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.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, sets up what may be Ethan Hunt’s last mission in the new trailer

Six years have passed since Tom Cruise announced that the seventh and eighth films in the Mission: Impossible franchise would be shot back-to-back, and he has been in production on these films for a long time. We saw Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning back in 2024, and now the follow-up, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, is almost ready to make its way out into the world, heading toward a May 23rd release date. Just a few days ago, Cruise showed a new trailer for the film to the audience at the CinemaCon event in Las Vegas – and now that new trailer has dropped online! You can check it out in the embed above.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning tells the second half of the story that began in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, with Ethan Hunt out to destroy an AI system called The Entity, which is housed in a sunken Russian stealth submarine. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and Dead Reckoning writer/director Christopher McQuarrie remains at the helm, working from a screenplay he crafted with Erik Jendresen. The official synopsis is very simple: Our lives are the sum of our choices. Tom Cruise is Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

Cruise is being joined in the cast by Hayley Atwell, reprising her Dead Reckoning role of thief-turned-IMF-recruit Grace; Vanessa Kirby as arms dealer Alanna Mitsopolis, a.k.a. the White Widow, a character who was previously seen in both Fallout and Dead Reckoning; Ving Rhames as IMF agent Luther Stickell, who has been part of this franchise since the first Mission: Impossible movie in 1996; Simon Pegg as IMF agent Benji Dunn, who joined the party back in Mission: Impossible III; Henry Czerny as CIA director Eugene Kittridge, who was introduced in Mission: Impossible (1996) and finally made his long-awaited return in Dead Reckoning; Rolf Saxon as William Donloe, a CIA analyst who got in trouble after Ethan Hunt accessed his computer way back in the first Mission: Impossible; and more Dead Reckoning reprisals: Esai Morales as the Entity-serving terrorist Gabriel; Pom Klementieff as Gabriel’s former ally Paris; Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis as US Intelligence agents Briggs and Degas; Mariela Garriga as Marie, a mysterious woman from Ethan and Gabriel’s past; Mark Gatiss and Charles Parnell as the heads of the NSA and NRO;. There are also a handful of new additions to the franchise: Holt McCallany as Secretary of Defense Bernstein; Nick Offerman as Sydney, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Katy O’Brian, Stephen Oyoung, Tramell Tillman, Janet McTeer, Hannah Waddingham, and Lucy Tulugarjuk in unspecified roles.

What did you think of the new trailer for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Interview: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and 5 heroine Lisa Wilcox looks back on the experience of working on the Freddy Krueger sequels

The A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise has some of the best heroines of the horror genre – and my personal favorite of the Elm Street heroines is Alice Johnson, played by Lisa Wilcox in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child. JoBlo’s own Ryan Cultrera was able to catch up with Wilcox at the Ve Neill’s Vampire Weekend convention in California last month and talked with her about her encounters with Freddy Krueger and the experience of working on those classic ’80s horror films. You can hear what Wilcox had to say by checking out the video embedded above.

Directed by Renny Harlin from a screenplay by Brian Helgeland, Ken Wheat, and Jim Wheat (with Helgeland also sharing story credit with William Kotzwinkle), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master has the following synopsis: Your fave psycho-sandman is back! It’s the one-man-sleep-disorder, the unspeakably demonic Freddy Krueger, returning with a vengeance in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master! But wait. This time around, the fiendishly Freddy is up against a powerful new adversary! After beautiful young Alice sees the remaining Elm Street kids succumb one by one to Freddy’s razor-edged wrath, she embarks on a desperate mission to release the tortured souls of Freddy’s victims once and for all. Can this lone “Dream Master” defeat the satanic dream-stalker? Or will she have to wake up to the fact that no one is ever really ready… for Freddy? A special-effects-filled descent into sheer, unrelenting terror!

Wilcox was joined in the cast by Danny Hassel, Tuesday Knight, Ken Sagoes, Rodney Eastman, Brooke Theiss, Andras Jones, Toy Newkirk, Nicholas Mele, and Brooke Bundy, with Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. Plus, there’s a cameo appearance by Linnea Quigley as a soul in Freddy’s chest.

