We talk to the real Melissa G. Moore and the cast including James Wolk and Tamera Tomakili about the thriller series.

True crime series are everywhere these days, so it can be easy to overlook new shows. The Paramount+ series Happy Face takes a unique approach to telling the true story of a serial killer and his daughter, who becomes an investigator in her own right. Using the books and podcast by Melissa G. Moore, Happy Face takes us through her journey from being victimized by her father’s crimes to becoming an advocate for those like her.

Happy Face is an incarcerated serial killer who is also Melissa Reed’s (Annaleigh Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, Keith (Dennis Quaid) finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life. In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed. Throughout, she discovers the impact her father had on his victims’ families and must face a reckoning of her own identity.

I talked with the creative team and cast of Happy Face about the new series. Showrunner Jennifer Cacicio talked about the challenges of balancing dramatization with the true stories of the titular killer. Melissa G. Moore talked about the risks of popularizing serial killers and how she felt seeing her story told on screen. Dennis Quaid discussed his hesitation in playing such an evil character and how he approached it while Annaleigh Ashford talked about her approach to inhabiting Melissa. James Wolk reflected on channeling his Mad Men co-star Jon Hamm while Tamera Tomakili explored what being a true crime producer felt like. Teen actor Khiyla Aynne talked about playing the granddaughter of a serial killer, while nine-year-old Benjamin Mackey talked about the support he had on set. Check out the full interviews in the embed above.

Happy Face is now streaming on Paramount+.

About the Author

Alex Maidy has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. A Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of Chicago Indie Critics, Alex has been JoBlo.com’s primary TV critic and ran columns including Top Ten and The UnPopular Opinion. When not riling up fans with his hot takes, Alex is an avid reader and aspiring novelist.

Back in 1984, Troma Entertainment brought the world The Toxic Avenger (watch it HERE), a film about “the first superhero from New Jersey.” That film spawned a franchise, leading to The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989), The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie (1989), Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV (2000), a stage musical, and an animated series called Toxic Crusaders. For a long time, we’ve been hearing that Troma wanted to make a Toxic Avenger 5 – but instead doing that, they have loaned out the rights to Legendary Pictures, allowing them to make a remake of the original film that’s set to reach theatres on August 29th, courtesy of Cineverse. In anticipation of the film’s long-awaited release, we have put together a list of Everything We Know About the Toxic Avenger Remake… and here we go:

WRITER / DIRECTOR

At the helm of this new take on The Toxic Avenger is Macon Blair, who is best known to many as an actor, due to his roles in the likes of Murder Party, Blue Ruin, Green Room, Oppenheimer, and more. He made his directorial debut with the 2017 comedy thriller I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore.

The original film centered on a dorky fellow named Melvin Junko, who worked as a janitor at health club in the town of Tromaville, New Jersey. When a prank gone wrong ends with Melvin taking a dive into a barrel of toxic waste, he’s transformed into the hulking, deformed hero known as the Toxic Avenger, who sets out to get revenge on the people who wronged Melvin, and to clean up the crime-riddled streets of Tromaville.

Blair’s take on the Toxie concept centers on Winston Gooze, a stereotypical weakling who works as a janitor at Garb-X health club and is diagnosed with a terminal illness that can only be cured by an expensive treatment that his greedy, power hungry employer refuses to pay for. After deciding to take matters into his own hands and rob his company, Winston falls into a pit of toxic waste and is transformed into a deformed monster that sets out to do good and get back at all the people who have wronged him.

Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz produced the film with Legendary Entertainment. When Dread Central asked him what level of input he wanted to have on the remake, Kaufman said, “Macon Blair knows Troma better than I do. He’s seen everything. He’s seen the cartoon, he’s seen the Halloween special, he’s seen everything. And he loves our movies like Troma’s War and Terror Firmer. I’ve read the script and it’s better than the original and I leave it to him. If I’m called upon, I’d be happy to jump in. I learned on the musical to leave the creative to the creative. I learned to let them ask so if they want me, I’m there. … If (Legendary) let(s) Macon Blair direct it, I think it will be terrific. He knows the Troma sense of humor, the combination of slapstick and satire with the environmental theme.“

