Welcome to a new segment of Pop Culture Reviews! The aim of the weekly Newsletter is to keep you up to date with the latest major developments in Hollywood! From the casting announcements to major trailer releases, PCR will keep you informed. We’ll kick things off with the exciting film news that came out during the first week of April (1st-5th).
“Sometimes dead is better.”
…The tagline reads for Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer’s Pet Sematary remake, the latest in a long line of adaptations from the novels of Stephen King. Paramount released the final trailer online on Monday which you can watch right here! The film began its worldwide rollout on Thursday night and expands into further international markets today! So grab your tickets, and be prepared for the rise of the dead.
The Greatest Zombie Cast Ever Disassembled!
Jim Jarmusch’s zombie feature touts “The greatest zombie cast ever disassembled.” Looking at the cast lineup, it’s extremely hard to disagree. The Dead Don’t Die stars Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Adam Driver, Danny Glover, Steve Buscemi and many more! Watch the official trailer for it down below, along with a look at the first official poster. The film is set to release July 14, 2019!
STX Unveils Title for “The Boy” Sequel!
Good news for fans of the 2016 horror flick The Boy: the sequel is officially arriving in theaters on July 26, 2019, which was revealed at CinemaCon earlier this week. Along with the announcement of a release date, STX also revealed the title of the sequel: Brahms: The Boy II.
“It’s not about how much we lost, it’s about how much we have left.”
And thus the countdown clock for Avengers: Endgame has hit its final hour (or month, should we say). Marvel Studios has released a special look at the film to coincide with the announcement that tickets are now available for pre-order (as of Tuesday). Good luck securing tickets for opening weekend if you haven’t already, as many theater chains have announced a record amount of ticket pre-orders being made just within the first HOUR of Marvel’s announcement. Watch the special look below:
“Akira” to Shoot Entirely in California, $18.5M Tax Credit Allocated
You read that headline right! After almost a decade in developmental hell, the live-action Akira film is finally gaining traction and is set to shoot entirely in California with a $18.5M tax credit being allocated to the film. Akira is being produced by Leonardo DiCaprio (yes, THAT Leonardo DiCaprio), and according to Deadline, director Taika Waititi is “still on-board to helm” the project.
“Put on a happy face.”
The marketing for Todd Phillips’ Joker looks to be ramping up, as the director dropped the poster for the film on Tuesday via his Instagram, along with a teaser trailer on Wednesday which highlights Joaquin Phoenix’s amazing transformation into The Joker. Joker is scheduled to release October 4th by Warner Pictures. Watch the teaser trailer below:
Zac Efron Stuns in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” Trailer
Releasing on Netflix in May, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evil stars Zac Efron as infamous serial killer Ted Bundy, and Lily Collins as Bundy’s ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer. Watch the new trailer below:
“Black Widow” Casting Underway
After nearly a decade of being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow is finally receiving the solo film treatment. Florence Pugh and David Harbour have officially joined the cast, with BAFTA award winner Rachel Weisz currently in talks to step aboard! The film is being directed by Cate Shortland (Berlin Syndrome, Lore, Somersault) with a release in 2020.
“Midsommar” Release Date Moved Up
A24 has moved up Ari Aster’s hotly anticipated sophomore project Midsommar from August 9th to July 3rd. Aster’s first feature Hereditary became a critical and box office success last year as it became A24’s highest grossing film worldwide (not adjusted for inflation).
Fans of “New Mutants” Rejoice!
On Wednesday night, Disney held their presentation at CinemaCon 2019 and seemingly announced that New Mutants will indeed still be released theatrically! You can view Disney’s entire 2019 slate that they plan to release in theatres below:
“The Conjuring 3” Release Date Revealed
It’s safe to say Ed and Lorraine Warren have become pop culture icons thanks to Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s brilliant portrayals of the two “demonologists”. We last saw them in The Conjuring 2 three years ago, and they’re ready to return to theatres in The Conjuring 3 which is set to release in September 11, 2020! The sequel finds Wan passing on the directing torch to newcomer Michael Chaves, who you’ll know from The Curse of La Llorona which hits theatres two weeks from today.
“Shazam!” Zooms Into Theatres
Shazam! zapped its way into theatres late last night and captivated audiences worldwide. Although figures are just starting to come in, it’s safe to say that the film is exceeding all expectations. Shazam! amassed a total of $5.9 Million in North America alone on Thursday night, with estimations for the film’s opening weekend now being recalculated accordingly.