All week long, we’ve been listing our favorite Val Kilmer movies. Now we want to know what you think!
Many of us here at JoBlo were shaken up by the death of Val Kilmer. While his health had been fragile in recent years, he always seemed larger-than-life, and given how young he was (only sixty-five), many of us were in disbelief at the news. One of the most affecting moments for me happened this week at CinemaCon when Tom Cruise, his old co-star, paid tribute to him by requesting we all take a moment of silence.
Earlier this week we listed off ten of our favourite Val Kilmer roles (watch the video above), while Kier also dug into it on the Livestream. However, now it’s your chance to let us know what your favorite is. Take the poll below and let us know!
About the Author
Chris Bumbray began his career with JoBlo as the resident film critic (and James Bond expert) way back in 2007, and he has stuck around ever since, being named editor-in-chief in 2021. A voting member of the CCA and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, you can also catch Chris discussing pop culture regularly on CTV News Channel.
Season two of the Pitt will jump forward nearly a year, setting the day-in-the-life action over Fourth of July weekend.
Last Updated on April 9, 2025
The medical drama is one of the most reliable types of TV series out there, emerging with the dawn of TVs in households and not going a single week without one on the screen. With that, something truly amazing has to emerge to stand out. That’s where The Pitt comes in, with the prestige of Max and the help of ER star Noah Wyle, no less. Amidst a hugely successful debut season, the sophomore outing has not only been announced but details are starting to come in.
As viewers know, The Pitt takes place over the span of one day, with the post-Covid trauma at the forefront of Wyle’s Robby’s struggles. The second season will jump forward 10 months and be set over Fourth of July weekend aka one of the busiest days for hospitals, what with Americans blowing their fingers off every five minutes.
Appearing at Deadline’s Contenders TV panel, Wyle even announced that The Pitt is looking to expand their stable of competent professionals to build on the impact of the show. “We’re calling all pros. We want people who are good with props and who are used to working in a company, with an ensemble. We want creativity. We want passion. We don’t want ego coming to play. We have tremendous people showing up excited.”
The Pitt was created by R. Scott Gemmill, who served as a writer and executive producer on ER. Last year, the estate of the original creator of that show, the incredibly tall Michael Crichton, filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros., Gemmill, Wyle, and more over The Pitt due to what they considered striking similarities to the once-planned ER continuation, which would have found Wyle reprising Dr. John Carter. Warner Bros. has since stated that it is not a twist on that but an entirely original show. Over the course of ER’s run, Noah Wyle would be nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
The season one finale of The Pitt will air on Thursday, April 10th.
Have you been watching The Pitt on Max? What do you hope for season two?
CinemaCon is a wrap! Here’s what we learned at this star-studded convention!
Last Updated on April 9, 2025
CinemaCon is over, and once again, JoBlo.com was lucky enough to attend on behalf of the site and check out all the amazing studio presentations. Pretty much every studio was represented this year, with everyone reaffirming the fact that, after a few difficult post-COVID years, as well as the lingering effect of the dual WGA/SAG strikes, Hollywood needs to get audiences back in theatres in order to keep the industry going.
Here are a few highlights and takeaways we got from the presentations:
Nobody 2 looks amazing:
While Timo Tjahjanto’s Nobody 2 didn’t get a major presentation, with Bob Odenkirk currently on Broadway starring in Glengarry Glen Ross, we did get to see the film’s first trailer, and it’s killer. While the first movie played on the John Wick formula, the sequel does something unique in that it seems to be an ultra-violent riff on National Lampoon’s Vacation. In the footage we saw, Odenkirk’s Hutch takes his wife and kids on holiday to a resort (with Christopher Lloyd’s Gramps in tow), only for the daughter to be bullied by some townies. When Hutch, predictably, beats the shit out of all of them, he realizes that the resort town is run by a queenpin (played by Sharon Stone), who marks the family for death. Big mistake. The trailer, which should drop soon, doubles down on both the comedy (it’s all scored by Lindsay Buckingham’s “Holiday Road”) and action (The RZA kills bad guys with a samurai sword).
The Beatles movies are crazy ambitious:
One of the biggest news stories to come out of the convention is that Sam Mendes not only unveiled his casting of The Fab Four but that the movies will all drop the same month – April 2028 – and exclusively in theatres. It will be the first-ever bingeable theatrical event. It’s ambitious – I’ll give it that much, even if it sounds a little insane (what happens if you miss one? Is there an order?).