CAST

Peter Dinklage takes on the role of Winston Gooze and is joined in the cast by Kevin Bacon as villainous corporate overlord Bob Garbinger; Elijah Wood as Bob’s brother Fritz Garbinger, who is described as “sort of Riff Raff from The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Danny DeVito Penguin mixed together”; a group of lunatics / musicians called the Killer Nutz, who are “a rock and roll group where their presentation is theatrical evil, like KISS or Alice Cooper, but their moonlight gig is professional assassins”; Taylour Paige as investigative reporter / vigilante detective JJ Doherty; Jacob Tremblay as Winston’s stepson Wade; Jonny Coyne as a “shadowy criminal figure”; Sarah Niles as a “corrupt city official”; Julia Davis as an unspecified character; and Blair as a guy named Dennis.

According to The Illuminerdi, the main villain is Bob Garbinger – Leonine hair and eerie plastic surgery. Evil head of the shady company Garb X. He has no regard for the well being of anyone but himself and embarks on a murderous spree to become as powerful as Toxie. His ego is bolstered by his standing amongst the towns official but in reality he lives in fear of the underworld gang he’s indebted to.

Bringing the original Toxic Avenger to the screen was a collaborative effort. Mark Torgl played Melvin Junko, then Mitch Cohen took over the role when the character became Toxie (and Kenneth Kessler provided the voice). There’s a similar situation here, as Entertainment Weekly revealed that Dinklage doesn’t actually physically play Toxie. Instead, “Luisa Guerreiro, an actor and movement artist, provides the physical performance of Toxie underneath all that makeup and costume.” Dinklage does still provide the character’s voice after Winston becomes Toxie. 

Blair told Entertainment Weekly that Winston is “singularly unqualified to be a hero. He’s not especially brave, he’s not especially crafty, but he has his heart in the right place, and he starts taking it to the limit when he’s pushed into a corner.” The Toxic Avenger design was kept under wraps for a long time, and Blair said “His look is closer to (The Toxic Avenger Part II and The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie), and in terms of color palette we drew from the cartoon actually. But it’s practical effects. You can see all the goopy little boils and stuff like that. And we definitely stayed true to some of the really iconic elements: the tutu that’s melted onto his body, the janitor’s mop as his super weapon.“

The look of the character has since been revealed, along with images of several of the film’s other characters.

PRODUCTION & DELAY

The Toxic Avenger remake was filmed in Bulgaria – and fans have been waiting a long time to see it, because filming wrapped way back in 2021. After a long stretch of silence, a teaser trailer was unveiled near the end of 2023:

That was around the time it had its world premiere screening at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. After that screening, a lot of very positive first reactions made their way online. Viewers called it super gory, super silly, delightful, fun, twisted, gross, heartwarming, consistently insane, hilarious, goofy as hell, awesome, gnarly… pretty much every description you would hope to hear come out of a screening of a movie like this. And many of the people who got to see it said it remained faithful to its Troma roots.

Unfortunately, many distributors deemed the film to be “unreleaseable” due to its gore and graphic content. Fans were left wondering if they would ever have the chance to see the movie at all. Asked about the film’s status by ComicBook.com, Dinklage said, “I don’t know. I do want it to get out there into the world because it was a really big hit at Fantastic Fest in Austin, and Macon Blair, the writer/director who is also in The Thicket … He’s incredible. He’s one of my favorite people and favorite artists. So hopefully it will have its day in the toxic sun.“

Thankfully, at the start of 2025, Cineverse stepped in to acquire the distribution rights with the intention of giving the film a wide release, putting it on track for an August 29th theatrical release, kicking off Labor Day weekend. Macon Blair made a statement to Variety: “I’m beyond grateful to the team behind The Toxic Avenger who were so supportive and steady-handed as we searched for the perfect distribution partner for our film. It’s so cool that folks will have the chance to see this in theaters, it’s a fun rowdy movie you wanna see with a crowd. Mutant hero smashes bad guys with a mop: perfect entertainment for the whole family! Our goal was always to preserve the heart and spirit of the original Toxie (which was seared into my brain at a very young age) and try to make something that Troma fans would dig and at the same time do something with the character that feels fresh. Lloyd and Michael at Troma have been a blast to work with, absolutely everyone at Legendary are stars, and I can’t wait to start working with the champs at Cinverse to bring this version of Toxie to fans new and old.“

