Awards Season 2023: Producers Guild Awards (PGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards Winners

Another two-for-one offer on awards news today, as this most recent weekend has seen two of the major guilds give out their awards, both of which are seen as bellwethers for the Oscars (which is in a couple of weeks).

So, let's find out who needs to make some room on the shelf for some shiny new silverware (well, glass and bronzewear to be more precise)

PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS (PGA)

The Producers Guild Awards (PGA) were handed out on Saturday (25th February). The film winners are:

Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: Everything Everywhere All at Once

Documentary Film: Navalny

Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

The final round of Oscar voting is still to come (it's happening between 2nd-7th March), but it's looking likely that we've found this year's Best Picture Oscar winner. The other guild awards that happened this weekend also point towards this.  

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD (SAG) AWARDS

The 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards were held last night (Sunday 26th February) in a ceremony which was not televised, but was streamed live via Netflix's YouTube channel (ahead of the streaming service broadcasting it from next year).

Here are the film winners:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Brendan Fraser (The Whale)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

Top Gun: Maverick

Everything Everywhere All At Once has become the most-awarded film in SAG history, with four awards. It's always been a bit of a two-horse race between Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett for Best Actress, and it's still wide open (especially as both of them are nominated for Best Lead Performance at the Independent Spirits).

I think Ke Huy Quan has pretty much tied on Best Supporting Actor, and it's now between Brendan Fraser and Austin Butler for Best Actor. 

The icon that is Sally Field received the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, after Helen Mirren last year. 

Congratulations to all winners!

Next weekend (Saturday 4th March) sees the Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony, with everything coming to a head the following weekend (Sunday 12th March) with the 95th Academy Awards.

Awards Season 2023: Academy Award Nominations

As announced earlier this afternoon, here are some of the official nominations for the 95th Academy Awards:

BEST PICTURE

All Quiet On The Western Front

Avatar: The Way Of Water

The Banshees Of Inisherin

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All At Once

The Fabelmans

Tár

Top Gun: Maverick

Triangle Of Sadness

Women Talking

BEST DIRECTOR

Todd Field (Tár)

Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Martin McDonagh (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Ruben Östlund (Triangle Of Sadness)

Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)

BEST ACTOR

Austin Butler (Elvis)

Colin Farrell (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Brendan Fraser (The Whale)

Paul Mescal (Aftersun)

Bill Nighy (Living)

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett (Tár)

Ana de Armas (Blonde)

Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie)

Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans)

Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway)

Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans)

Barry Keoghan (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Hong Chau (The Whale)

Kerry Condon (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

A full list of nominees can be found here. 

If I've done my maths right, we are looking at 29/35 (83%). Better than last year, so that's a plus. 

A couple of big surprises, namely the Best Picture/Director nods for Triangle Of Sadness, and British actress Andrea Riseborough's shock (in the best possible way) Best Actress nomination for To Leslie. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her performance, but the film has had increased awareness over the last few weeks, as it's being signal boosted by several high-profile actresses. 

A couple of interesting little facts: all five of the Best Actor nominees are first-time nominees. The German-language version of All Quiet On The Western Front has nine nods, as opposed to the four given to the 1930 English-language version (which won Best Picture and Best Director). Angela Bassett's nod is the first acting nomination for any Marvel film, and Judd Hirsch receives his second Oscar nomination after a whoppping 42 years (he was previously nominated for Ordinary People in 1981).

Everything Everywhere All At Once has 11 nominations to lead the field, with All Quiet On The Western Front and The Banshees Of Inisherin tying for second place with nine apiece. 

Congratulations to all nominees!

The 95th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday 12th March 2023, at the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center. Jimmy Kimmel will be returning to host for the third time, after his consecutive appearances MCing the 89th and 90th Oscars.

For those not interested in the awards season circus, you'll be glad to know there's going to be a brief hiatus in the proceedings; our next awards season stop on the road to the 95th Academy Awards will be the weekend of 18th/19th February. 

