. Both John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush have never shied away from it, and always find interesting roles when they do take part. That’s no different here as The Rule of Jenny Pen provides the two thespians an absolute smorgasbord to play with. They get to play nemesis and are really able to milk each of their interactions. There’s a tension present whenever these two are in the same room and it’s because they know how to play off the small moments so well. I didn’t love the film itself (check out my review HERE) but I was floored by the performances from these two talented actors.

Talking to two absolute acting titans like John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush can be a bit intimidating. Thankfully, they’re two of the nicest people out there and truly love acting, so it made them very easy to talk to. It was fascinating to see their rapport together, with Rush asking if Lithgow had performed a certain Shakespeare play. If anything I wish I had more time with them as they had such thoughtful answers. And with Lithgow having played so many all time great villains, I asked him who had the most humanity between The Trinity Killer (from Dexter), Carter/Cain (from Raising Cain), and Dave Crealy. The answer may surprise you. Check it all out in the embedded video above!

The Rule of Jenny Pen plot:

Arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen (Rush) suffers a near-fatal stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed and confined to a retirement home. Resistant to the staff and distant from his friendly roommate, Mortensen soon clashes with seemingly gentle resident Dave Crealy (Lithgow) who secretly terrorizes the home with a sadistic game called “The Rule of Jenny Pen” while wielding his dementia doll as an instrument of cruelty. What begins as childish torment quickly escalates into far more sinister and disturbing incidents. When Mortensen’s pleas to the staff go unanswered, he takes it upon himself to put an end to Crealy’s reign of terror.

THE RULE OF JENNY PEN IS IN THEATERS ON MARCH 7TH AND STREAMING ON SHUDDER ON MARCH 20TH, 2025.

About the Author

Tyler Nichols is a horror fanatic who resides in Michigan and is always on the hunt for the next great film. When not scouring the internet for movie news, he is usually off watching something dark, writing nonsensical musings, or playing in some fantastical video game world. While horror takes up most of his time, he still makes time for films of all types, with a certain affinity for the strange and unusual. He’s also an expert on all things Comic Book Cinema. In addition to reviews and interviews here on JoBlo.com, Tyler also helps with JoBlo Horror Originals where he’s constantly trying to convince viewers to give lesser-known horror films a chance.

You can’t keep Michael Hirst away from the world of Vikings as Amazon has given a series order to Bloodaxe, a Norse historical drama.

You can’t keep Michael Hirst away from the world of Vikings. Prime Video has given a series order to Bloodaxe, a historical drama created, written, and executive produced by Michael and Horatio Hirst.

Hirst created and wrote all 89 episodes of the Vikings series for the History Channel and executive-produced Vikings: Valhalla, the sequel series that aired for three seasons on Netflix. Although Bloodaxe will also deal with real-life Norse figures, the new series won’t be related to Hirst’s previous Viking dramas.

Bloodaxe chronicles “the rise of one of history’s most famous Viking warriors, Erik Bloodaxe, and his formidable wife, Gunnhild, Mother of Kings. As they fight for the throne of Norway, the land is torn apart by fierce rivals, shifting loyalties, and bloody betrayals. With war looming and chaos consuming the kingdom, drawing in the ruthless Kings of other Scandinavian countries, and even a powerful English ruler, the stage is set for a thundering, cataclysmic, compelling and utterly magical new Viking Saga.“

“I feel blessed and deeply excited that Amazon has given me the opportunity to return to the fantastic world of the Norse Sagas and the men, women and gods of the Viking world who have come to mean so much to me,” Michael Hirst said. “Horatio and I intend to open your eyes to incredible new characters and unbelievable stories, all of which happen to be true and many of which changed the course of history.“

Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, added, “We are thrilled to partner with Michael and Horatio Hirst, who have an impressive track record bringing historical dramas to life with stunning authenticity and gripping storytelling.This story is a fascinating tale of Erik Bloodaxe and we can’t wait to unveil this new chapter to transport our global customers back to a fascinating era of history.“

Bloodaxe isn’t the only project Michael and Horatio have in the works at Amazon. They’re also developing a historical drama based on A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii, written by Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, and Vicky Alvear. The book tells a series of overlapping stories about the people living in Pompeii before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Kevin Smith has been a longtime fan of Archie, and in the new comic, he will bring Riverdale into the View Askewniverse.

THR reports that Kevin Smith is bringing the View Askewniverse to Archie Comics. The Clerks writer/director is writing a double-sized crossover comic titled Kevin Smith Presents: Archie Meets Jay & Silent Bob.

The comic will be set after the events of Clerks III, which ended with a significant death, but Smith says, “Archie plays a role in the healing” when the iconic character gets a summer job at the Quick Shop and befriends Randal Graves. “Not only is this my stab at a classic American franchise that existed long before me that I read as a kid … It’s a midlife crisis project about death and learning to deal,” Smith explained.