Cineverse chairman and CEO Chris McGurk added, “The Toxic Avenger isn’t just a great film; it’s an important one. Peter Dinklage’s transformative performance and Macon Blair’s fearless direction deliver a story that speaks to the anxieties of our time with outrageous humor and unflinching creativity. This is the kind of movie that major studios are averse to release because it dares to push boundaries, but Cineverse is rooted in championing bold, uncompromising storytelling. We believe audiences are ready – and eager – for films like this to take center stage.“

Soon after, another teaser trailer was released:

The film has received an R rating for “strong violence and gore, language throughout, sexual references and brief graphic nudity“ – and the gore includes a moment that has been referred to as “the butt guts scene.” Sound editor Casey Genton told Slash Film, “(The Toxic Avenger remake is) a really funny movie. Macon Blair, the director, I think did a really good job with it. Everybody was a dream on the film. I’m so surprised — for me personally, I had not seen the original Toxic Avenger until I had done this film. And it’s a huge cult classic, and I know people are really excited about it. When they have tested it, fans of the film have been over the moon with the film. […] It’s pretty out there. I think it’s a different crack. They’re giving the fans what they want, for sure. There’s no lack of — I know everybody references the little kid’s head getting run over and stuff (in the original). I think that there was an iteration of the film that didn’t have enough of that, so they made a very — I don’t want to ruin it. But it has, it’s been nicknamed the ‘butt guts’ scene, and it’s probably the best way to match that ‘head getting run over’ energy that everybody’s looking for. So it’s in line with the fan base, and I think it’s hilarious.“

In March, Cineverse decided to do some early marketing by sending the new film’s version of Toxie down the Chicago River on a boat, an appearance that coincided with the river being dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Video of Toxie’s boat ride can be seen in the X embeds below.

That’s everything we know about the Toxic Avenger remake right now, but with the release still five months away, we’re bound to learn more as the days tick by. In the meantime, keep scrolling down to see more of the images and promotional materials that have come out so far:

Mike Judge and Greg Daniels’ adult animated thriller Common Side Effects is getting a Season 2 renewal at Adult Swim.

Finally, the world can heal! While Warner Bros. continues to make questionable decisions about the future of its Looney Tunes brand, Adult Swim wants its hit adult animated series Common Side Effects to continue growing. The network announced on Friday that Common Side Effects Season 2 is coming, and fans can’t wait to devour new episodes.

Dubbed as an animated comedic thriller, Joe Bennett and Steve Hely co-created Common Side Effects, with Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-Head) and Mike Daniels (King of the Hill) as executive producers. The show revolves around former high school lab partners Marshall (Dave King) and Frances (Emily Pendergast), who share a secret: Marshall has discovered the world’s most excellent medicine, a mushroom that can heal almost anything. But getting it out into the world won’t be easy – the DEA, big pharma, and international business people are all looking to stop them.

“Joe and Steve did their job by crafting a boundary-pushing and genre-defining piece of television that re-frames what ‘adult animation’ is capable of,” said Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen. “And you all did your job by showing up on Adult Swim and Max to support the show and lighting up your socials to spread the word. So, see? We CAN have nice things.”

“We are grateful for the enthusiastic response to Common Side Effects and are thrilled to continue exploring this world with our amazing team and the fans who have embraced the show,” said co-creators Bennett and Hely. “The opportunity to push the boundaries of animation and storytelling on Adult Swim is like a wonderful mushroom dream. Our goal with the show is to transform planet Earth and restore the human spirit. For now, we will settle for a second season.”

The final episode of the first season, also starring Joseph Lee, Mike Judge, and Martha Kelly, airs Sunday at 11:30 pm ET/PT on Adult Swim.

Are you excited about Common Side Effects getting a Season 2 renewal? What’s the first thing you’d try to heal by eating one of Marshall and Frances’ magic mushrooms? What would the world be like if we could recover from most things simply by ingesting a mushroom? What if you’re allergic? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.