Superhero fatigue might not be (entirely) real:
2025 seems to be a make-or-break year for superhero movies, and CinemaCon showcased exclusive footage from Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four: First Steps. The convention also unveiled the new title for Spider-Man 4 (Brand New Day) and a release date for the much-delayed Beyond the Spider-Verse. We also got a five-minute sneak peek at Superman, although that’s since been released online. One interesting thing, though, is that outside of Marvel and DC, studios seem to be giving the genre a rest.
Comedies could (and should) make a comeback:
CinemaCon was buzzing with enthusiasm about two big star-driven comedies coming this year. One was Anzi Anzari’s Good Fortune, in which Keanu Reeves plays a none-too-bright angel, while the other is Liam Neeson’s The Naked Gun reboot. Folks love the teaser (the O.J. joke is gold), but we saw even better footage at CinemaCon. I think that movie might be a giant hit.
Original movies are important:
While studios still rely on established IP, some are mixing things up in a big way. Amazon/MGM, notably, have only one sequel being released theatrically this year – The Accountant 2. All the other films are original. Warner Bros is also making a big swing with P.T. Anderson’s hugely ambitious One Battle After Another, for which we saw some extended footage.
Lionsgate is betting big on John Wick:
The John Wick universe is about to be expanded in a big way. Not only was Lionsgate busy promoting Ballerina (check out our Ana de Armas interview above), but they’ve also greenlit another John Wick sequel, AND an animated prequel, PLUS a spin-off movie focused on Donnie Yen’s Caine.
Theatrical windows need to be longer:
One common refrain was that theatrical windows have gotten too short, and exhibitors feel the pinch when studios put movies on VOD within seventeen days (which happens any time a film underperforms). Exhibitors want at least 28 days of exclusivity, while they want 45 days on blockbusters. Disney seems the most willing in this regard, with them waiting 45 days to release their Marvel movies and blockbusters digitally.
What news do you think was the coolest? Let us know in the talkbacks! Read all of our coverage HERE!
We interview directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck about Freaky Tales, their love letter to eighties grindhouse flicks.
Last Updated on April 9, 2025
The weekend sees the release of a movie we really dug when we caught it at Sundance way back in 2024. The film is Freaky Tales, which is a kaleidoscopic tribute to 80s movies. Set in Oakland in 1987, the film features a memorable collection of tales centred around the various violent encounters our heroes (and anti-heroes) have with a collection of Neo-Nazi skinheads terrorizing the city. Notably, it’s the only Sundance movie since The Raid 2 that I can remember that ends with a kung fu massacre.
It’s directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who started their careers with lower-key Indies like Half Nelson and Mississippi Grind before directing the billion-dollar-grossing Captain Marvel. Freaky Tales plays like a mash-up of the two sensibilities, with it having the edge of an indie, but the scale and excitement of a blockbuster (as well as a particularly cool A-list cameo).
Recently, we spoke with the directing duo about their approach to the film, which counts rising superstar Pedro Pascal among its main cast members. Check it out, and if you get the chance to see Freaky Tales, give it a shot. It’s a real gem.
Here’s the Freaky Tales synopsis: An NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teenage punks, neo-Nazis and a debt collector embark on a collision course in 1987 Oakland, Calif.
A Minecraft Movie had an absolutely massive opening weekend, blowing away all industry estimates.
Last Updated on April 9, 2025
There’s going to be a lot of celebrating tomorrow morning at Warner Bros’s Burbank lot. For the first time since Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice in the fall, the studio has a legitimate box office smash, with A Minecraft Movie blowing past industry expectations to make a whopping $157 million this weekend. That’s more than twice what we predicted earlier this week, but even the most optimistic industry forecasts didn’t expect this to make more than $100 million. It’s now the highest opening for a video game movie ever, beating the $146 million The Super Mario Bros Movie earned in 2023.
This comes along at just the right moment for WB, who have suffered from a huge slate of pricey box office bombs, including Furiosa, Joker: Folie a Deux, Alto Knights, and the recent Mickey 17. Will this be enough to turn around the company’s fortunes? It’s hard to say, but one thing is for sure: expect A Minecraft Movie 2 in theaters before long. Notably, the film is also a huge hit for Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess, re-teaming him with his Nacho Libre star Jack Black.
Otherwise, the Jason Statham action flick, A Working Man, had a decent hold this weekend, only falling 53% to $7.276 million, with a $27 million domestic total. That’s not too far off from what The Beekeeper made in its second weekend, with that one legging out to a terrific $66 million domestically. While A Working Man likely won’t have those kinds of legs, it will no doubt turn a solid profit for Amazon/MGM and will be a considerable streaming success once it moves to Prime Video in a few months.
