Lana Del Rey Covers 'Season of the Witch' in New Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Trailer

CBS Films and Entertainment One (eOne) announced today that Guillermo del Toro's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will feature a re-recorded version of Donovan's 1966 hit song "Season of the Witch" by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey. The song's debut will coincide with the film's theatrical release by Lionsgate on August 9th.

Based on the series by Alvin Schwartz, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is directed by André Øvredal from a screenplay by Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman and a screen story by Guillermo del Toro, Patrick Melton, and Marcus Dunstan. The film stars Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, Lorraine Toussaint, Austin Zajur, and Natalie Ganzhorn. Guillermo del Toro, Sean Daniel, Jason F. Brown, J. Miles Dale and Elizabeth Grave produced the project.

"I have admired Lana's music for a while now and felt in my gut that she would run with 'Season of the Witch' - that she would use her alchemy to transform it," said del Toro. "She is a great artist and has been an amazing partner with us in this adventure. It is an honor for me to have met her."

"Season of the Witch" was written by Donovan and Shawn Phillips, and first released in September of 1966 on Donovan's album, Sunshine Superman.

Related: New Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Trailer Summons the Jangly Man

Set in 1968, two years after "Season of the Witch" was released, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark takes place in the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time-stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah's terrifying home.

Tomorrow, August 6th, Lana Del Rey will join Guillermo del Toro to honor him at his Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard.

Lana Del Rey has been noted by critics for its stylized cinematic quality, glamour, melancholia and its references to 1950s and 1960s Americana. Her debut album, "Born to Die", was released in January 2012 and charted at number one on the official UK Album Chart, peaked number two on the US charts and was the fifth best-selling album of 2012. Her extended play "Paradise" followed that November, garnering her first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. "Ultraviolence" (2014), her third studio album, became her first album to reach number one in the US. In 2015, she released her fourth studio album, "Honeymoon". Both albums received positive critical response.

Lana's fifth studio album, "Lust for Life," was released in 2017. The album received critical acclaim, and became her second album to reach No. 1 in the United States, while also reaching the top ten in almost every other country it charted in. The album was also nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2018 Grammys. Lana's sixth studio album is set to drop August 30th. The highly anticipated album was mainly produced and co-written with Jack Antonoff and will include "Venice Bitch," "Mariners Apartment Complex," "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but I have it," and the cover of Sublime's "Doin' Time".

Topics: Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark

Co-founder of Movieweb. Heavy-metal-horror head. Guitar in Ignite & Into Another. Freshly minted Pinball guy. I like to create.

Lana Del Rey Covers 'Season of the Witch' in New Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Trailer

Uncaged Final Trailer Brings Hungry Sharks to the Surface

The 47 Meters Down: Uncaged final trailer has arrived and it will leave you gasping for air. While the first installment was a tough movie to make, director Johannes Roberts decided to step things up for the sequel and things look like they were a lot harder to shoot this time around. The sequel finds four young women having fun and diving in underwater caves, which is a whole other fear for some viewers, but things go haywire from there.

Sistine Rose Stallone, Corinne Foxx, Sophie Nélisse, and Brianne Tju set off on a diving adventure that quickly turns into a fight for their lives in the new trailer for Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures' 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. The breath-snatching trailer teases a story about an ambitious day in the sun gone horribly wrong. The four teen girls dive in a ruined underwater city and quickly find themselves in a watery hell as their fun outing turns into heart-stopping fear when they learn they are not alone in the submerged caves. As they swim deeper into the claustrophobic labyrinth of caves they enter the territory of the deadliest shark species in the ocean.

Related: 47 Meters Down: The Next Chapter Trailer Dives Into Shark Infested Waters

2017's 47 Meters Down was a box office success, earning $61 million off of a $5 million budget, so a sequel was inevitable. The 47 Meters Down: Uncaged final trailer gives hints of the story while teasing that not all four of the women will make it out of this one alive. There are hungry sharks everywhere and we are seeing something that makes the first installment look tame, which is hard to do. The lost underwater city is creepy enough on its own, but throwing in some hungry sharks and a maze goes a long way in revving up the survival horror aspect.

Many are wondering if 47 Meters Down: Uncaged will be able to live up to its predecessor and that remains to be seen. However, if the trailer is any indication, Johannes Roberts is on the right track. Principal photography for the sequel took place in the Dominican Republic, Pinewood Studios, Dominican Republic, The Underwater Studio in Basildon, and Pinewood Studios, UK, from December 2018 to February 2019. Hopefully there will be some behind-the-scene featurettes when the movie is released digitally to see how they built the underwater caverns.

47 Meters Down: Uncaged was written by Johannes Roberts and Ernest Riera. Sistine Rose Stallone, Brec Bassinger, John Corbett, Nia Long, Corinne Foxx, Sophie Nélisse, Brianne Tju, Davi Santos, and Khylin Rhambo star in the highly anticipated sequel. Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures' originally planned on having the movie out at the end of June, but decided against it in order to avoid competition with Annabelle Comes Home. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged will hit theaters on August 16th and you can watch the final trailer below, thanks to the Entertainment Studios' YouTube channel.

Topics: 47 Meters Down 2, 47 Meters Down

Writer for Movieweb since 2017. Enjoys playing Catan when not writing about superheroes and Star Wars.

Uncaged Final Trailer Brings Hungry Sharks to the Surface

Sextuplets Trailer Has Marlon Wayans Channeling His Inner Klump to Play 6 Siblings

Netflix has dropped the first trailer for their upcoming Sextuplets movie. Marlon Wayans stars and plays six characters in the comedy. Playing multiple characters in a comedy is not a new idea, but Wayans seems to be putting his own spin on things, though there have immediately been the inevitable comparisons to Eddie Murphy's roles in Coming to America and the Nutty Professor franchise. Mike Myers also did the same thing in the Austin Powers franchise.

Sextuplets features Marlon Wayans' character Alan as he and his wife are expecting their first child. Before the baby comes, Alan is intent on finding his birth mother and while doing research, he meets his brother, Russell, and discovers that he was born a sextuplet. From there, the duo seek to find the four other siblings (all played by Wayans, like Eddie Murphy's Klumps). Things unfold rather quickly in the trailer as we're introduced to all of Alan's siblings and everything goes off the rails. There's talk of organ transplants, drugs, and a lot of physical comedy.