Directed by Stephen Hopkins from a screenplay by Leslie Bohem and a story crafted by John Skipp and Craig Spector, The Dream Child has the following synopsis: The fifth installment of the popular franchise focuses on Alice, a survivor of the fourth, who believes Freddy Krueger has been eliminated for good. She optimistically hopes to start a life with fellow survivor Dan. The nightmares begin soon enough, though, and Alice learns she is pregnant. When her friends start dying, Alice suspects that Freddy is using the fetus within her as a weapon. Can she fight the demon while protecting her unborn child?

For that one, Wilcox was joined in the cast by Kelly Jo Minter, Erika Anderson, Danny Hassel, Beatrice Boepple, Whitby Hertford, Joe Seely, and Nicholas Mele, with Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger and Michael Bailey Smith as Super Freddy.

Are you a fan of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and/or A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child? Take a look at our Lisa Wilcox interview, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

Speculation has emerged of Children of Men and Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuarón as a frontrunner for the next James Bond.

UPDATE: During a masterclass at the Paris Cinema Club, Alfonso Cuarón seemed to address the James Bond rumors that have been floating around for the last month and possibly acknowledge that he’s in talks for the project. An audience member reported, “And he does mention the idea of directing the next James Bond movie, without mentioning the name of the franchise. ‘There is indeed THIS project under discussion, and I have the desire – if it is done – to revisit this story in my own way.’“

The original article, posted on March 23rd, follows:

In the wake of the news that Amazon had purchased the rights to the James Bond franchise, it seems a sure thing that we’ll be getting a lot of 007 news in 2025. And while we can only speculate on who will be taking over the role from Daniel Craig, there seems to be some strong buzz around a potential director, with eyes now circling Alfonso Cuarón to lead James Bond into the next era.

Coming off of word that Amy Pascal and David Heyman are producing the next James Bond picture, Puck’s Matthew Belloni (on his podcast, The Town) predicted that Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón seems to be the most likely pick out there, although he’s cautious to say that his prediction is solid. (Sorry, Matt, you know every outlet is picking this up…) “It’s an informed, speculative pick here…And it is not Chris Nolan. I think the fact that he’s tied up for the next year and a half on The Odyssey, I just don’t think Amazon wants to wait that long. I think Jeff Bezos says, ‘Give me my Bond movie now,’ and they just cannot wait. The fact that they went directly to these producers suggests…But they want to move pretty fast on this. I think it’s going to be Alfonso Cuarón.”

So where does the speculation that Alfonso Cuarón might be the director of James Bond #26 come from? According to Belloni, his history with producer Heyman is key. “They go back to Gravity. They go back 21, 22 years to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. They’ve worked together a long time, they’re friendly. I have heard that there are some talks, that there is a take, and that they are serious. Now, it’s not like he’s negotiating or anything like that, but my prediction is that Alfonso Cuarón will direct the next James Bond.”

While some might want Christopher Nolan to be the one to lead James Bond following the Amazon buyout, Alfonso Cuarón might be a much stronger choice as director. He has, of course, worked with franchise fare before (and many would name Azkaban as the best Harry Potter movie), so he has that going for him. Add to that that his distinct visual style and skill in unique action sequences, and Cuarón could be the guy.

What do you think of Alfonso Cuarón as a pick for directing the next James Bond movie?

Benicio Del Toro plays Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe, and he assembles a ragtag group for his most important project.

Just when you thought Wes Anderson couldn’t get more Wes Anderson, he continues to Wes Anderson and still makes it look intriguing and hilarious. Focus Features has released the new trailer for The Phoenician Scheme. The studio previously collaborated with Anderson on Asteroid City and Moonrise Kingdom, which was a partnership that turned out very well for them as Asteroid City earned an impressive $53.8 million at the box office for an arthouse film, while Moonrise Kingdom grossed $68.3 million and was nominated for an Oscar for its screenplay.

Anderson directed The Phoenician Scheme from a screenplay he wrote with Roman Coppola, who previously worked on the scripts for Anderson’s films The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch, and Asteroid City. Filming took place in Germany from March to June of 2024.

Described as an espionage comedy drama thriller, The Phoenician Scheme tells the story of a family and a family business. Benicio del Toro stars as Zsa-zsa Korda, one of the richest men in Europe, with Mia Threapleton as Sister Liesl, his daughter/a nun, and Michael Cera as Bjorn Lund, their tutor. Also in the cast are Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Bill Murray, who has been in most of Anderson’s movies (dating all the way back to his second feature, Rushmore), doesn’t appear in the trailer or in the cast list, but he was curiously announced as a cast member, so it could be possible he’ll be showing up in the film as a cameo of some sort.