One noteworthy thing about the top 10 is that it features not one but two collections of episodes from the hit Christian series The Chosen. The Last Supper Part 2 opened slightly below expectations with $7 million, while Part 1 was further down the charts at 7, with $1.8 million and a $18 million total. For episodes you can stream, those are mighty respectable numbers.
Disney’s Snow White proved to be just as much of a disaster as everyone anticipated, with its free fall at the domestic box office continuing this weekend. It fell another 58% to just over $6 million and a $77 million domestic total. There’s little else for Disney to do now but cut their losses and throw the movie on Disney Plus. It’s proven to be one of the biggest bombs of the year – that’s for sure. Blumhouse’s The Woman in the Yard is also proving to be one of its more obscure offerings, grossing $4.5 million for a $16 million plus domestic total. That said, given how low they keep their budgets, that’s not an awful result. A24’s Death of a Unicorn, despite its high-profile stars (Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega), continued to die at the box office, making $2.6 million for a $10.7 million domestic total. Between this and Opus, A24’s off to a rough start at the box office this year – although next weekend’s Alex Garland flick, Warfare, might turn things around.
Next up on the chart were two Indies that didn’t make much of an impression this weekend. Finn Wolfhard’s Hell of a Summer, from Neon, had a modest $1.75 million opening, while TheFriend, starring Bill Murray and Naomi Watts, made $1.6 million, despite rave reviews (including one from us). Finally, the top 10 was rounded out by Captain America: Brave New World, with $1.3 million and a total that’s only a hair away from crossing the $200 million mark.
Next weekend, we see the release of two lower-profile action flicks, Warfare and The Amateur, neither of which is likely to pose much of a threat to A Minecraft Movie’s domination. Will you go see either? Let us know in the comments!
From the cast to the plot, locations, and potential premiere date, here is everything we know about the new Taylor Sheridan Montana-set drama.
Last Updated on April 9, 2025
What Do We Know About the upcoming Yellowstone sequel series The Madison? More than you may think. The Paramount series starring Michelle Pfieffer was first announced in 2023 and is currently in production. From plot, casting news, and more, let’s dive in and look at what is coming up in the new addition to Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone franchise.
What is The Madison about?
The plot of The Madison has been summed up in the logline that it “follows the McIntosh family, originally from New York City, who live in the Madison River valley of central Montana.”
Michelle Pfeiffer leads the cast
Michelle Pfeiffer is set to lead The Madison in the role of Stacy Clyburn, with Patrick J. Adams and Elle Chapman leading the McIntosh clan and Russell and Paige McIntosh. Matthew Fox is also in the cast, playing a character named Paul. Beau Garrett and Amiah Miller will play Abigail and Bridgette Reese, while Ben Schnetzer will play Van, Kevin Zegers will play Cade, Rebecca Spence will be Liliana Weeks, Alaina Pollack will portray Macy, and Danielle Vasinova is Kestrel. Note none of the characters are named Dutton.
Wasn’t Matthew McConaughey supposed to star?
When Kevin Costner was first announced not to return to Yellowstone, news reports spread the rumor that Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey could potentially take over the lead in a reformulated Yellowstone continuation. At that time, the series was rumored to be called 2024 but eventually became The Madison. Other stars rumored to be courted for the series included Kurt Russell, but there is the possibility that those could be linked to a different Yellowstone spin-off.
How does the series connect to Yellowstone?
This is the million-dollar question. Outside of the Montana setting, there are no outward indicators that this series will directly link to the original Taylor Sheridan series focused on the Dutton family. With Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser leading their own spin-off as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, the true sequel series may no longer be in the cards. Director Christina Alexandra Voros spoke about the series’ context. She said, “We are in Montana, but it is seen through a completely different lens, so it feels like another facet of this cut stone that has been polished. There are parallels in the scope of landscape and a human being’s place in that space, but it’s coming at it from a completely different point of view.”
So, who are these characters?
We do know that Stacy Clyburn (Pfieffer) will be the main character and mother to Abigail Reese and Paige McIntosh. Paige’s husband, Russell, is an investment banker, while Beau Garrett plays the recently divorced Abigail, the mother of Bridgitte. Matthew Fox’s Paul is a bachelor who loves the outdoors. How they all come into the story remains to be seen.
Could this series crossover with other Yellowstone spin-offs?