Echo Valley images give a preview of the Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney thriller, which is coming to Apple TV+ in June

It was in March of 2023 that we heard Julianne Moore (Magnolia) and Sydney Sweeney (Anyone but You) had signed on to star in the Apple Original Films thriller Echo Valley, which Michael Pearce (Beast, Rite, Encounter) would be directing from a screenplay by Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby, with production from Scott Free Films and The Walsh Company. Two years later, Vanity Fair has now unveiled a batch of first look images, which can be seen right here in this article. The film is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 13th.

Echo Valley centers on Kate Garrett (Moore), who is reeling from a personal tragedy and spending her days boarding and training horses at the picturesque Echo Valley Farm, in southeast Pennsylvania. When her wayward daughter Clare (Sweeney) arrives late one night covered in someone else’s blood, the story veers into thriller territory and examines how far a mother will go to save her child.

Moore and Sweeney are joined in the cast by Edmund Donovan (Civil War) as Clare’s boyfriend, Ryan, “a hapless young addict with no impulse control and no moral compass. He and Claire become involved in a network of lies that quickly ensnares Claire’s financially-strapped mother”; Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) as Kate’s ex-husband, Richard Garrett, “a successful attorney from an old-money Main Line family. He has a new family and regards his drug-addicted daughter Claire as a self-destructive money pit”; Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina) as Jackie, “a local criminal who disrupts Kate’s quiet farm life by forcing himself into it. He also has knowledge about some shocking secrets about her family”; and Fiona Shaw (the Harry Potter franchise) as Jessie Oliver, “a tough-as-nails horse trainer and Kate’s lifelong friend who is a steadfast source of emotional support.”

The film was produced by Scott Free’s Ridley Scott and Michael Pruss, Ingelsby, and Kevin Walsh of The Walsh Company. Pruss and Ingelsby collaborated on the script, creating a twisty thriller fueled by familial blood and self-sacrifice. Scott Greenberg, Scott Free’s Rebecca Feuer, and Nicole Jordan-Webber executive produce alongside Erika Olde and Sam Roseme of Black Bicycle Entertainment, with Tanja Tawadjoh co-producing. Echo Valley is Ingelsby’s fourth project with Scott Free after Out of the Furnace (2013), American Woman (2015), and 2019’s Our Friend. 

Are you interested in Echo Valley? Take a look at the images, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon revealed there was talk about turning Happy Death Day 3 into a Peacock streaming event

Happy Death Day (watch it HERE) and Happy Death Day 2U (watch that one HERE) director Christopher Landon let it be known as soon as Happy Death Day 2U was released that he had plans for a Happy Death Day 3 (which would be called Happy Death Day to Us). But while Happy Death Day had earned a sequel by making over $125 million at the global box office on a budget that was just under $5 million, the third film hasn’t happened because Happy Death Day 2U only made $64 million. That’s pretty good for a movie that cost $9 million… but distributor Universal Pictures was apparently hesitant to make a follow-up to movie that made so much less than its predecessor. Now, during an interview with SFX magazine, Landon has revealed that Happy Death Day 3 almost happened some years ago as a three-part Peacock streaming event!

Landon told SFX, “I didn’t write the script because I never want to count my chickens and get ahead of myself. But I was ready to go and start writing this, but then it was sort of like, it was weird. We had a lot of fits and spurts in terms of maybe we’ll do it. At one point they talked about it becoming a three-part event thing for [streaming service] Peacock, which was kind of weird. I was like, ‘Alriiiiiight! Whatever it takes.’ But then it went away and that was the last we ever heard of it – which was years ago. It’s been an interesting journey because both movies were financially very successful, so I think it’s left us and a lot of fans scratching their heads as to why we weren’t allowed to make a third. But I don’t control the purse strings, I don’t call those shots. That’s entirely up to Blumhouse and Universal, if they have an appetite or interest in it.“

Landon has previously said that the problem wasn’t that the second movie underperformed, but that the first film had overperformed, “creating unrealistic expectations on the second film.”

There have also been musings about a crossover between characters from Happy Death Day and another Landon slasher, Freaky. But Landon said that was just a fun thought that had been thrown around and there is no treatment in mind for a crossover. Happy Death Day 3  / Happy Death Day to Us is the movie he really wants to make… so I hope he’ll get the chance to make it someday. Even if it needs to be a three-part Peacock streaming event.