The Phoenician Scheme was produced by Anderson for his American Empirical Pictures banner alongside longtime collaborators Steven Rales of Indian Paintbrush, Jeremy Dawson, and John Peet. The movie was made in association with Studio Babelsberg.

Focus Features is planning to give the film a limited release domestically on May 30, with a wide expansion to follow on June 6. Universal Pictures International is handling international distribution.

What did you think of the trailer? Share your thoughts on The Phoenician Scheme by leaving a comment below.

The What Happened to This Horror Movie series looks back at the 2012 film Dredd, starring Karl Urban as Judge Dredd

A new episode of our What Happened to This Horror Movie? video series has just been released, and with this one we’re taking a look back at the 2012 sci-fi action film Dredd (watch it HERE), which is based on the same comic book source material as the 1995 Sylvester Stallone movie Judge Dredd, but took a more faithful approach to the adaptation. You can hear all about it by checking out the video embedded above.

The official word is that Dredd was directed by Pete Travis from a screenplay by Alex Garland, although we were told that Garland actually directed the movie. The film has the following synopsis: The America of the post-apocalyptic future is an irradiated wasteland, a vast, ultraviolent world where criminals control the mean city streets. Ultimate law enforcers like Dredd and his new partner, Anderson, are Judges—the only force battling for justice. Dispatched by the central authority, the Judges target is Ma-Ma, a ruthless boss bent on expanding her criminal empire through sales of Slo-Mo, a dangerous reality-altering drug. With Dredd calling the shots, the two Judges declare full-scale war on crime in this unrelenting and brutal three-dimensional thrill ride.

Karl Urban starred as the title character and was joined in the cast by Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Wood Harris, Domhnall Gleeson, Warrick Grier, DeObia Oparei, Francis Chouler, Daniel Hadebe, Rakie Ayola, Langley Kirkwood, Edwin Perry, Karl Thaning, Michele Levin, Junior Singo, Luke Tyler, Jason Cope, Joe Vaz, Scott Sparrow, and Nicole Bailey.

This is what the What Happened to This Horror Movie series is all about: Hollywood has had its fair share of historically troubled productions. Whether it was casting changes, actor deaths, fired directors, in-production rewrites, constant delays, budget cuts or studio edits, these films had every intention to be a blockbuster, but were beset with unforeseen disasters. Sometimes huge hits, sometimes box office bombs. Either way, we have to ask: WTF Happened To This Horror Movie?

The Dredd episode of What Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written, Edited, and Narrated by Tyler Nichols, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

A couple of the previous episodes of the show can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!

What do you think of Dredd? Let us know by leaving a comment!

Bruce Willis has made a career out of playing men who look like they haven’t slept since the late ‘80s, and The Last Boy Scout is no exception. Released in 1991, this action-packed, expletive-riddled, buddy-cop-adjacent flick directed by Tony Scott and written by Shane Black was basically Die Hard‘s rowdier, more foul-mouthed cousin. And yet, despite its A-list talent and explosive action, it somehow ended up as one of the most overlooked gems of the early ‘90s.

Now, let’s get one thing straight—I loved this movie growing up. So much so that I practically ran my VHS copy into the ground, forcing the poor tape to endure countless rewatches until it finally tapped out. RIP to that beautiful, plastic relic. Hopefully, the DVD holds out a little longer.

So, what the f*** happened? How did this film, with all its star power and razor-sharp dialogue, become more of a cult classic than a mainstream hit? Buckle up, because this ride involves studio battles, on-set feuds, and a whole lot of ‘90s action movie magic.

In case you need a refresher: The Last Boy Scout follows Joe Hallenbeck (Bruce Willis), a disgraced former Secret Service agent turned down-on-his-luck private detective. He teams up with Jimmy Dix (Damon Wayans), a former pro football player with a gambling problem, after Dix’s girlfriend is murdered in the middle of a blackmail scheme involving politicians, mobsters, and a whole lot of bad decisions.

From the opening scene—where a football player literally pulls a gun and starts shooting defenders on his way to the end zone (a scene so batshit it’s almost too perfect for this movie)—you know this isn’t your typical action flick.

