Will David Heyman be hired to produce the James Bond franchise, and will he choose Alfonso Cuarón to direct the next film?

When Amazon purchased the legendary Hollywood studio MGM for $8.5 billion back in 2022, they found themselves in the James Bond business, as the Bond franchise was set up at MGM – and they wanted to start making Bond movies as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, creative disagreements between Amazon MGM Studios and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, who inherited the Bond franchise from original producer Albert R. Broccoli, slowed down the process. So, last month Amazon paid off Wilson and Broccoli (reported price: another $1 billion) so they can gain creative control over the franchise for the foreseeable future. There has been speculation that this could open the door to Bond fan Christopher Nolan finally getting to make a Bond movie, as he demands “final cut” on his films and Nolan getting final cut on a Bond movie was never going to happen under Broccoli’s watch… but Nolan is currently busy working on the epic fantasy film The Odyssey, which is likely to keep him tied up until next summer (the film has a July 17, 2026 release date), and Amazon didn’t pay $1 billion so they can twiddle their thumbs while waiting over a year for Nolan’s schedule to clear up, especially when they’ve already been sitting on the Bond franchise for three years. So now we’re hearing rumors about other contenders: like producer David Heyman and director Alfonso Cuarón.

Last week, Variety reported that “sources familiar with Amazon’s next steps on Bond say a film is still the top priority, and the studio will look first to attach a producer in the vein of David Heyman, who shepherded the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films with a cohesive vision.” Now, industry scooper Jeff Sneider has heard from “a very good source,” one with ties to Amazon MGM Studios, that Amazon isn’t just getting a producer “in the vein of” David Heyman, they’re getting Heyman himself to oversee the Bond franchise. Heyman is currently producing the Harry Potter TV series for HBO, so some suspect that he’ll be too busy with Potter to focus on Bond, but there’s a chance it could work out.

That same source told Sneider that if Heyman signs on as the new James Bond producer, his top choice for director would probably be Children of Men director Alfonso Cuarón, who he worked with on Gravity and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. (And Cuarón has said that Prisoner of Azkaban was “the best experience making a film I ever had.”) Interestingly, Cuarón was talking about Bond just a few months ago, as he revealed that he has been up for the Bond directing job before! “Ages ago, I was offered a Bond film. And I said, ‘Yeah, cool. Maybe Bond. I am going to do one.’ And then when the process started and I was going to shoot all the dialogue and stuff, there was a [separate] team doing all the action scenes. It kind of felt very weird. I was troubled about the idea of doing it. I had dinner with Joel Coen, and I said, ‘Joel, what do you think of Bond?’ And he said, ‘Oh cool, I enjoy Bond.’ I said, ‘Would you do a Bond film?’ (Coen said), ‘It probably falls into the category of a film I want to watch but not do.’ There I learned the lesson that some films I prefer to watch and not do.” So he stepped away from Bond back then, but maybe a Bond movie would be something he wants to do if Heyman is the producer.

Sneider speculates that if Heyman signs the deal soon, a writer could be hired rather quickly and spend the rest of the year getting the script into shape, with Amazon likely hoping for a 2026 production and 2027 release.

Do you think producer David Heyman and director Alfonso Cuarón could take the James Bond franchise in an interesting direction? Do you think Amazon should hold off until Christopher Nolan is available? Share your thoughts on these rumors by leaving a comment below.

Isabella Rossellini paid a subtle tribute to the late David Lynch, donning blue velvet at Sunday’s Oscars as an homage to the 1986 film.

2025 has been a tough year already for deaths in cinema. Most recently we lost the likes of Gene Hackman and Michelle Trachtenberg, covering a wide fanbase. But one that still stings is that of David Lynch, who died on January 15th. And while this year’s In Memoriam segment of the Oscars did include Lynch, he also got another wonderful nod courtesy of Isabella Rossellini, who wore blue velvet in honor of the late director.

Isabella Rossellini — who was earned her first ever Oscar nomination for Conclave — paid tribute to David Lynch in a subtle but not unnoticeable way, turning up at the Dolby Theatre in a Dolce & Gabbana dress made of blue velvet, a lovely nod to the film of the same name that she starred in for Lynch. (Rossellini absolutely deserved an Oscar nomination for that performance but that’s nothing to get hung up on now; but at least Lynch got his second Best Director nod.)

Adding to the Blue Velvet love, co-star Laura Dern was even seated next to Isabella Rossellini and seen during the Best Supporting Actress presentation. While the award would predictably go to Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez, seeing Rossellini work in her own tribute was really something special…although AMPAS really should have done more for Lynch.

But it wasn’t just David Lynch that Isabella Rossellini paid homage to. She also wore another easter egg: the same earrings that her mother Ingrid Bergman wore to the 1975 Academy Awards when she won her own Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Murder on the Orient Express.

Isabella Rossellini — who dated David Lynch for a period in the ‘80s and ‘90s — would only appear in one more of his films, 1990’s Wild at Heart, while Laura Dern would star not just in those films but also Inland Empire and Twin Peaks: The Return. She would get her own Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 2019’s Marriage Story, having previously lost for Rambling Rose and Wild.

Throughout his career, David Lynch would be nominated for four Oscars: three for Best Director (The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive) and one for Best Adapted Screenplay (The Elephant Man). He would be given an honorary award in 2019.

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.“