What do you think of the (apparently scrapped) idea of Happy Death Day 3 being a three-part Peacock streaming event? 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.

The 4K re-release of Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke edges out Jason Statham’s A Working Man by a wolf’s whisker.

Princess Mononoke did not come to play during its highly anticipated re-release after slathering on some warpaint and going for the jugular with $1.2M in previews, edging out David Ayer and Jason Statham’s A Working Man by a slight margin. Princess Mononoke, one of filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s most outstanding cinematic achievements, returned to cinemas this week at 330 Imax locations with a shiny 4K print. The special screenings are a treat for fans of the 1997 animated epic, especially those who’ve not seen it on the silver screen.

In Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, a cursed young warrior named Ashitaka stumbles into a conflict between the people of Iron Town and Princess Mononoke, a girl raised by wolves who will stop at nothing to prevent the destruction of her home. Can Ashitaka and the princess topple the sinister forces of Iron Town before they destroy the sacred land? Watch the movie and find out!

While Princess Mononoke buried a spear in $1.2M, Ayer and Statham’s latest collaboration, A Working Man, punched a hole through $1.1M, which analysts think could do $10M-$12M across 2,229 locations. Statham’s latest slugfest is a hit with critics, with many saying the action film by David Ayer and Sylvester Stallone has ’80s action movie vibes. JoBlo’s editor-in-chief, Chris Bumbray, enjoyed the hell out of A Working Man, saying the film is “a campy B-movie blast with eighties-style madness.”

Elsewhere, Disney’s live-action Snow White is more ho-hum than hi-ho, with woodland creatures bringing $1.8M on Thursday to Mickey Mouse’s money bin. Despite the remade Disney classic’s mediocre returns, Snow White should keep the top spot at the box office this weekend with an estimated $20M.

Blumhouse and Universal’s new PG-13 horror film, Woman in the Yard, scared $870K out of wallets on Thursday after opening in 2,500 theaters. Last year, Blumhouse’s last PG-13 fright-fest, Imaginary, earned $725K in previews, slightly below yesterday’s debut for Woman in the Yard. Additionally, A24’s Death of a Unicorn, starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd, rammed a forn through $700K, while Robert De Niro’s Alto Knights made off with $175K added to its first-week total of $4.4M.

Never underestimate the lasting appeal of a Studio Ghibli classic, my friends.

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.

Arrow Video is bringing the action thriller Swordfish and the sci-fi noir film Dark City to 4K UHD in June

Arrow Video has announced they’re bringing both the 2001 action thriller Swordfish and the 1998 sci-fi noir film Dark City to 4K in June – and they’re accepting pre-orders for both of the releases! The limited edition 4K release of Swordfish, which has a release date of June 9th, can be pre-ordered at THIS LINK. The limited edition 4K release of Dark City, which will be released on June 24th, can be pre-ordered HERE. If you don’t want a 4K UHD disc, there’s a Blu-ray release of Dark City, also coming on June 24th, that can be pre-ordered HERE.

Directed by Dominic Sena from a script written by Skip Woods, Swordfish has the following synopsis: Former master hacker Stanley Jobson is on parole after getting caught infiltrating an FBI program. Even so much as glancing at a computer could send him straight back to prison, but Stanley’s new offline life is interrupted when he’s approached by the mysterious Gabriel Shear, who offers him $10 million for one last hacking job. Unable to resist the lure of the computer screen, Stanley accepts and finds himself caught in the middle of a complex web of intrigue involving several covert agencies and a nine billion-dollar government slush fund. The film stars Hugh Jackman, John Travolta, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, and Vinnie Jones.