The Alan character is the only one that really looks like Marlon Wayans. There's no makeup or CGI effects to drastically change his appearance. Russell is heavy set and seems to be a bit on the nervous side, though he likes to sleep in the nude. Ethan, who also doesn't have a tone of makeup or effects, is the sibling who is good at sniffing out money and can figure out where you buy your groceries. Baby Pete finds Marlon Wayans using some CGI to shrink his body down and that character is in the hospital in need of a kidney transplant.

Netflix original comedy Sextuplets also features two more of Alan's siblings. We get a hint of Jaspar, but he's not really given too much spotlight in the trailer. He's apparently the intellectual one of the family. And last but not least, we have Dawn, an exotic dancer who was just recently released from prison and likes to use party drugs. Marlon Wayans' style of comedy is all over the trailer and one can easily see his fans enjoying just about everything about it, from the bizarre characters in makeup to the physical comedy aspects.

Marlon Wayans produces Sextuplets with his White Chicks and Naked producer Rick Alvarez, along with Nathan Reimann. Michael Tiddes, who directed Wayans in A Haunted House and Naked is behind the camera again. The comedy marks the fifth time that Tiddes and Wayans have collaborated together as director and actor, their previous credits include the aforementioned movies with A Haunted Houses 2 and Fifty Shades of Black. Sextuplets is all set to premiere August 16th, exclusively on Netflix. While we wait a few more weeks for the movie to premiere, you can check out the trailer below, thanks to the Netflix YouTube channel. As for White Chicks 2, we'll just have to keep waiting for now.

Topics: Sextuplets, Netflix, Streaming

Writer for Movieweb since 2017. Enjoys playing Catan when not writing about superheroes and Star Wars.

Sextuplets Trailer Has Marlon Wayans Channeling His Inner Klump to Play 6 Siblings

Harry Potter FX Team Delivers Epic Fantasy-Adventure [Exclusive]

Dragon Kingdom captures the high energy of Harry Potter and the fantasy thrills that made Game of Thrones so memorable in a swift, action-packed tale full of adventure, danger and giant fire breathing beasts. This September, Uncork'd Entertainment is bringing this rousing epic to DVD and Digital. Today, we have an exclusive look at the hot new trailer, which comes from the special effects team behind the Harry Potter movies.

To save their Kingdom from the Dark Lord's army, a mighty and courageous legion of warriors must travel through the forbidden lands fighting the fearsome fire breathing monsters of The Dark Kingdom, a land that swallows all who enter, in order to rescue their King.

Born of fire and magic the Dragons' power is immeasurable. This power could not be harnessed until a Magister used it to spawn an army of fury bloods. Prince Favian of Zaldah filled with anger when King Xalvador named Princess Elizabeth as the next ruler enlisted the Magister's army to take control of the Kingdom. The only people that can stop him and inform the King of Favian's insidious plan are the Princess and her two Knights forming an unlikely alliance with two Katori Warrior Women. Their quest will not be easy as their path is blocked by the fury bloods leaving them no choice but to traverse The Dark Kingdom, a land that swallows all who enter.

Dragon Kingdom arrives from the effects team behind Harry Potter, and acclaimed filmmaker Simon Wells (Knights of the Damned). Ross O'Hennessy, Ben Loyd-Holmes, Rebecca Dyson-Smith, Zara Phythian, Jessica-Jane Stafford, Jemma Moore and Mike Mitchell star in a wonderous special-effects showcase that breathes fire and leaves a triumphant impression.

This is producer Simon Wells third feature film as a director, previously giving the world such classics as 2017's Knights of the Damned, which he followed up that same year with Carnivore: Werewolf of London. He is working from a script written by Aston Benoit, who is making his debut here, and actor Ben Loyd-Holmes, who has previously written several screenplays, including Knights of the Damned for Wells, appearing in both films.

The filmmakers have gone out of their way to ensure that no demonic creatures were harmed in the making of Dragon Kingdom, even if a few get pretty roughed up in the film itself, which also arrives from one of the executive producers of Game of Thrones. That popular HBO series came to a halt this past year, with many fans either wanting more or severely disappointed in how it all ended. Dragon Kingdom comes as a nice condolence prize for those still yearning for sci-fi and fantasy adventure with a dark spirit and realistic turn.

Dragon Kingdom will be coming home in just a few weeks, hitting DVD on September 3rd. Along with our exclusive trailer, you can also check out the poster from the upcoming release.

Topics: Dragon Kingdom

Contributing writer for Movieweb since 2001. Owns a dog who loves watching Milo and Otis on repeat.

Harry Potter FX Team Delivers Epic Fantasy-Adventure [Exclusive]

I Am Patrick Swayze Documentary Trailer Remembers the Iconic Actor

The Paramount Network has released the trailer for the documentary I Am Patrick Swayze, which takes a look at the life and legacy of the legendary actor. As a part of the network's I Am documentary series, the TV special enlists many of Swayze's most notable Hollywood colleagues to share their thoughts and memories of working with him across many projects. This includes such names as Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Sam Elliott, Jennifer Grey, C. Thomas Howell, Kelly Lynch, and Lori Petty.

One of Swayze's most well-known pairings was with Demi Moore for Ghost, and Moore remembers the type of guy Swayze was in the doc. "Patrick had something about him that was very rugged but that also had that beautiful, gentle, sensuous ability to move," Moore says in the trailer. Other co-stars speak about how charming and bubbly the actor always was on set, though as footage of Swayze himself speaking about it shows, the Dirty Dancing star was constantly dealing with his own "demons" as well. Still, the legacy the actor left behind is one that cannot be denied. "What Patrick accomplished in his life, very few people get to accomplish," The Outsiders co-star Rob Lowe states.

Starting his career in the late '70s, Patrick Swayze had become a household name within the span of just a few years. Movies like The Outsiders, Youngblood, and Red Dawn really helped to quickly launch his celebrity status, making him a popular actor and sex symbol by 1990. Some of his most memorable roles in the years since include parts in Point Break, Father Hood, and Donnie Darko. By 2008, Swayze was given the grim diagnosis of prostate cancer, though he continued working up until his death from the disease in 2009. His final roles would be for the movie Powder Blue and a recurring role in the TV series The Beast.