This movie is pure Shane Black. The man practically invented the buddy-cop genre with Lethal Weapon, and here he delivers everything you’d expect: hilarious one-liners, mismatched partners, and a plot so convoluted that you kind of stop trying to make sense of it by the third explosion. Tony Scott directs the whole thing like a high-octane fever dream, and Bruce Willis? He’s in peak Willis mode—cynical, hungover, and dropping insults like it’s his full-time job.

Alright, let’s get into the real drama: why didn’t The Last Boy Scout become a massive hit?

Well for one, the production was a nightmare. The making of this film was so chaotic that it deserves its own Behind the Music-style documentary. The movie had an all-star lineup, but it turns out that when you throw a bunch of Hollywood heavyweights into one production, you’re bound to get some, uh, “creative differences.” Shane Black was the golden boy of ‘80s and ‘90s action screenwriting, and Warner Bros. paid him a record-breaking $1.75 million for the script. It was the most expensive screenplay ever at the time. That’s right—someone paid nearly two million dollars for Bruce Willis to say, “This is the ’90s, you can’t just walk up and slap a guy, you have to say something cool first.” Worth every penny, honestly. Reportedly, Bruce Willis and Tony Scott did not get along. Willis had creative control, and Scott wanted to make his movie. Combine that with studio interference and tension between the producers, and you get a set where nobody was having fun—except, maybe, Shane Black, who was off cashing his million-dollar check. Producer Joel Silver (aka the guy behind Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, and The Matrix) was in full Hollywood power-broker mode. He was known for being demanding, and his influence on the film’s production likely made things even more tense.

Some would say the movie was too “hardcore” for its own good. In the early ‘90s, studios were still trying to figure out what audiences wanted from R-rated action movies. Die Hard worked because it had a perfect mix of humor, action, and heart. The Last Boy Scout is…well, meaner. It’s nihilistic, drenched in cynicism, and filled with characters who don’t even pretend to give a shit about each other until they have to.

Audiences expecting Lethal Weapon‘s balance of action and camaraderie instead got Bruce Willis smoking himself into a coma while insulting literally everyone around him. And as much fun as that is for people like me who love their action heroes extra salty, it didn’t exactly scream “four-quadrant blockbuster.”

Despite its $43 million budget, The Last Boy Scout only made about $59 million worldwide. Not a flop, but definitely not a hit either. Part of this was due to stiff competition (Hook and Star Trek VI were big that month), but also because The Last Boy Scout had a reputation as a “troubled” movie before it even hit theaters. Negative buzz, fights on set, and behind-the-scenes drama all contributed to a lukewarm reception. 

Listen, I get why it wasn’t a mainstream hit, but The Last Boy Scout is glorious. It’s a chaotic, trash-talking, bullet-riddled spectacle that only could have come out of the ‘90s. The dialogue is endlessly quotable. The action is brutal and well-choreographed. And Bruce Willis, despite all the behind-the-scenes tension, delivers one of his most underrated performances.

And let’s not forget Damon Wayans! He doesn’t get enough credit for this one, but he and Willis have incredible chemistry. Even when they’re bickering like an old married couple, you want to see them succeed. 

The Last Boy Scout is one of the greatest action films of the ‘90s, yet it has somehow suffered one of the worst home media releases imaginable. Despite being a cult classic, the film has been treated like a forgotten relic. The DVD release was barebones, with no significant extras, and the Blu-ray wasn’t much better—just a slightly sharper version of the same lackluster package…but packaged as a double feature with another Brucie forgotten favorite, Last Man Standing.  Deleted scenes? Nowhere to be found. Behind-the-scenes footage? Probably locked away in a Warner Bros. vault, gathering dust next to True Lies’ long-lost special edition…but that’s a story for another time. 

At this point, we’re practically on our knees, begging Arrow Video, yes Arrow Video, to swoop in and save The Last Boy Scout from home media purgatory. If they can do it for Robocop, 12 Monkeys, Demolition Man and hell, even Jason X, they can give us the director’s cut, the outtakes, the Shane Black-penned scenes that never made it, and—most importantly—let us hear Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans’ best off-camera quips. We need the full treatment: a 4K restoration, interviews with the cast and crew, a deep dive into the film’s infamously troubled production, and maybe even a Joe Hallenbeck cigarette case as a collector’s edition bonus. They surely can rescue one of the greatest buddy action films of all time. Do it for the fans, Arrow. Do it for Friday Night Football!