The 4K release has the following contents: – 4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) – Original lossless stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio options – Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing – Audio commentary by director Dominic Sena – Soundtrack Hacker, a brand new interview with composer Paul Oakenfold – How to Design a Tech Heist, a brand new interview with production designer Jeff Mann – HBO First Look: Swordfish, a promotional behind-the-scenes featurette – Effects in Focus: The Flying Bus, a promotional featurette detailing how the film’s iconic climactic scene was created – Planet Rock Club Reel, a music video by the film’s co-composer Paul Oakenfold – Swordfish: In Conversation, a promotional featurette with interviews from cast and crew members including actors Hugh Jackman, John Travolta, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Sam Shepard, director Dominic Sena, and producer Joel Silver – Two alternate endings – Theatrical trailer – Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket – Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket – Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Priscilla Page and an article from American Cinematographer about the film’s opening sequence

Directed by Alex Proyas, who also wrote the script with Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer, Dark City is set in a shadowy world where the sun never rises and nothing is quite what it seems. John Murdoch wakes in a hotel bathtub with no memory of who he is or how he got there, but there’s a body on the floor with bloody spirals carved into the flesh and a voice on the phone that tells him to flee. Soon Murdoch is on the run, wanted by the police, a woman who claims to be his wife and a group of mysterious pale men who seem to control everyone and everything in the city… except him. Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O’Brien, Ian Richardson, and William Hurt star.

The two-disc 4K release has the following contents: – Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negatives approved by director of photography Dariusz Wolski – 4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentations of both the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film – Original DTS-HD MA 5.1, stereo 2.0 and new Dolby Atmos audio options for both cuts of the film – Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing – 60-page perfect bound collectors book featuring new writing by author Richard Kadrey, and film critics Sabina Stent, Virat Nehru and Martyn Pedler – Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller – Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller – Three postcard-sized reproduction art cards – Postcard from Shell Beach – Dr Schreber business card – DISC 1: DIRECTOR’S CUT – Brand new audio commentary by director Alex Proyas – Brand new audio commentary with Craig Anderson, Bruce Isaacs and Herschel Isaacs, co-hosts of the Film Versus Film podcast – Archive audio commentary by director Alex Proyas – Archive audio commentary by film critic Roger Ebert – Archive audio commentary by writers Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer – Archive introduction by Alex Proyas – Return to Dark City, a new hour-long documentary featuring interviews with director Alex Proyas, producer Andrew Mason, production designers Patrick Tatopoulos and George Liddle, costume designer Liz Keough, storyboard artist Peter Pound, director of photography Dariusz Wolski, actor Rufus Sewell, hair & makeup artist Leslie Vanderwalt and VFX creative director Peter Doyle – Rats in a Maze, a new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra West – I’m as Much in the Dark as You Are, a new visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson on film noir and identity in Dark City – Design & Storyboards – DISC 2: THEATRICAL CUT – Archive audio commentary by director Alex Proyas, writers Lem Dobbs & David S. Goyer, director of photography Dariusz Wolski and production designer Patrick Tatopoulos – Archive audio commentary by film critic Roger Ebert – Memories of Shell Beach, a 2008 featurette in which cast and crew look back at the making of the film from concept to reception – Architecture of Dreams, a 2008 featurette presenting five perspectives on the themes and meanings of the film – Theatrical trailer – Image gallery. All of the special features are also on the Blu-ray release.

Will you be buying Swordfish and/or Dark City on 4K from Arrow Video? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Production for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is in full swing, and the camera-happy vultures are circling for any chance of snapping a photo of the cast and crew in action. We’ve seen Matt Damon dressed in armor with an intimidating helmet, and today, we’ve got the latest looks at Tom Holland and Zendaya navigating the set of The Odyssey.

In the images posted online featuring Zendaya, the Challengers and Euphoria actress is wearing a simple yet elegant cream-colored dress. As she navigates the set’s tricky terrain, we see her smiling and laughing alongside Nolan and his talented team of production staff. While audiences could expect her outfit to be elaborate, I’m partial to the dress’s simplistic presentation. She wears it well.

Superman test screenings prompt shocking reactions from crowds for James Gunn’s highly-anticipated superhero adventure.

This article contains potential spoilers for James Gunn’s Superman, proceed with caution…

Test screenings can be a blessing and a curse in Hollywood. On the one hand, positive early buzz can set you up for success, while negative feedback could tank your project before it reaches theaters. Regarding James Gunn’s Superman, the film launches DC Studios’ Chapter One: Gods and Monsters arc, and a hostile reception to the Big Blue’s latest adventure could make or break the DCU before it has a chance to strut its stuff. Last night, on an episode of the Hot Mic, Jeff Sneider said a recent test screening of Superman revealed a massive cameo that made audience members pop.