For his accomplishments in movies and television, Swayze has been granted many prestigious honors outside of the big screen. He was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards for his performances in Ghost, Dirty Dancing, and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. Swayze did manage to win a Bravo Otto Best Actor award for Tiger Warsaw. For writing and recording the Dirty Dancing song "She's Like the Wind," Swayze was also posthumously awarded the Rolex Dance Award in 2009. The actor is also one of the most well-known honorees to be named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive," which saw him take the honor in 1991.

I Am Patrick Swayze is the latest of the network's I Am documentary series, which has previously highlighted celebrities like Richard Pryor, Heath Ledger, and Sam Kinison. The Swayze doc will premiere at the San Antonio Film Festival on Aug. 2, and will make its TV debut on the Paramount Network on Aug. 18. Needless to say, this one is going to be a must-see movie for fans of the actor, who's still very much missed a decade after his death. You can see more from the series at ParamountNetwork.com.

Topics: I Am Patrick Swayze

Pretty brains, lightning fingers. Find me at @HorrorGeekLife.

I Am Patrick Swayze Documentary Trailer Remembers the Iconic Actor

Jim Gaffigan Goes Dark in Kidnapping Thriller

The intense new trailer for American Dreamer from Saban films has dropped and it has us looking at Jim Gaffigan in a new light. The comedian is taking on his most intense role yet in the thriller from relatively newcomer Derrick Borte (London Town). Gaffigan (Being Frank) plays a rideshare driver who goes to extreme lengths in order to free himself from crushing debt.

In order to maintain custody rights of his son, Cam (Jim Gaffigan) needs to make some extra cash. So, he starts chauffeuring a low level drug dealer named Mazz, played by Robbie Jones (Temptations: Confessions of a Marriage Councilor). The pay isn't enough, so he finds another way. He kidnaps the dealer's child in hopes of getting ransom. To make things more complicated, Mazz enlists Cam to drive him around the city. Gaffigan had this to say about his character.

"This guy, he's like an Uber or Lyft driver who's had some bad luck, he tried the white-collar job, and instead of looking at his own problems he's looking for that quick fix to get out of it...This guy is trying to piece his life together in the easiest, most selfish way."

Although dramatic, the character isn't quite so far removed from Gaffigan's usual less-than-intelligent characters. The star went on to say this.

"He doesn't set out to do that. All the motivations of my character are not evil, but maybe they're a little dimwitted. Hopefully, you see him justify these actions. It's not for comedic effect. It's like, 'Oh, dude, don't do that.'"

The indie film hopes to use the limited setting and tense character interplay to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. For movies like Drive and Collateral, this has worked great. Others haven't been so lucky. The high-energy trailer promises a captivating performance from stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan. He's most known for his TV series, The Jim Gaffigan Show, which ran from 2015 to 2016 and comedic supporting roles in films such as Hot Pursuit and Super Troopers 2.

But, early reviews hail his intense and nuanced performance in American Dreamer. He'll be working alongside Robbie Jones' Mazz for the bulk of the film. Jones made his debut as troubled teenager, Quentin Fields, on One Tree Hill. Then, after a series of guest or recurring roles for the small screen and little known films, he snagged a role in Tyler Perry's Temptation and another in Samuel L. Jackson's 2019 Shaft. If he can pull off the erratic and ruthless drug dealer hinted at in the trailer, American Dreamer may just work.

The film is co-written by relatively newcomers Daniel Forte and director Derrick Borte. It's produced by Scott Floyd Lochmus (London Town). The three creators had previously worked on the low-budget film H8RZ. American Dreamer is also starring Tammy Blanchard, Isabel Arraiza, and Brian K. Landis. American Dreamer first premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and will be released to theaters, digital and on-demand on September 20. This news comes to us by way of Collider.

Topics: American Dreamer

Jim Gaffigan Goes Dark in Kidnapping Thriller

Fangoria's Satanic Panic Trailer Delivers Demons, Pizza & Virgin Sacrifices

The trailer for Fangoria's Satanic Panic has dropped. The movie finds a pizza delivery girl on a potential highway to hell as she ends up at a high class Satanist get together. From the looks of things, Fangoria is keeping on track with previous quality releases Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich and genre documentary Horror Noir. Chelsea Stardust directed Satanic Panic and the movie serves as her feature length directorial debut.

The Satanic Panic trailer from Fangoria begins with lead character Sam having a bit of a rough day at work. She delivers pizzas and really wasn't making any money from tips, though she does end up with a colorful sweatshirt that "smells like racism." The comedy element is evident right from the start and it only gets weirder and more outrageous as the trailer goes on. Fangoria just may have another horror comedy hit on their hands.

Satanic Panic focuses on Sam's aforementioned first day as a pizza delivery driver, which definitely does not go according to plan. At the end of a long day and not enough tips and making minimum wage, her last delivery turns out to be for a group of Satanists looking for a virgin to sacrifice. Now in a fight for her life, Sam must fend off witches, evil spells and demonic creatures, all while trying to keep her body, and soul, intact. While the story sounds a bit on the dark side, the laughs are coming in equal measure to the gore.

Satanic Panic was written by Grady Hendrix from a story he co-wrote with Ted Geoghegan. The movie was originally announced in 2015, but serious work didn't begin until 2018 when the cast was announced. The movie stars Hayley Griffith, Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O'Connell, Ruby Modine, and Arden Myrin and arrives on VOD, digital, and in theaters on September 6th. The movie had its world premiere at this year's Overlook Film Festival and those who were lucky enough to be in attendance have been heaping praise on it. Mark Ward, Chief Acquisitions Officer of RLJE Films had this to say about it.

"We could not be more excited to be releasing the instant classic, Satanic Panic. Chelsea Stardust is a filmmaker on the rise and we know audiences will line up to see this completely original and wild film from Fangoria."

Satanic Panic started production in October 2018 and wrapped in November, with Dallas, Texas set as the backdrop. Cinestate's Dallas Sonnier & Amanda Presmyk produced the movie for Fangoria with Aperture Entertainment's Adam Goldworm (Masters Of Horror). Fangoria's Phil Nobile Jr. and Adam Donaghey are the executive producers. Tate Steinsiek handled all of the gory special effects. We're only a month away from being able to see Satanic Panic, but you can check out the first trailer for the horror comedy below, thanks to the RLJE YouTube channel.

Topics: Satanic Panic, Fangoria

Writer for Movieweb since 2017. Enjoys playing Catan when not writing about superheroes and Star Wars.