Smith has long been a fan of Archie comics, and he wrote the first draft for the comic just one day after Archie creative executive Jesse Goldwater pitched him the idea. “Kevin has always been one of my creative heroes, and seeing him bring his unique voice and vision to the page with all of these iconic characters truly feels like a once in a lifetime moment,” Goldwater said. “Kevin’s work has always been hilarious and irreverent in the absolute best way, but also always filled with such joy, heart, and always focused on the importance of love and friendship, just like Archie Comics.“

Kevin Smith Presents: Archie Meets Jay & Silent Bob features artwork from Fernando Ruiz and Rich Koskowski, colours by Matt Herms, letters by Jack Morelli, and a cover by Ruiz, Koslowski and Rosario “Tito” Peña. It will be released on July 9th.

As for the movie side of the View Askewniverse, Smith revealed last year that he’s been working on a sequel to Dogma after finally regaining control of the film back from the Weinsteins. “Some people will be like, ‘Don’t f—ing touch it. You’ll ruin it,” Smith said. “And I’m here to tell you: I will. I’m f—ing tickled. I found a way in.” Smith also teased that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon may return, joking that they still owe him for never acknowledging him during their acceptance speeches for Good Will Hunting. “I have been able to hold that over both their heads for 25 f—ing years, which is why they keep showing up in all the movies,” he said. “Expect a cameo from them — more than a f—ing cameo. The only way we get a Dogma sequel made is if they’re there. So count on those guys being there.“

While not a patch on the solid original, Another Simple Favor is still good fun.

PLOT: Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick), who’s reinvented herself as an amateur investigator (as well as being a mommy blogger), is convinced by her old foe, Emily (Blake Lively), to attend her extravagant destination wedding in Capri.

REVIEW: A Simple Favor was a surprisingly effective potboiler, anchored by two ace performances from Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. Plus, it had snappy direction from Paul Feig and a tight script that somehow managed to take some vast cliches and make them feel fresh. As such, the only thing surprising about a sequel being made is that Amazon’s opting to premiere this on streaming, despite Lively’s last movie making $300 million worldwide – controversy be damned.

While not as inspired as the original and more of a retread than expected, the gorgeous scenery (well-photographed by John Schwartzman) and an especially good turn by Lively make it worthwhile. Emily Nelson is surely the best role of her career, with her getting more screen time than she did in the original, thanks to an added twist (which I won’t reveal here). While Lively looks terrific in her jaw-dropping wardrobe, she sinks her teeth into the camp aspect of the role, playing well off Kendrick, whose Stephanie is portrayed as a little less naive in this instalment.  

Most of the co-stars from the first movie return, with Henry Golding intriguingly cast against type. In the first film, his character, Sean, is presented as a bit of a trophy husband, but Golding’s charm is dialled down, with the character having gone to seed in the years since the last film. Oddly, he’s never been more likeable. 365 Days star Michele Morrone plays Emily’s mobbed-up, new would-be husband, but like Golding in the original, seems to have been cast to up the beefcake quotient more than anything else – which is understandable given the target audience.

Where the movie falters is in the inclusion of too many red herrings, including Allison Janney as Emily’s sinister aunt, who arrives with her addled mother (Elizabeth Perkins – filling in for Jean Smart) in tow. When you have someone like Lively having such a whale of a time playing a quasi-antagonist, it’s a shame they inevitably water her down somewhat (softening her rough edges way too much) to perhaps pave the way for a third instalment, which seems like a questionable proposition now.

It’s not that Another Simple Favor is bad – in its own way, the sequel is kind of fun. It’s just that it’s so unnecessary and seems to undo everything that made the original such a romp. Anna Kendrick’s Stephanie follows the same beats she did in the original, with her again being haunted by guilt over a traumatic death. In the first movie, it was her husband and half-brother/ lover. In this one, we find out that a case she was investigating led to the suicide of someone who may have been innocent, which would have given her an interesting wrinkle. Still, the movie seems afraid to commit to the notion that she is fallible. 

The film is also loaded with extraneous characters, with Alex Newell, Stephanie’s agent, tagging along on the European getaway for no reason and then being given absolutely nothing to do. The movie, which—like the first—embraces the camp aspect, goes overboard in its resolution, with everything wrapped up in too tidy a package.

However, the scenery is gorgeous, the leads are fun, and Feig’s thrown in some choice needle drops, including Ennio Morricone’s Once Upon a Time in the West theme. It’s absolutely watchable, if not a patch on the surprisingly rock-solid original. It should prove to be a big streaming hit for Prime Video, and while it’s not a movie that cried out to be made, taken as a lark, it’s good fun. 

This week’s Awesome Art features interpretations of The 2024 Golden Schmoe Winners with The Substance, Nosferatu, & more!

Some cliche somewhere said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ This has proven to be the case for me and especially when it comes to fan art. I have always sought out great fan art and have wanted to share it with as many people as possible. “Awesome Art We’ve Found Around The Net” is the outlet for that passion. In this column, I will showcase the kick-ass artwork of some great artists, with the hopes that these artists get the attention they deserve. That’s the aim. If you have any questions or comments, or even suggestions of art or other great artists, feel free to contact me at any time at [email protected].

Anora by Siddharth Vinod

Conclave by Luis López

Deadpool & Wolverine by Azmat

Dune: Part Two by Augusto Garcia

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga by Axel Almirón

Joker: Folie a Deux by Hadi Sabbagh

Nosferatu by Jason Gloom

The Substance by Michael Pinckney

Wicked by Dorothea Taylor

The Wild Robot by Jaime Ventura