While no Yellowstone castmembers have been announced as part of The Madison, the open ending of the final episode of the original series left things ambiguous enough that we could see anyone make an appearance, including but not limited to Luke Grimes, Gil Birmingham, Forrie J. Smith, Moses Brings Plenty, Wendy Moniz, or anyone else. There have yet to be any official crossovers to date, but this is also the first time we have had multiple Yellowstone contemporary series on the air simultaneously.
When will we see it?
While production began in September 2024 in Montana, filming shifted to Dallas and Fort Worth and continued through mid-December. It is unclear if any filming has occurred in 2025. Chances are they are still working on the series, and it could arrive as early as this summer, but more than likely late 2025. If there are more plans than we have been aware of, this series could be pushed to early 2026, but we should know more in the coming months.
Stay tuned to JoBlo.com as we learn more about The Madison and all your other favorite shows. What do you expect to see in the upcoming Yellowstone spin-off? Let us know in the comments!
The original Ben Richards, Arnold Schwarzenegger, met virtually with Edgar Wright and Glen Powell to approve The Running Man remake.
Last Updated on April 9, 2025
Remaking a fan favorite is always a risky move. And while the power of Edgar Wright, Glen Powell and Josh Brolin is enough to restore confidence in the upcoming remake of The Running Man, it might take even more to get some on board. Enter the original Ben Richards, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who lent his support for the rerun after being tracked down by the director and star.
Glen Powell – who will be taking over the role of Richards, who has been forced to participate in the country’s most dangerous game show – recently revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger gave the go-ahead for The Running Man remake. Powell said that he used his friendship with Arnold’s son Patrick – and not his having already worked with him on The Expendables 3 – to set up a FaceTime meeting. “Arnold gave us his full blessing and we get to give Arnold a very specific fun gift from the movie in a couple of weeks..So I’m very excited to see him.” It’s the new version of that quasi-Aquaman suit, isn’t it, Glen?
Other than the blessing from Arnold, The Running Man remake has been building hype elsewhere, with the trailer having been shown at CinemaCon just last week. While the rest of us will have to wait to see what Wright has in store, our own editor-in-chief Chris Bumbray was in attendance and summed up the trailer as such: “Set in a dystopian future. No one has ever survived The Running Man. Glen Powell’s daughter is sick and he needs money. The film has an epic scope – the design of the show where Domingo hosts is reminiscent of the original, but the scope is very different as the lead is running all over the world, and regular people are trying to kill him too. One set piece is set on a plane as the pilots try to kill him and they all flip around the cabin. Also looks like it could be R-Rated and has LOADS of action. Very much Glen Powell’s launch as a Tom Cruise style star.”
While this year’s The Running Man is generally being considered a remake of the 1987 movie, it’s more fair to say that it is another adaptation of the 1982 book by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King). Outside of Powell and Brolin, the cast also features Colman Domingo (taking over hosting duties from Richard Dawson), Lee Pace, William H. Macy, Michael Cera, David Zayas, Sean Hayes, and more.
The cast of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy may not have made much but Elijah Wood says it came down to the passion.
Last Updated on April 9, 2025
The original Lord of the Rings trilogy grossed nearly $3 billion at the worldwide box office. But when it comes down to what the ensemble cast made. While we don’t know the exact figures of what those of the Fellowship and in the Shire took home, we do know that it was nothing to get them from the hobbit-holes to the Hollywood hills.
As Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins) told Business Insider, the lower paychecks were a result of the bigger picture that Peter Jackson had lined up for The Lord of the Rings. “Because we weren’t making one movie and then renegotiating a contract for the next, it wasn’t the sort of lucrative scenario that you could sort of rest easy for the rest of your life.” Instead of a fat check, Wood was in it for the story and magic that would be presented on the screen, adding, “The benefit of that was that we were also signing up for something that was going to be a part of our lives forever…It’s such an honor to have been a part of those films, and they represent some of the best experiences of my life.” As for fellow co-star Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), she says her pay was basically getting fed sandwiches every day. Poor Galadriel!
Some reports put Elijah Wood’s Lord of the Rings paycheck at a quarter-million dollars, although he’s far too humble to chat money in such specifics. Whatever he made is ultimately none of our business when it comes down to it; what is is his passion for all things cinema. Wood has continued to endorse and latch onto projects that he genuinely cares about. It’s why he is one of the biggest proponents of genre movies out there right now, with his SpectreVision production company giving us films like A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Mandy, The Greasy Strangler, and more.
Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, who co-host The Video Archives Podcast, recently recorded their first-ever live episode.