As we stated earlier, over time, this film has developed a cult following—probably made up of people like me who grew up watching their VHS copies into oblivion. The movie is a perfect storm of everything that made ‘90s action movies great: slick dialogue, brutal fights, insane plot twists, and an unshakable commitment to badassery.

So if you haven’t revisited The Last Boy Scout in a while, do yourself a favor. Just, uh, be careful with your DVD. I’ve already lost one copy to excessive rewatches. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself and remember “Nobody likes you. Everybody hates you. You’re gonna lose. Smile, you fuck.” 

Michael Sarnoski of Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One has signed on to write and direct the Death Stranding movie

Back in 2019, director Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions brought us the video game Death Stranding – and while fans wait for the sequel Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, there’s a film adaptation in the works at A24… and that adaptation has just found its writer/director. Deadline reports that Michael Sarnoski, director of the Nicolas Cage drama Pig and the creature feature A Quiet Place: Day One, has signed on to take the helm of the Death Stranding movie.

Sarnoski is currently in post-production on Death of Robin Hood, starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer.

The Death Stranding film will delve into the mysteries surrounding the “Death Stranding” – a catastrophic series of events that blurred the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead, bringing forth nightmarish creatures into a fragmented world on the brink of collapse. For the video game, players assume the role of Sam Porter Bridges, a character tasked with reuniting a divided America, rebuilding hope, and re-establishing connections among the last remnants of humanity. There’s no word on whether or not Sarnoski plans to bring the cast of the video game, which includes Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Guillermo del Toro, and Margaret Qualley, over to the movie.

Deadline notes that Death Stranding captured the imaginations of millions of players, reaching over 19 million players worldwide.

When asked if he had considered directing the movie himself, Kojima previously said, “I have only ever thought of Death Stranding as a game. People tell me it feels like a movie, but I made it as a game – the direction, the settings, the story. So, I don’t intend to look back at it and try to see it from a movie perspective. Those works are my babies, and I love movies, so I want it to be something that movie fans will really enjoy! I’ll supervise the plot and help them make it, but I won’t direct it. I can’t right now with three on-going projects! I’ll help by communicating with a director I really trust.” Now, it appears that Sarnoski is that trustworthy director.

Are you a fan of Death Stranding? What do you think of Michael Sarnoski signing on to write and direct the film adaptation? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Tom Cruise’s action franchise has had many exciting sequences and the Museum of Moving Images commemorates the big stunts in the series.

On Friday, April 18, the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) will launch a major initiative celebrating the phenomenon of Paramount Pictures’ thrilling MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise, ahead of the Memorial Day Weekend 2025 release of the eighth film in the series, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—The Final Reckoning. The exhibition will spotlight star and producer Tom Cruise’s exceptional commitment to practical stunt work, and explore how the series combines technical ingenuity, personal discipline, and artistic commitment, all in service of storytelling, character development, and performance.

The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE experience at MoMI will be anchored by MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—Story and Spectacle, an exhibition that immerses visitors in the breathtaking stunts and key dramatic moments of the series, pulling back the curtain to allow insight into story and character development and the planning and execution of action sequences. The exhibition and related programs will provide a focal point for fans of the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise, both those in New York and worldwide through virtual and/or livestreamed events.

Sections of the exhibition will be devoted to each film in the series, with a focus on that film’s key stunt or action sequence, along with unique behind-the-scenes content that offers insight on how the remarkable stunts were prepared for and filmed, complemented by related production artifacts.

“For almost 30 years, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE films have thrilled audiences with suspenseful stories and unparalleled practical stunts,” said Barbara Miller, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs. “MoMI is excited to partner with Paramount Pictures on this major exhibition to explore the series’ unique achievements and create a fun, illuminating experience for fans and visitors.”

Access to MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—Story and Spectacle will be included with general Museum admission tickets during its run.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—Story and Spectacle and related programs are supported by a Market New York grant from Empire State Development and I LOVE NY, New York State’s Division of Tourism.

Whatever the future of the Mission: Impossible franchise brings (if anything), we absolutely cannot wait to see where Cruise, McQuarrie and everybody else they talked into this heart-thumping, death-defying saga take movie #8. The Final Reckoning opens on May 23, 19 years and one day after the first debuted in 1996.