Fangoria's Satanic Panic Trailer Delivers Demons, Pizza & Virgin Sacrifices

Queen & Slim Trailer #2 Takes on Police Brutality in America

The first full-length trailer for Queen & Slim is finally here. The romantic drama comes to us from Emmy-winning writer Lena Waithe and Melina Matsoukas, the visionary director of some of this generation's most powerful pop-culture experiences. The movie has been described as a "black Bonnie & Clyde" and according to Matsoukas, it's dedicated to "black people who have lost their lives to police brutality."

The trailer for Queen & Slim begins with an awkward Tinder date as Daniel Kaluuya's Slim meets Jodie Turner-Smith's Queen for the first time. However, things aren't what they seem and this mundane first date quickly turns into something much more and the intensity goes through the roof. From the start, the lines in the sand have been made, and it will be up to audiences to decide whose side they're on when the movie takes off.

Queen & Slim begins with a forgettable first date in Ohio (much like the trailer) between a black man (Get Out's Daniel Kaluuya) and a black woman (Jodie Turner-Smith). They are later pulled over for a minor traffic infraction and the situation escalates, with sudden and tragic results, when the man kills the police officer in self-defense. Terrified and in fear for their lives, the man, a retail employee, and the woman, a criminal defense lawyer, are forced to go on the run. But the incident is captured on video and goes viral, and the couple unwittingly become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief, and pain for people across the country.

As they drive on, the two unlikely fugitives discover themselves and each other in the most dire and desperate of circumstances, and they forge a deep and powerful love that will reveal their shared humanity and shape the rest of their lives. Joining a legacy of movies such as Bonnie and Clyde and Thelma & Louise, Queen & Slim has been described as a powerful, consciousness-raising love story that confronts the staggering human toll of racism and the life-shattering price of violence. The movie already has people talking and it doesn't even hit theaters until the end of November.

Melina Matsoukas has said she wanted to create a dialogue with Queen & Slim, "to have people talking about both sides." Matsoukas sites the work of Spike Lee and Julie Dash as inspiration behind the drama, which is evident even in the short trailer. Lena Waithe co-wrote the screenplay with A Million Little Pieces author James Frey and the story has already been praised by critics who have been lucky enough to see an advanced screening.

Lena Waithe produced Queen & Slim through her company, Hillman Grad Productions, along with Melina Matsoukas' De La Revolución Films. James Frey is also on board as a producer through his production company, 3BlackDot. The movie will hit theaters on November 27th and you can watch the trailer below, thanks to the Universal Pictures YouTube channel.

Topics: Queen & Slim

Writer for Movieweb since 2017. Enjoys playing Catan when not writing about superheroes and Star Wars.

Queen & Slim Trailer #2 Takes on Police Brutality in America

Little Monsters Red Band Trailer Drops Lupita Nyong'o Into a Kindergarten Zombie Apocalypse

Altitude Films has dropped the trailer for Little Monsters. Lupita Nyong'o stars in the dark comedy as a teacher trying to protect children from a zombie apocalypse and the trailer proves that it will be a lot harder than it sounds. The Australian zombie comedy doesn't have a release date set for North America at this time, but one should be announced shortly. Little Monsters premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.

Lupita Nyong'o stars as Miss Caroline, who is a bubbly kindergarten teacher. She brings her students to a petting zoo and all hell breaks loose as the zombies start eating the animals. The trailer, which is the Red Band trailer, shows Nyong'o trying to explain to the children that the zombies are just playing a weird game of tag before trying to get to safety. Josh Gad's Teddy McGiggle is an alcoholic TV personality who doesn't seem to care if Miss Caroline and all of the children end up getting turned into zombies.

After a rough breakup, directionless Dave (Alexander England) crashes at his sister's place and spends his days expanding his young nephew's questionable vocabulary. When an opportunity arises to chaperone an upcoming school excursion alongside the charming and enigmatic teacher Miss Caroline, Dave jumps at the chance to impress her. What he wasn't anticipating was Teddy McGiggle, an obnoxious children's television personality who shapes the excursion's activities. What he was expecting even less was a zombie invasion, which unfolds after an experiment at a nearby military base goes awry. Armed only with the resourcefulness of kindergartners, Dave, Miss Caroline, and Teddy must work together to keep the monsters at bay and carve a way out with their guts intact.

The zombies in Little Monsters are a result of a failed military experiment and they soon grow tired of eating the animals at the petting zoo. The zombie comedy has been described as an R-rated Pixar movie, and that may not be too far off. The trailer shows plenty of wholesome goodness with the kindergarten class, but it also has a ton of gore, which is a bit shocking after seeing young children at a petting zoo. One minute the cute animals are being observed and the next they are a graphic zombie feast.

Little Monsters, not to be confused with the 1989 movie of the same name starring Fred Savage and Howie Mandel, hits theaters in the United Kingdom on November 15th. Neon and Hulu acquired the domestic rights at the Sundance Film Festival, but no North American release date has been announced at this time. The Sundance premiere generated a lot of critical acclaim, so hopefully we'll get a release date in the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can check out the Red Band trailer for Little Monsters below, thanks to the Altitude Films YouTube channel.

Topics: Little Monsters

Writer for Movieweb since 2017. Enjoys playing Catan when not writing about superheroes and Star Wars.

Little Monsters Red Band Trailer Drops Lupita Nyong'o Into a Kindergarten Zombie Apocalypse

The Irishman Trailer Arrives, Martin Scorsese Reunites with Robert De Niro & Joe Pesci

Director Martin Scorsese's new movie The Irishman stars Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino and is all set to open the New York Film Festival before hitting theaters and then Netflix later this year. To say that the new gangster movie by Martin Scorcese is much-anticipated doesn't really do it justice. But all the same, today we have the teaser trailer for you to behold.

The Irishman is an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.

Related: The Irishman Is Not a Rehash of Goodfellas Insists Scorsese's Longtime Editor

Fans of Martin Scorsese gangster movies from Goodfellas to Casino will notice that The Irishman keeps at the style and violence we've all come to expect from a Scorsese movie starring DeNiro. But one strange aspect is that the film looks to be keeping with the current trend of making old actors young again. Such as Samuel L. Jackson in Marvel's recent mega-hit Captain Marvel and Carrie Fischer's Princess Leia in the recent-ish Star Wars spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Usually, I find the method to be slightly creepy, and this trailer does nothing to change that. But that said, it looks to be handled with a better hand here than I've seen before. So that's good.

As you will see in a minute once you have the chance to check out the teaser trailer for yourself, this footage is mostly about the above-mentioned trio of Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino. Which, you know, makes sense and everything considering this is a movie about their characters. I just wanted a better look at some of the other members of the killer cast including Bobby Cannavale (Ant-Man and the Wasp), Harvey Keitel (The Last Temptation of Christ), Ray Romano (yes, THAT Ray Romano), and Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad, Fargo, Black Mirror). While this first teaser trailer leaves the rest of the cast in the shadows, we do get a pretty good look at Anna Paquin as Robert DeNiro's wife - even if she doesn't get to speak.

For those of you out there (like me) that might not know, Martin Scorses' The Irshman is based on a nonfiction book called I Heard You Paint Houses by a dude named Charles Brandt. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Exodus: Gods and Kings screenwriter Steven Zaillian penned the adaptation which Netflix paid a whopping $125 million to produce. The film tells the tale of the man responsible for the death of the legendary Jimmy Hoffa (played in this film by Al Pacino). That man is Frank Sheeran (played by DeNiro), and the hit is ordered by Pennsylvania mob boss Russell Bufalino (played by Joe Pesci).

As mentioned above, The Irishman will be hosting its World Premiere at the New York Film Festival on September 27, 2019. The film is then set to have a theatrical release later this year before it's officially unleashed to the masses over on Netflix by the end of this year. Meanwhile, this teaser trailer comes to us from Netflix over on YouTube.

Topics: The Irishman, Netflix, Streaming

Writer for Arrow In the Head, Dread Central and Movieweb.

The Irishman Trailer Arrives, Martin Scorsese Reunites with Robert De Niro & Joe Pesci

Which Will Smith Is the Real Bad Guy?

This October we will see Will Smith go head-to-head and toe-to-toe with his greatest adversary yet: Will Smith. This is not going to be an epic rap battle between two alternate universe Big Willies (although that would be great). No, this is a new sci-fi action movie from the director of Life of Pi and Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee called Gemini Man. The film stars Will Smith as an aging hitman who is targeted by a younger clone of himself. And today we have the movie's new trailer to share with you guys.

Now even though I poked a bit of fun at director Ang Lee above by mentioning his non-action movies, you need not worry, the man has the chops to take the helm of an over-the-top action extravaganza. And the man sure as hell knows his way around a set-piece. After all, he is the first-rate filmmaker behind such motion pictures as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon starring Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, and Zhang Ziyi. And that first recent Hulk movie starring Eric Bana as Bruce Banner, Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross, and Sam Elliott as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. But maybe the less said about that movie, the better.

Related: Gemini Man Poster Splits Will Smith in Half

Anyhow, Ang Lee is not the first director that has been attached to this motion picture over the years. Oh, no. In fact Gemini Man has been wallowing in development hell for nearly 20 years after being conceived initially way back in 1997. Other top-notch directors that have been attached to the movie off and on throughout the past 20 years have been The Taking of Pelham 123 and The Last Boy Scout filmmaker Tony Scott, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and 8 Mile director Curtis Hanson, and Blood, Guts, Bullets, and Octane and The A-Team helmer Joe Carnahan.

And for the record, Will Smith is not the first actor attached to the dual lead roles in the film either. Over the years the project has seen actors such as Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Clint Eastwood, and Sean Connery come and go.

But yeah, now the film stars Will Smith as Henry Brogen and his younger clone Junior along with Sin City and King Arthur actor Clive Owen as his ruthless former boss who creates the pesky clone to kill him. Live Free or Die Hard and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead rounds out the cast as Danny along with Benedict Wong as Baron, Linda Emond as Lassiter, and Theodora Miranne as Kitty.

As mentioned above, Ang Lee directs Gemini Man from a screenplay written by Billy Ray along with David Benioff and Darren Lemke based on a story by Lemke and Benioff. Jerry Bruckheimer produces the movie along with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger. It will feature music by Lorne Balfe, cinematography by Dion Beebe, and editing by Tim Squyres. Skydance Media, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Fosun Pictures, and Alibaba Pictures are the production companies behind the new sci-fi thriller. Filming on the movie took place in February through May last year, and Paramount Pictures will unleash it into a theater near you on October 11, 2019. This new trailer comes to us from Paramount Pictures over on YouTube Paramount Pictures over on YouTube.

Topics: Gemini Man

Writer for Arrow In the Head, Dread Central and Movieweb.

Which Will Smith Is the Real Bad Guy?

Ansel Elgort Stars in the Story of A Stolen Life

Warner Bros. Has released the second trailer for the upcoming film The Goldfinch. Directed by award winner John Crowley (Brooklyn), The Goldfinch is based on Donna Tartt's novel by the same name. The book spent 30 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list and went on to win the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Now, Warner Bros. Pictures and Amazon Studios aim to bring it to the screen.

Starring Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver) as Theo Decker and Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman (The Hours, Big Little Lies), The Goldfinch is a story of hope and tragedy. Theodore "Theo" Decker was 13 years old when his mother was killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The tragedy changes the course of his life, sending him on a stirring odyssey of grief and guilt, reinvention and redemption, and even love.  Through it all, he holds on to one tangible piece of hope from that terrible day...a painting of a tiny bird chained to its perch. The Goldfinch.

Related: The Goldfinch Brings on Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Writer

The film carries us seamlessly through Theo's story as a young boy played by Oakes Fegley (Pete's Dragon) as he grapples with his guilt and the horror he witnessed while trying to "get back to a normal routine". But as he says, "its my fault she died," we see the pain that carries him to adulthood. Thriving star Ansel Elgort introduces us to an all grown up Theo still clinging to the painting he found at the disaster site. Theo contemplates his life while meeting an array of people. At one point, he determines that:

"Everything is before and after. In the middle is the painting."

The screenplay comes to us from Oscar nominee Peter Straughan (The Snowman and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), so we can expect a lot of dialogue and subtlety. Just like The Goldfinch, both The Snowman and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy were based on novels.

The trailer brings us the beautiful contrasting colors of warm reds and cool blues from Oscar-winning director of photography Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049). The visuals complimenting the changing tones and time periods are designed Oscar-nominated production designer K.K. Barrett (Her) and Costume designer Kasia Walicka Maimone (Bridge of Spies).

The Goldfinch's star-studded casts consists of Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things, IT), Sarah Paulson (The Post, American Crime Story), Luke Wilson (The Royal Tenenbaums), and Jeffrey Wright (The Hunger Games films). As well as Ashleigh Cummings (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries), Willa Fitzgerald (Little Women), Aimee Laurence (Chicago P.D.), Denis O'Hare (American Horror Story), and Boyd Gaines (2014's Driving Miss Daisy).

The Goldfinch is produced by Nina Jacobson (The Hunger Games films, American Crime Story) and Brad Simpson (World War Z,American Crime Story).  Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda, Kevin McCormick, Sue Kroll and Courtenay Valenti served as executive producers. The film is edited by Kelley Dixon (Breaking Bad). The music is by Trevor Gureckis (Bloodline).

The film is expected to release on September 3, 2019 with a R rating for drug use and language. This trailer comes direct from Warner Bros. and Amazon Studios.

Topics: The Goldfinch

Ansel Elgort Stars in the Story of A Stolen Life

Harriet Tubman Movie Controversy Erupts Over British Actress Cynthia Erivo

The decision to cast Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman in the Harriet biopic is continuing to spark controversy. Many people are upset that the producers cast a British Actress instead of an African American actress to portray one of America's greatest heroes. The backlash has even brought up old tweets from Erivo mocking a "ghetto American accent," which has several critics threatening a boycott of the upcoming highly anticipated biopic. On the other side of the argument, Harriet is generating Academy Awards buzz due to Erivo's performance.

The Harriet trailer was released earlier this week and some people can't get past the fact that Cynthia Erivo is a British Actress. This isn't a new thing for the movie. The controversy first arose back in September 2018 when it was first announced Erivo was cast in the role and it has risen back up with the recent trailer reveal. "We will not allow the hype of a prestige film to compromise our sacred ancestor Harriet's legacy," says one critic on social media, which also includes the hashtag, "Harriet Deserves Better." The same person had this to say.

"So once again, Harriet Tubman's life is an expression of so much that makes African-American descendants of chattel slavery a unique people with a unique lineage, culture & history... How can you portray her when you dismiss and disrespect that unique lineage, culture and history?"

The "Harriet Deserves Better" hashtag has started trending on social media as more people chime in about the Harriet casting in the biopic. A similar situation popped up when British actor Daniel Kaluuya was cast in Get Out, Jordan Peele's horror movie about racism in America. However, people seem to more upset with Cynthia Erivo's casting in Harriet. One critic explains.

"Yea, I ain't watching this either. We are tired of our American roles going to people who don't have the same lineage of the characters they are portraying. It's like a dog playing the role of a cat."

Cynthia Erivo's past tweets mocking American culture is another reason critics want to boycott Harriet, with many quoting the aforementioned "ghetto American accent" tweet. Whatever the case may be, there are more people who are completely fine with the situation and see some Academy Awards in the future for Harriet and star Erivo. Making the movie in the first place is a controversial decision because it's going to be hard to get it right and satisfy everybody.

Cynthia Erivo has already won Emmy, Grammy, and Tony awards for her work on Broadway's The Color Purple. This means she's only an Oscar away from joining the rare EGOT club and it's starting to look like Harriet might bring her the last award she needs. With that being said, the controversy of her casting is still causing controversy online. You can check out the trailer below, thanks to the Focus Features YouTube channel, along with some critical tweets.

Related: First Look at Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman in Upcoming Biopic

So once again, Harriet Tubman's life is an expression of so much that makes African-American descendants of chattel slavery a unique people with a unique lineage, culture & history.

How can you portray her when you dismiss and disrespect that unique lineage, culture and history? pic.twitter.com/oNIqIHUkd9

— 🇺🇸🌴Electric Bo Peep🌴🇺🇸 (@eBoPeep) September 24, 2018

I won’t be watching
You should have casted an American Descendant of Slavery
Not a black Brit!

— SamanthaAngeliq🇺🇸 Lets try this again (@SamanthaAngeliq) July 23, 2019

We will not allow the hype of a prestige film to compromise our sacred ancestor Harriet's legacy. #HarrietDeservesBetter#ADOShttps://t.co/J7Rffq6hN6

— 🇺🇸🌴Electric Bo Peep🌴🇺🇸 (@eBoPeep) July 23, 2019

Yea, I ain't watching this either. We are tired of our American roles going to people who don't have the same lineage of the characters they are portraying. It's like a dog playing the role of a cat.

— Nas Escobar (@nasescobar316) July 23, 2019

Supporting this film isnt in #ADOS best interest
Questions #LineageMatters
1. Does this actress come from a #slave trading family
2. This is an #AmericanDOS story which an #ADOS actress should be lead and credit
3. What #ados Historian validated script or #white hollywood
🤔

— Michael 'Mike' Adams (@MJ_Adams30281) July 23, 2019

#BoycottHarriet This woman is cast in the lead roll is British (automatic eyeroll to play a sacred ancestor), but she openly mocks our culture. #HarrietDeservesBetter#ADOShttps://t.co/zd7iKl34fn

— Júnot Indigo (@junotjoyner) July 23, 2019

HARD PASS This girl speaks so disrespectful of harriet's descendants and our culture. she mocks slavery! #HarrietDeservesBetter

— LanaHerman-Huxtable (@41Soulsistah) July 24, 2019

#HarrietDeservesBetter I'm not supporting any movies that don't cast FBA's. Actors and actresses are taking on more than just roles, to some degree they're representatives. These foreign black immigrants have no emotional attachment our ancestors plight and leve alot to be desire

— KICKSCIENCE (@Larry88686857) July 24, 2019

Cynthia Erivo it’s not the right person to play one of our black National revolutionary Queen Harriet Tubman. She of been deeply disrespectful to foundation black American. She is anti black Americans.#HarrietDeservesBetter . She side with white supremacist over black people.

— BlackAmerica Agenda2020 (@BAgenda2020) July 24, 2019

Topics: Harriet

Writer for Movieweb since 2017. Enjoys playing Catan when not writing about superheroes and Star Wars.

Harriet Tubman Movie Controversy Erupts Over British Actress Cynthia Erivo

John Travolta Is a Creepy Celebrity Stalker

John Travolta is unrecognizable in The Fanatic trailer. The actor is playing a creepy celebrity stalker in Limp BIzkit front man Fred Durst's upcoming thriller and it looks like we finally have a release date for the long awaited movie. It was supposed to premiere at Cannes, but Travolta pulled it at the last minute because he was reportedly not happy with the most recent cut. However, it looks like everything is set to start rolling soon.

The Fanatic is all set to open in select theaters on August 30th. The project was originally called Moose (named after John Travolta's character), but it was later changed, leading to some confusion with the release date due to another movie coming out entitled Moose. But, everything seems to have worked out and the trailer looks excellent. John Travolta is intense as Moose as he stalks Devon Sawa's Hunter Dunbar in what starts off innocent and ends up getting pretty extreme. "I just wanted an autograph!" shouts Moose at an autograph signing after being turned away, which Travolta makes seem very real.

In The Fanatic, John Travolta's Moose is a rabid movie fan who is obsessed with his favorite celebrity action hero, Hunter Dunbar. When he is cheated out of his opportunity to finally meet Hunter, Moose gets a little help from his friend Leah, a well-connected paparazzi photographer, who knows how to find celebrity homes. Moose turns to stalking to get the celebrity interaction he feels he deserves, and while harmless at first, Moose's actions begin to take a dark turn as his obsession grows stronger. As the visits continue to escalate, Hunter Dunbar finds himself in increasing danger.

Related: The Fanatic Gets a Creepy First Poster as John Travolta Cancels Cannes Premiere

Seeing a movie by a guy who named an album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water is a bit on the risky side, to say the least. However, it looks like Fred Durst has pulled off an awesome thriller, at least evidenced by the trailer. Having John Travolta and Devon Sawa helps matters, but Durst seems to have nailed the psychotic fan situation for the big screen. He more than likely has some experience in the matter from back when Limp Bizkit was on top of the world in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The Fanatic will open in select theaters on August 30th and will be available on VOD starting September 6th. When talking about the movie last year, John Travolta only had great things to say about working with Fred Durst. The actor noted that it is, "maybe my favorite experience I've had. He's so generous and he's such an artist." That's saying quite a bit for an actor who has had such a successful career. Travolta went on to say, "He allowed me to create a character that nobody else would allow. It's really a wild character and it's very free(ing) to do that." You can check out the trailer for The Fanatic below, thanks to the Quiver Distribution YouTube channel.

Topics: Fanatic

Writer for Movieweb since 2017. Enjoys playing Catan when not writing about superheroes and Star Wars.

John Travolta Is a Creepy Celebrity Stalker

Every Movie Trailer from Comic-Con 2019

Another San Diego Comic-Con has come to a close. 2019 was dominated by TV trailers, but the movie side of things was more interested in quality than quantity. And 2019 seems to be the year of the sequel. Easily, the biggest trailer of the weekend was the surprise release of the Top Gun 2: Maverick. Tom Cruise shocked fans who were lucky enough to be in attendance and delivered the first footage from the highly anticipated sequel. Jon Hamm was not messing around when hyping up the footage before it dropped on Thursday.

Andres Muschietti's IT Chapter Two was another trailer that brought the house down when it dropped early Thursday morning. If horror fans weren't already hyped to see the sequel, they certainly will be now as Pennywise continues his terror spree. On the opposite side of things, the Cats trailer was also released and it baffled a lot of people and caused quite the stir online. The hyper-realistic cat fur CGI is either amazing or horrifying, depending on your outlook. If you haven't seen it, consider yourself warned.

Kevin Smith was also able to catch fans off guard when he surprise released the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot trailer. The director was supposed to release the trailer on Saturday night during his Hall H panel, but he decided to release it early and fans were extremely excited to see what Smith has been hyping for the past year. The sequel may hold some type of record for the most celebrity cameos all in one place. Terminator: Dark Fate did not release a new trailer like everybody was hoping, but Tim Miller and crew did deliver an awesome behind-the-scene featurette which delivered some brand-new footage.

Related: Mahershala Ali's Blade Movie Is Part of Marvel Phase 5

A second trailer for Brad Pitt's Ad Astra was also released and it looks like an epic intergalactic adventure with some deep twists and turns. Ghostbusters 2020 was expected to release at least a teaser, but Jason Reitman is more than likely too busy shooting the movie since production just started a few weeks ago. With that being said, the movie side of things was a lot smaller this year when compared to past Comic-Cons. However, we will probably end up with some surprises from Disney at the end of August when the D23 Expo.

San Diego Comic-Con 2019 really didn't have very many movie trailers. However, it had a ton of announcements, courtesy of Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige. The MCU's Phase 4 is going to dominate the box office for the next handful of years. If you missed out on any of the big Comic-Con movie trailers, you're in luck since we did all of the leg work and collected them all to put them in one convenient place. You can start by checking out the Top Gun 2: Maverick trailer below.

Tom Cruise dropped by Comic-Con to surprise release the Top Gun 2: Maverick trailer to a stunned audience. As it turns out, the audience at home was just as stunned and the trailer instantly became the biggest of the weekend. Cruise is back as Maverick and he's as defiant as ever.

New Line Cinema dropped our best look yet a Andres Muschietti's IT Chapter Two and kicked off Comic-Con in a terrifying way. The sequel looks ten times more frightening than the first installment and Pennywise is a lot angrier this time around. September 6th is going to be a big day for horror fans when the movie is finally released.

Kevin Smith decided to drop the trailer for Jay & Silent Bob Reboot a few days early and his fans were happy he did. The Reboot trailer was one of the biggest of the weekend and Smith knew it would be. The movie sees the director reunite with his old friend Ben Affleck after nearly a decade of not speaking to each other.

20th Century Fox released a new trailer for Ad Astra to kick things off at Comic-Con. The movie stars Brad Pitt as an astronaut who is about to discover something mysterious, which could affect the whole world. The journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.

Shudder's Daniel Isn't Real trailer provides a terrifying look at the horror thriller. Patrick Schwarzenegger stars in the movie and he might have a very bright future ahead of him in the horror genre. The movie has been getting rave reviews for being pretty messed up.

While Top Gun 2: Maverick was the biggest Comic-Con trailer of the weekend, Cats was definitely, without question, the most controversial. People were not sure what to make of the human/cat hybrids and their realistic digital fur. Whatever the case may be, it elicited some very strong opinions and got some solid views.

Tim Miller and crew did not release a trailer for Terminator: Dark Fate, but they did deliver a behind-the-scenes featurette. The video contains a ton of previously unseen footage from the highly anticipated sequel and it everything has been amped up in a major way. Miller and James Cameron have created a monster and fans are hoping it will live up to the first two installments.

Chadwick Boseman reunited with the Russo Brothers to star in 21 Bridges. The Avengers: Endgame directors are producers on the project and they wanted to aim for the crime thrillers of the 1970s. When looking at the trailer, they have achieved their goal while Boseman looks like a pretty convincing NYPD officer.

The Sharknado franchise is over, but Syfy isn't done bringing absurd ideas to the small screen with Ian Ziering as the star. The Zombie Tidal Wave looks just as ridiculous and you can imagine, which should really say something after seeing a few Sharknado movies. This will definitely be some absurd fun.

In another surprise move, AMC released a brief teaser for The untitled Rick Grimes Walking Dead Movie. It doesn't show off any footage, but it lets us know that it's really on the way and that it will only be available to be seen in theaters. This was huge news for fans of the hit AMC series.

Topics: Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2019

Writer for Movieweb since 2017. Enjoys playing Catan when not writing about superheroes and Star Wars.

Every Movie Trailer from Comic-Con 2019

PlayMobil the Movie Trailer #3 Brings Epic-Sized Adventure for Tiny Toys

Playmobil: The Movie plans to see summer out the door with one last blast for kids and parents alike. Sure, Playmobil might not be as popular as LEGO in the States, but the iconic toys have been a worldwide phenomenon for over 40 years. And now, they are getting their first big screen adventure, with the animated adventure coming from STXFilms on August 30.

As the tagline states, 'The Size of Epic Adventure Not Shown Here!' Judging from the latest footage, this is going to be fun, excitement and thrills for all. This is STXFilms latest attempt at Animated Comedy Adventure after the bomb that was UglyDolls hit theaters earlier this year, coming as a big disappointment for the studios. Hopes are high that Playmobil doesn't suffer the same fate.

Related: Playmobil Movie Gets a New Title as Production Beings

The animated adventure has collected quite the ensemble cast. Starring as the voices of the iconic Playmobil characters are Anya Taylor-Joy, Jim Gaffigan, Gabriel Bateman, Adam Lambert, Kenan Thompson, Meghan Trainor and Daniel Radcliffe. Lino Disalvo is directing from a script by Blaise Hemingway and Greg Erb & Jason Oremland, with a story in place that Lino wrote himself.

In Playmobil's animated action adventure, a top secret organization has caused citizens from different lands to vanish from thin air. The dashing and charismatic secret agent Rex Dasher (Daniel Radcliffe) must partner with smooth-talking food truck driver Del (Jim Gaffigan) and Marla (Anya Taylor-Joy) a smart, savvy civilian with her own secret agenda, to rescue them. Against unthinkable odds, the trio go on a fantastic journey across stunning new worlds as they gather clues for their rescue mission.

Playmobil are mostly known for their 'klicky' action figures and themed play sets. The toys first debuted in Germany in 1974 from the Brandstätter Group. The toys went worldwide, and 40 years later they are LEGO's main competition.

In his forties, Lino DiSalvo is making his directorial debut with Playmobil The Movie. He spent nearly 17 years at Disney, where he served as head of animation on Frozen, was a supervising animator on Tangled and Bolt, and an animator on Meet the Robinsons, Chicken Little, 102 Dalmatians and Reign of Fire.

Playmobil was originally supposed to hit theaters in 2017, but went through a number of changes on its way to the big screen. Now, it looks like all the pieces are in place for STXFIlms to have a modest sized hit on their hands.

Topics: Playmobil

Contributing writer for Movieweb since 2001. Owns a dog who loves watching Milo and Otis on repeat.

PlayMobil the Movie Trailer #3 Brings Epic-Sized Adventure for Tiny Toys

The Unbelievable True Story of an American Legend

Focus Features has revealed the first trailer for Harriet, which looks like it's instantly putting itself squarely in this year's Oscar race. The biopic stars Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman, the famous abolitionist who freed dozens of slaves during the Civil War, utilizing the Underground Railroad. If this first footage is any indication, Erivo has just positioned herself as a surefire bet to land a Best Actress nomination later this year at the Academy Awards. Beyond that, it looks like a compelling take on a truly legendary real-life American tale of heroism and bravery.

The trailer kicks off by showcasing the titular figure's escape from slavery which, all on its own, would make for a compelling tale. Yet, as we see, that's just the beginning. As we see, Tubman bravely made the choice to go back to the North to free her family, which led her to free many others as well. There is a major undercurrent of intensity running throughout the entire trailer, which climaxes with Harriet standing at arms getting ready to fire upon a group of Southerners. It's an extremely powerful image.

Cynthia Erivo is a well-respected actress who previously won a Tony for her work on Broadway. Last year, Erivo starred in the criminally underrated Widows, which also felt like it was bound for Oscar glory early on. Not to mention her amazing turn in the equally underrated Bad Times at the El Royale. But this is very much an ensemble piece, as the surrounding cast is equally impressive. The rest of the cast includes Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder On the Orient Express), Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures), Joe Alwyn (Mary Queen of Scots), Clarke Peters (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and country music star Jennifer Nettles.

Related: First Look at Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman in Upcoming Biopic

Harriet is billed as a "thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter." It tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's own escape from slavery, which led to her transition into one of America's greatest heroes, having bravely rescued an estimated 70 enslaved people. Her courage, ingenuity and tenacity saved many slaves, while also changing the course of history.

Kasi Lemmons (Eve's Bayou, Talk to Me) is in the director's chair. The screenplay comes from writers Gregory Allen Howard (Ali, Remember the Titans) and Kasi Lemmons. Howard also serves as a producer alongside Debra Martin Chase and Daniela Taplin Lundberg.

It was also announced recently that the movie will hold its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in October. That's a very good sign, as many past Oscar winners, like The Shape of Water as a recent example, also debuted at the prestigious festival. It's viewed as a launching pad for awards season runs by Hollywood. Harriet is set to arrive in theaters on November 1, a date that also implies the studio sees this as an awards season contender. Be sure to check out the trailer from the Focus Features YouTube channel for yourself.

Topics: Harriet

Writer of various things on the internet (mostly about movies) since 2013. Major lover of popcorn flicks. Avid appreciator of James Bond, Marvel and Star Wars. Has a tremendously fat cat named Buster and still buys CDs. I’ve got my reasons.

The Unbelievable True Story of an American Legend