Cut the Bacalov…In a short period, Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary’s Video Archives Podcast became one of the essential movie podcasts out there. With serious, encyclopedic knowledge mixed with respectful and passionate banter, the podcast is essential listening for any film buff. Yet, even if you think you know your sh*t, you pale in comparison to what QT and Avary have to offer…and they don’t care one bit.
Tarantino recently said that he’s not concerned with whether or not you have seen the movies they’re discussing but that you’re invested in The Video Archives Podcast itself. “I want you to listen to our show, and I want you to like the show. I have not seen every movie of every Pauline Kael review I’ve read. But I like reading the reviews. We’re not a ‘recommend’ show. If we do end up recommending a movie that you want to watch, great! I want to do movies that I want to watch with Roger, and I want to talk about. Whatever happens after that, that’s all up to you. We can do movies we don’t like. We just have to think it’ll be a good show. The only thing that’s important is the discussion.”
For what it’s worth, for me, The Video Archives Podcast has absolutely become a “recommend show”, as I’ve sought out a number of titles based on the reviews – whether good or bad – from Tarantino and Avary. Of the 100+ movies they’ve featured in their episodes, I bet I’ve only seen a third. But it has given me so many awesome movies to check out that I otherwise may not have (or would have taken a few more years to get to), like Sonny & Jed, Amphibian Man and The Hospital.
For Avary, The Video Archives Podcast also offers the opportunity for him and his co-host to demonstrate what makes a proper debate over film. “People have forgotten how to have discussions – proper discussions – where you can agree and disagree with each other, and even debate each other, and then get into an argument with each other and then say, ‘Hey, let’s go to karaoke! Let’s get a bite to eat.’” Perhaps for a Big Kahuna Burger?
The Video Archives Podcast recently hosted its first live show, screening 1973’s No Way Out, which will automatically put it at the top of a number of cinephiles’ must-watch lists. As it was recorded, it will eventually be released on Patreon for subscribers. In the meantime, you can catch up on recent episodes – including one devoted solely to Steven Spielberg’s 1941 – via any number of platforms.
Warp Films, which was the production company behind Adolescence, is now planning to develop a new series on BBC’s notorious TV film Threads.
Adolescence is a smash hit for Netflix. What’s even more impressive is that not only are viewers finding it to be good television, but it tackles an incredibly disturbing subject that some may have the misfortune to experience. Adolescence touches on a sensitive topic of a young boy who is suspected of murdering a classmate. The series has been collecting accolades for exploring the tough topic through a sophisticated lens and not an exploitative one for the sake of entertainment. There’s even talk about the series being shown in schools for awareness. And now, the producer behind the show is ready to explore another terrifying tale.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warp Films, the production company based out of Sheffield that made Adolescence, has now gained the option to develop a new series based on the 1984 BBC movie Threads. Threads is the U.K.’s answer to America’s The Day After, in which it was also a TV movie that took a horrifying look at the fallout following a nuclear attack. The movie had also gained a reputation for being one of the most disturbing movies ever and it would rarely broadcast on television after its original airing, which became known as “the night the country didn’t sleep.”
Warp Films would state, “Renowned for its groundbreaking portrayal of a fictional apocalypse, Threads offers a harrowing depiction of life in nuclear war-era Britain, set in Sheffield. This adaptation will explore prescient issues through rich, character-driven storytelling. The original film’s chilling account immerses viewers in the struggles of ordinary people facing unimaginable hardship.” The statement continued, “Warp Films remains dedicated to producing authentic stories that highlight working-class experiences and is proud to reimagine this iconic story, finding new layers of meaning and elements of hope.”
Mark Herbert, founder and CEO of Warp Films, added, “Threads was, and remains, an unflinchingly honest drama that imagines the devastating effects of nuclear conflict on ordinary people. This story aligns perfectly with our ethos of telling powerful, grounded narratives that deeply connect with audiences. Reimagining this classic film as a TV drama gives us a unique opportunity to explore its modern relevance.”
Emily Feller, CCO and executive producer at Warp, also said, “Threads is clearly a deeply impactful story and right now, it feels more relevant than ever. This adaptation will allow us to uncover fresh interpretations in light of today’s world. We imagine highlighting how resilience and connection can offer hope even in the most challenging of times. Through this lens, an adaptation of the incredible film can reexamine its significance for then and for now — allowing us to engage with a modern audience.”
About the Author
E.J. is a News Editor at JoBlo, as well as a Video Editor, Writer, and Narrator for some of the movie retrospectives on our JoBlo Originals YouTube channel, including Reel Action, Revisited and some of the Top 10 lists. He is a graduate of the film program at Missouri Western State University with concentrations in performance, writing, editing and directing.