Sneider considers the character’s identity a significant spoiler and keeps his thoughts brief. However, speculators gonna speculate, and according to whispers, the character could be Superman’s father, Jor-El. While including Jor-El in the film is hardly surprising given his relation to placing his child inside a pod and shooting them into space, we hear it’s the actor who plays Jor-El that gives audiences a reason to sit up bolt-right in their seats.

According to other insiders like Daniel Richtman and MyTimeToShineHello, another screening yielded mixed reactions to Gunn’s superhero spectacle. Richtman says people “loved it,” while MyTimeToShineHello says the reactions were “decidedly mixed.”

Audiences having mixed reactions to Superman is hardly surprising. Everyone has different tastes, and mileage for Superman varies from one person to another. Some people don’t like the character flat-out, while others worship the fictional ground he walks on. Expectations for Superman are undoubtedly all over the map. Additionally, have you looked at the internet lately? It’s a sewer of opinions, with knee-jerk reactions, faux outrage, genuine enthusiasm, and assumptions muddying the waters. The best fans can do is hope the character’s spirit rings true while being open to Gunn’s interpretation of the Son of Krypton.

Thankfully, the Superman teaser trailer gives us a good sense of Gunn’s approach, with action, heart, and heroics as the film’s blueprint. It won’t be long before we enter a bold, new era of DC Universe filmmaking, and we’ll take every positive word as a reason to get excited about the movie.

If Jor-El shows up in the movie, who do you think Gunn cast as Superman’s father? Let’s see your predictions in the comments section below.

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.

David F. Sandberg, director of the video game adaptation Until Dawn, has shared a video that looks at some of the film’s practical effects

Last year, we learned that Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation director David F. Sandberg would be re-teaming with Annabelle: Creation screenwriter Gary Dauberman for a movie based on the horror video game Until Dawn. Production began in August, wrapping in October, and the film is aiming for an  April 25, 2025 theatrical release. With that date just weeks away, Sandberg has taken to social media to share a video about some of the cool practical effects that were created for the film, and you can check that out in the embed below.

As The Hollywood Reporter previously noted, first released in 2015, Until Dawn is an interactive horror video game that follows eight friends and frenemies who are brought together a remote mountain retreat. With live or die scenarios featuring a mysterious killer, cannibalistic wendigos, a cable car, and a long-ago mining cave-in that reverberates into the present day, the members of the group must fight through their fear if they all hope to make it through the night in one piece. The game proved to be a surprise hit with critics and received numerous gaming awards nominations.

Sandberg and Dauberman didn’t reveal what exactly will be going on in their movie version of Until Dawn, but the project is described as being an “R-rated love letter to the horror genre, centering on an ensemble cast.” Dauberman’s script is a rewrite of a previous draft by Blair Butler, who wrote the vampire movie The Invitation. The story centers on Clover, a young woman who visits a remote cabin with her friends in the wake of her sister Melanie’s disappearance.

Until Dawn is set up at Sony’s Screen Gems, where Dauberman has a first-look deal as part of the plan to “rebuild Screen Gems, Sony’s division focused on lower-budgeted fare, into a more productive label, with horror being a top focus.” Dauberman is producing the film through his company Coin Operated while Sandberg and Lotta Losten produce through their Mångata shingle. Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment and PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan are also producing. Ashley Brucks and Michael Bitar are overseeing the project for Screen Gems.

The film’s cast includes Ella Rubin of The Idea of You and the upcoming Fear Street: Prom Queen, Odessa A’zion of the recent Hellraiser reboot and the sitcom Fam, Michael Cimino of Love, Victor and Annabelle Comes Home, and Ji-young Yoo of Expats and Smoking Tigers. His fellow new additions are Belmont Cameli of Along for the Ride and Saved by the Bell and Maia Mitchell of The Fosters and Good Trouble. Peter Stormare (Fargo, John Wick: Chapter 2) is also in there, reprising his role from the video game.

Are you looking forward to Until Dawn? Let us know by leaving a comment below – but first, take a look at the practical effects video: