I was disappointed by Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II.” A large part of my disdain resides in Paul Mescal’s performance as Lucius, he’s miscast, and doesn’t seem to have the muscular charisma needed to lead this big film.

“Saltburn” lead, Barry Keoghan, was supposed to be part of Scott’s “Gladiator II,” but according to the filmmaker, Keoghan “got locked into” “Saltburn,” and couldn’t commit. That’s not what Jeff Sneider has been hearing, writing that Keoghan was outright fired from the film.

“Wicked” is being marketed as a “family film,” so any connection to porn is not something Universal is looking for. The film has been screening to positive reactions these last few weeks, and is even being touted as an Oscar contender.

The third and final entry in the ‘Venom’ franchise pulled in an estimated $16M in its third weekend – bringing its domestic total to $115M. However, its $400M worldwide total is further proof how popular this movie really is overseas, especially in China where it has become a cultural success.

Comedian Tim Dillon, who had a small role in “Joker: Folie à Deux” as a security guard, recently appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast and trashed ‘Folie à Deux’ as “the worst film that has ever been made.”

After the painful experience of having to watch both of these trailers, I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if they up bombing hard next year. There’s no exciting lure to them, it all feels bland and familiar. Who seriously wants to watch this crap?

‘Wonka’ director Paul King has now confirmed that the sequel is indeed in development, and that the script is currently being written (via HeyUGuys) — expect this one to be released in December 2027.

Jalmari Helander is back to direct. Jorma Tommila is reprising his lead role as the indestructible Aatami. No plot details have been revealed at this time. It should also be noted that, unlike the first film, “Sisu 2” was not shot in Finland.

Villeneuve recently took part in a Q&A at Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal where he had a simple response to Tarantino’s refusal to watch ‘Dune.’

After many delays, HBO had announced that “Euphoria” season 3 would start shooting in January 2025. Last I heard, the script hadn’t been finalized. I was always skeptical that a third season would actually occur, and it looks like that might be the case.

Anne Hathaway and Zendaya have been added to the cast of Christopher Nolan’s next film, they join the previously announced Matt Damon and Tom Holland (via Deadline). No word yet on who the actual lead of the film is, or whether it might just be an ensemble piece.

Paul Mescal is reportedly in talks to star in “The Dog Stars,” Scott’s upcoming adaptation of Peter Heller’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel. Mescal is being eyed for the role of Hig, a widowed pilot and one of the few survivors in a world devastated by a global pandemic.

A Vulture piece interviews actor Phil Biedron, who appears in a supporting role as one of the jurors in the film, and he says that there were at least three days when the cast and crew reported to set only to be told “We’re not filming today.”

These numbers are no doubt spurred by the strong reviews the film’s been getting (95% Rotten Tomatoes/71 Metacritic). I haven’t reviewed it, but I will say that “Heretic” is a good film that sadly falls apart in the last 20 minutes.

Scott tells THR that although he’s “proud” of the film, but that he doesn’t believe his true vision was shown onscreen, so much so that he’s currently working on a 4-hour director’s cut that would re-record Depardieu’s lines.

Jeff Sneider is hearing that Daisy Ridley will come back for Simon Kinberg’s new Star Wars trilogy, and her Rey “will be positioned as the Obi-Wan of the new trilogy.” These three films will indeed be referred to as Episodes X, XI, and XII. 

Culkin has acted in only four movies these last 20 years, all of them very low budget affairs (“Sex and Breakfast,” “The Wrong Ferrari,” “Adam Green’s Aladdin,” and “Changeland”). The “Fallout” gig will be his starriest role since 1994’s “Richie Rich.”

There’s been chatter, for a few weeks now, that Luca Guadagnino is eyeing Jacob Elordi to be his Patrick Bateman in the “American Psycho” remake. TheInSneider is echoing these rumors in his latest newsletter.