Awards Season 2023: Tez's Official Academy Award Nomination Predictions

 

Tomorrow morning (5:30AM PT/8:30AM ET/1:30PM GMT), the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced. This year, they will be announced by Riz Ahmed (Sound Of Metal, Rogue One, Four Lions) and Allison Williams (Get Out, M3gan, Girls).

Since 2003, I have tried to predict who will be nominated in several of the major categories (Best Picture, Best Director and the four acting awards). Below is my list of who I think will be named tomorrow.

BEST PICTURE

All Quiet On The Western Front

Avatar: The Way Of Water

Babylon

The Banshees Of Inisherin

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All At Once

The Fabelmans

Tár

Top Gun: Maverick

Women Talking

BEST DIRECTOR

Todd Field (Tár)

Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Martin McDonagh (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Sarah Polley (Women Talking)

Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)

BEST ACTOR

Austin Butler (Elvis)

Colin Farrell (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Brendan Fraser (The Whale)

Paul Mescal (Aftersun)

Bill Nighy (Living)

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett (Tár)

Viola Davis (The Woman King)

Ana de Armas (Blonde)

Danielle Deadwyler (Till)

Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Paul Dano (The Fabelmans)

Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Barry Keoghan (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Eddie Redmayne (The Good Nurse)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Hong Chau (The Whale)

Kerry Condon (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

As we now have 10 Best Picture nominees (in addition to the 20 for acting and 5 for directing), I will be happy with any score over 20. Last year, it was 26/35 (74%)

I'm confident of seven (maybe eight) of the Best Picture nominees; Babylon and/or All Quiet On The Western Front may well be replaced by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and/or Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. 

With Best Director, there's been a core of four [well, technically five] consistent names (the Daniels, Field, McDonagh and Spielberg) so it's working out who would join them. I went for Sarah Polley in a rather optimistic mood that they'd continue the streak of female directors, but it's far from definite. We could easily see James Cameron (Avatar: The Way Of Water) or Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) get a nod, with Kosinski nominated at the DGAs.

Given the Academy's form over the previous couple of years, a nomination for a foreign-language film director- potentially S.S. Rajamouli (RRR), Park Chan-wook (Decision To Leave), or Edward Berger (All Quiet On The Western Front)- might not be out of the question. Hell, they may still nominate a female director: Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King). 

Best Actor seems fairly secure, although you might see Jeremy Pope (The Inspection) or even potentially Hugh Jackman (The Son) in place of Paul Mescal. Best Actress has been a wide field this year, with a lot of superb performances getting nominated across the various awards bodies. I went with the five SAG Awards nominees, although the Academy could seek to honour Olivia Colman (Empire Of Light), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans), or Margot Robbie (Babylon) instead.

With Best Supporting Actor, I'm confident of three at the very least- Gleeson, Keoghan, and Quan. Dano seems fairly secure, but there's been a lot of good supporting performances which might sneak in, including Brad Pitt (Babylon), Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway), and Dano's co-star in The Fabelmans, Judd Hirsch. Ben Whishaw could get a nod for his turn in Women Talking.

As for Best Supporting Actress, Hsu is the only one I'm not very sure of. You could easily see Carey Mulligan (She Said), Janelle Monáe (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), Dolly de Leon (Triangle Of Sadness) or Jessie Buckley and/or Claire Foy from Women Talking. 


We'll see what the Academy comes up with tomorrow afternoon. There'll be a post up as soon as I can afterwards with the official nominations.

So what do you think of my predictions? Pretty solid or way off the mark? Who do you think will (or should) get a nomination tomorrow? Let me know by commenting below.

Awards Season 2023: Producers Guild Awards (PGA) Nominations

Just a quick one today (as the actress said to the bishop) as the nominations for the 34th Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards were announced earlier.

Here they are:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

Avatar: The Way of Water

The Banshees of Inisherin

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Fabelmans

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Tár

Top Gun: Maverick

The Whale

Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Turning Red

Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures 

(previously announced)

All That Breathes

Descendant

Fire Of Love

Navalny

Nothing Compares

Retrograde

The Territory

A couple of interesting additions for Best Picture: I'm pleased to see both Glass Onion and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever mentioned, with The Whale also a surprise nominee. I think a lot of people were surprised by the omission of Women Talking and Babylon. Whether the Academy will follow suit, who knows? That's all part of the fun.

When the Documentary nominees were announced just before Christmas, there was some surprise that two highly-regarded documentaries, both hyped up for Oscar nominations, were not on the list: they are Moonage Daydream (about David Bowie) and All The Beauty And The Bloodshed (about photographer Nan Goldin and her fight to hold a major pharmaceuticals company accountable for the opioid epidemic). It has, however, been noted that the PGA is not always the best prognosticator of the Documentary Feature category at the Oscars, so both may still get a nod come 24th January. 

The PGAs will be given out on Saturday 25th February 2023

Congratulations to all nominees!

Next stop on the awards season hype-train is the Critics Choice Awards, which will be handed out on Sunday (15th January). 

Awards Season 2023: Screen Actors' Guild (SAG) Awards and Directors Guild Awards (DGA) Nominations

 

So we've got a 2-4-1 on awards news today, with two major guilds announcing their nominations. I can see you're all positively besides yourselves waiting to find out who's been mentioned, so without further ado, here we go!

SCREEN ACTORS' GUILD (SAG) AWARDS

This afternoon (Wednesday 11th January), the nominations for the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards were announced. Again, they were announced via Instagram Live, with Ashley Park (Emily In Paris, Tales Of The City) and Haley Lu Richardson (The White Lotus, Split) doing the honours. 

Below is the list of film nominations:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Babylon

The Banshees Of Inisherin

Everything Everywhere All At Once

The Fabelmans

Women Talking

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Austin Butler (Elvis)

Colin Farrell (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Brendan Fraser (The Whale)

Bill Nighy (Living)

Adam Sandler (Hustle)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett (Tár)

Viola Davis (The Woman King)

Ana de Armas (Blonde)

Danielle Deadwyler (Till)

Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Paul Dano (The Fabelmans)

Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Barry Keoghan (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Eddie Redmayne (The Good Nurse)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Hong Chau (The Whale)

Kerry Condon (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

Avatar: The Way Of Water

The Batman

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Top Gun: Maverick

The Woman King

Both The Banshees Of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All At Once have a staggering five nominations apiece. 

A couple of surprises here: Adam Sandler making up the Best Actor category, for one. This is the first time his name has been mentioned this awards season. There's also some interesting choices with Best Actress, with Michelle Williams absent for The Fabelmans. That said, there's a whole bunch of superb lead actress performances this year that someone isn't going to make the cut. A pleasant surprise to see Stephanie Hsu also mentioned in Best Supporting Actress, as her role is certainly more integral to the plot (as good as Jamie Lee Curtis is). 

Another surprise was the omission of Everything Everywhere All At Once in the Stunt Ensemble category; given the dizzying action sequences in that film, it seemed a safe bet. 

The SAG Awards will be handed out on Sunday 26th February 2022. At present, the ceremony will be broadcast online (via Netflix's YouTube page) with the show airing on Netflix from next year. 

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DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS (DGA)

Were the SAG Awards not excitement enough for one day, we also have the rest of the Directors' Guild Awards (DGA) nominees announced today as well. And here they are:

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film

Todd Field (Tár)

Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick)

Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Martin McDonagh (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film

Alice Diop (Saint Omer)

Audrey Diwan (Happening)

John Patton Ford (Emily The Criminal)

Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic (Murina)

Charlotte Wells (Aftersun)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary 

(previously announced)

Sara Dosa (Fire of Love)

Matthew Heinman (Retrograde)

Laura Poitras (All the Beauty and the Bloodshed)

Daniel Roher (Navalny)

Shaunak Sen (All That Breathes)

Well, now, this is interesting... Joseph Kosinski gets a mention instead of James Cameron or Baz Luhrmann. I've got a feeling in my waters that at least three (or four) of these names will be part of the Academy's choices- a nomination for the Daniels, Spielberg, and McDonagh feels incredibly likely. I'd have liked to have seen either Sarah Polley or Gina Prince-Bythewood get a nod but (much like with the Best Actress race) there's such a breadth and depth of breathtaking directorial work this year that not all of them are going to be recognised as much as they perhaps should.   

The winners will be announced at the 75th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday 18th February 2023.

Congratulations to all nominees!

It's that time of year when there's lots of awards buzz. Tomorrow (Thursday 12th January) sees this year's Producers Guild Awards (PGA) nominations so there'll be a short post about that at some point. 

The Watchers Film Show Review Of 2022

Our Review of 2022 is here!

In our twelfth (twelfth!) annual review of the year, we discuss what made our nice lists and our naughty lists- with one film from someone's nice list made the naughty list of another! But what was it? 

Could it be Thor: Love & Thunder? Death On The Nile? Or maybe it was Morbius? (Just kidding, it definitely wasn't Morbius)

Documentaries, awards fodder, horror movies, whodunits and comic book movies all get a mention - we are nothing if not diverse! Take a listen and let us know your best (and worst) films of 2022.

Enjoy! 
 

Awards Season 2023: Golden Globes Nominations

Today (Monday 12th December 2022) saw the announcement of the nominees for the 80th Golden Globe Awards, awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). Actresses Mayan Lopez (Lopez Vs. Lopez) and Selenis Leyva (Orange Is The New Black, Spider-Man: Homecoming) made the announcement.  

As longtime readers of the blog will be aware, the HFPA split their awards, giving certain categories for both Drama and Musical or Comedy, rather than just going for the out-and-out drama as most awards tend to do.

Below is a selection of the film nominees: 

Best Picture - Drama

Avatar: The Way Of Water

Elvis

The Fabelmans

Tár

Top Gun Maverick

Best Picture - Musical or Comedy

Babylon

The Banshees Of Inisherin

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Triangle Of Sadness

Best Director

James Cameron (Avatar: The Way Of Water)

Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Baz Luhrmann (Elvis)

Martin McDonagh (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)

Best Actor - Drama

Austin Butler (Elvis)

Brendan Fraser (The Whale)

Hugh Jackman (The Son)

Bill Nighy (Living)

Jeremy Pope (The Inspection)

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy

Diego Calva (Babylon)

Daniel Craig (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery)

Adam Driver (White Noise)

Colin Farrell (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Ralph Fiennes (The Menu)

Best Actress - Drama

Cate Blanchett (Tár)

Olivia Colman (Empire Of Light)

Viola Davis (The Woman King)

Ana de Armas (Blonde)

Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans)

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy

Lesley Manville (Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris)

Margot Robbie (Babylon)

Anya Taylor-Joy (The Menu)

Emma Thompson (Good Luck To You, Leo Grande)

Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Best Supporting Actor

Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Barry Keoghan (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Brad Pitt (Babylon)

Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Eddie Redmayne (The Good Nurse)

Best Supporting Actress

Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

Kerry Condon (The Banshees Of Inisherin)

Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Dolly de Leon (Triangle Of Sadness)

Carey Mulligan (She Said)

A full list of nominees can be found here.

The Banshees Of Inisherin gets the most film nominations, with eight total. Everything Everywhere All At Once comes in second with six, and Babylon has five. 

I'm pleased to see The Banshees Of Inisherin doing so well, as it was a thoroughly enjoyable dark comedy. I'm also glad to see Angela Bassett's nod for her stoic and dignified performance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

The Golden Globes will be handed out in a ceremony on Tuesday 10th January 2023. After a year away from being broadcast (due to the myriad issues the HFPA were going through), it'll be back on screens (shown on NBC), with stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael hosting. 

Congratulations to all nominees!

On Wednesday (14th December), the Critics' Choice Award nominees will be announced. 

Happy New Year From The Watchers!

 

Happy New Year to you all!

However you spent last night, we hope you enjoyed it and hopefully 2022 has started well for everyone. 

If 2021 was not a good year for you, may 2022 be better. If 2021 was a good year for you, may 2022 continue to be good. In any and all cases,

In terms of upcoming cinematic treats, there's plenty that The Watchers are excited by: Scream (or Scream 5, or 5cream if you will), The Tragedy Of Macbeth, Death On The Nile (finally due in February if all goes to plan!), The Batman, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World Dominion, Thor: Love And Thunder, Black Adam, Mission: Impossible 7, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Part One), Halloween Ends, The Flash, Creed III, Morbius, Turning Red, Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, and John Wick: Chapter 4, to name but a few. 

Obviously there's a lot that can still change, so we'll keep an eye out and let you know of any big shifts. 

We wish you all the very best - may the upcoming year bring you what you want and need to thrive. 

The Watchers

(Rhys, Matt & Tez)

Mini-Countdown: Longest Waits For A Sequel

2020 has had little cheer so far, but it has brought us some joy in the release of Bill & Ted Face The Music, which has been released nearly three decades after the last instalment in the Bill & Ted story. It's been 29 years since Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey but this is by no means the longest wait between instalments of a franchise (or between a film and its sequel).  

So, inspired by the release of Bill & Ted Face The Music (we will be recording a special Bill & Ted podcast shortly), here are some more of the longest waits for the next part of a story. 

1. 54 Years: Mary Poppins (1964) and Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

A whopping five-and-a-bit decades separates the wonderfully whimsical Mary Poppins from its sequel, which is the longest gap between sequels in cinema history to date. Yes, Emily Blunt has taken the reins from Julie Andrews, but it's the same Mary Poppins who visited the Banks family all those years ago: "Close your mouth, please, Michael, we are *still* not a codfish...Jane Banks, still rather inclined to giggle, I see". 

P.L. Travers (author of the original Mary Poppins novels) notoriously disliked the original film, but authorised the stage version (which debuted in 2004) on the proviso that nobody involved in the movie- particularly composers Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman- were involved, even stipulating it in her will. However, the success of the stage version led to Walt Disney Studios being able to negotiate with Travers' estate to bring Mary Poppins Returns to the screen.

2. 35 Years: Top Gun (1986) and Top Gun: Maverick (2021) and Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Many sequels operate under the system of "passing the torch", introducing the next generation (it's what The Force Awakens did, for instance). There are elements to this in both of these sequels, both of which have a gap of 35 years; in Blade Runner 2049, it's down to Ryan Gosling's K to find Deckard and in Maverick, Tom Cruise's Maverick comes against the new generation of recruits: including the son of his former classmate Goose. Obviously, this assumes that Maverick will stick to its 2021 release - however, with everything going on at the moment, that could well change. 

3. 32 Years: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi (1983) and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

Before anyone starts, a little primer. This is from Dictionary.com - Sequel (/ˈsi kwəl/) : noun; a literary work, movie, etc., that is complete in itself but continues the narrative of a preceding work.

Yes, I know there were Star Wars films between 1983 and 2015. They were Episodes 1-3. PREQUELS. Again from Dictionary.com - prequel (/pree-kwuhl/) noun: a literary, dramatic, or filmic work that prefigures a later work, as by portraying the same characters at a younger age

The direct sequel from Return Of The Jedi is The Force Awakens. So there was a 32 year wait to continue the Skywalker saga. Don't @ me. 

4. 29 Years: Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Along with Bill & Ted, it was 29 years between Max's adventures in the Thunderdome with Auntie Entity (Tina Turner) and his time with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) on Fury Road. And in that time, Max underwent a bit of a change- going from Mel Gibson to Tom Hardy.

5. 28 Years: TRON (1982) and TRON: Legacy (2010)

A bit more of the "next generation" torch-passing with TRON: Legacy, with Sam (Garrett Hedlund) entering the virtual world that his father (Jeff Bridges) has been living in for the last 20 years. There will be a third instalment to the TRON franchise, starring Jared Leto, but the gap between Parts 2 and 3 won't be quite as long as between Parts 1 and 2. 

Other long waits:

• 23 years between Psycho (1960) and Psycho II (1983)

• 23 years between Wall Street (1987) and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

• 20 years between Rambo III (1988) and Rambo (2008)

• 20 years between Dumb And Dumber (1994) and Dumb And Dumber To (2014)

• 19 years between Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) and Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

• 17 years between Bad Boys II (2003) and Bad Boys For Life (2020)

• 16 years between Rocky V (1990) and Rocky Balboa (2006)

• 16 years between The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990)

• 15 years between Zoolander (2001) and Zoolander 2 (2016)

• 14 years between My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)

Are there any other long waits (at least a decade) that you can think of? Let us know in the comments below. 

Delayed Movie Releases - April 2020

We hope that you are all keeping well and are coping in this brave new world we find ourselves in. 

It's no understatement to say that the coronavirus outbreak has meant a fundamental shift in the way we are living our lives. As a result of this, the entertainment industries have found themselves in a position where planned releases and schedules have gone out the window in light of the very serious events happening around the world. 

Many productions- including Mission: Impossible 7, Jurassic World: Dominion, The Batman, The Matrix 4, and Fantastic Beasts 3- have halted in the wake of the pandemic, which may well affect their release dates in the future. 

Below is a partial list of some of the big films that have been completed and were due this year whose release has been delayed.

No Time To Die

The 25th Bond film- with Daniel Craig on his fifth appearance as 007, and a cracking theme song by Billie Eilish- was due to be released on April 2nd. It will now be released in November instead. 

A Quiet Place Part II

This horror sequel was due to hit theatres in March; it will now be released on September 4th. 

Fast And Furious 9

This is one of the longer delays, with the film- the ninth (ninth!) in the series, how mad is that? (I suppose it's technically 10th if you include Hobbs & Shaw... anyway...)- now due for release in April 2021 (instead of May 2020)

Mulan

The live-action Mulan, directed by Niki Caro and starring Yifei Liu in the lead role, was due for release on March 27th. It will now open on July 24th. 

The New Mutants

This film which, it's fair to say, has had something of a troubled journey to the screen was due on April 3rd. "Out of an abundance of caution", it has been delayed. But, unlike a lot of other films on this list, no new release date has been set as yet. 

Wonder Woman 1984

Only a delay of a few months for this DC film, with it set to be released on August 14th 2020 (instead of June 5th)

Minions: The Rise Of Gru

Another long delay here, with the release of the Illumination Entertainment's sequel pushed back a year to July 2nd 2021.

In The Heights

The movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's stage musical was due for release on June 26th 2020 but (as with The New Mutants) no new date has been set as yet. 

Morbius

Yep, I'd kind of forgotten about this film, but it was due for release this summer. Now, Jared Leto's vampiric antihero will be hitting the screen in March 2021.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Joining Morbius in a slot next March is the Ghostbusters sequel, starring Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and a few familiar faces...

Top Gun: Maverick

When you've been waiting 35 years for a sequel, a few months is small change in comparison. Top Gun: Maverick will hit cinemas in December 2020 (rather than June)

Candyman

The horror remake or "spiritual sequel" (as its been called), produced by Jordan Peele, and starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Tony Todd will be released on September 25th 2020 (a few months later than originally planned)

Jungle Cruise

The Dwayne Johnson family adventure comedy also gets a long delay, now due on July 30th 2021 (a full year from its planned original release)

Indiana Jones 5

As part of Disney's massive overhaul of its release schedule, the fifth Indiana Jones movie has also been shifted: it's now slated for release on July 29th 2022. 

MCU Movies

I thought it best to leave these til last, as there's been something of a domino effect from the decision to move Black Widow from its May release. In fact, the entire release calendar for all of Phase 4 has been altered and now reads as follows:

Black Widow - November 6th 2020

The Eternals - February 12th 2021

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings - May 7th 2021

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness - November 5th 2021

Thor: Love And Thunder - February 18th 2022

Black Panther 2 - May 8th 2022

Captain Marvel 2 - July 8th 2022


Of course, this could all change tomorrow. Another slew of movies could be delayed, cancelled, or moved to a streaming service (such as Artemis Fowl now being released on Disney+ instead of getting a theatrical release). We simply don't know. These are uncharted waters. We'll try and keep on top of it.

In the meantime, take care of yourselves, keep safe, and raid the various streaming sites for an eclectic and exciting blend of movies which might help pass the time. 

News From Comic-Con 2019

San Diego Comic-Con celebrated its 50th birthday this year, running from July 18-21 for four days of geeky goodness. Here's some highlights of this year's event.

MARVEL PHASE 4 - AND BEYOND?

Having missed out last year's Comic-Con, Marvel Studios made a triumphant return to Hall H on Saturday evening, as studio head Kevin Feige (along with some guest stars) detailed the forthcoming MCU movies and TV shows (for Disney+) which will be released over the next couple of years.

Some things that had been rumoured were confirmed, a few things were announced that sent fans into a frenzy, and a couple of things were teased which could be interesting down the line. They also shared the rather stunning news that Avengers: Endgame has become the top-grossing film of all time at the worldwide box office, not adjusted for inflation, ending Avatar's decade-long reign.

So buckle up, here's the scoop on Phase 4 (or whatever the hell we're meant to be calling it now).

BLACK WIDOW
Directed by Cate Shortland
Release date: May 1, 2020

Scarlett Johansson was on hand to show the first footage from Black Widow (which is currently in production and has shot for 30 days so far). The teaser shows Johansson and Florence Pugh (who's playing Yelena Belova, a 'sister' to Natasha) knocking the hell out of each other, before ending with a shot of one of the film's major antagonists: Taskmaster. No word on who is under the mask, though.

It could potentially be David Harbour. The Hellboy and Stranger Things star is playing Alexi, part of the Soviet Union's Red Guardian project (think a Russian Captain America). Oscar winner Rachel Weisz will be playing Melina Vostokoff (aka Iron Maiden), a veteran of the Red Room training, whilst O.T. Fagbenle (The Handmaid's Tale) will be playing Natasha's fixer, Mason.

One thing that has been clarified is exactly WHEN this film takes place. Many thought that it might be a prequel/origin story, but it's since been announced that the action of the film takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. This'll fill in some of the gaps in Natasha's story as she went on the run after helping Captain America and Bucky escape. Plus part of the film takes place in Budapest. Wonder if we'll end up remembering Budapest very differently afterwards?

ETERNALS
Directed by Chloé Zhao
Release date: November 6, 2020

After months of speculation, leaks, rumours, and theories, the panel confirmed that Angelina Jolie would indeed be joining the MCU as part of the cast of Eternals. She'll be playing Thena, one of the immortal aliens sent to Earth by the Celestials to protect humankind from the Deviants. Sounds epic. And with a timeline set to span eons, epic might be the right word.

Joining Jolie- who was making her Comic-Con debut at the panel- are Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari (who'll be playing the first Deaf hero in the MCU), Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak (the leader of the group), Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Don Lee as Gilgamesh. A very diverse cast for a very epic movie. As someone who knows absolutely nothing about the Eternals, I'm very excited to see this come to life

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Release date: February 12, 2021

This project had been previously announced (well, that there would be a Shang-Chi movie coming) but we had the announcement of the full title and some major casting, including the leading man. Chinese-Canadian actor and stunt performer Simu Liu (Kim's Convenience, Taken) will be taking the lead role as Shang-Chi. Apparently, the ink may still be a little wet on Liu's contract as he was only signed last week!

Shang-Chi (created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin) first hit the comicbooks in 1973 and is the son of Fu Manchu, trained in martial arts by his father then sent into the world to do his bidding. There'll be some updating of the character to avoid any of those pesky 1970s Asian stereotypes. 

Comicbook aficionados may also have had their interest piqued by the 'Legend of the Ten Rings' part of the title. The villainous Mandarin is known to use the Ten Rings in his nefarious plots. But, hang on, we've already seen the Mandarin in Iron Man 3. Well, no. Ben Kingsley's character was an actor hired as a front. But Shang-Chi will introduce the real Mandarin- and he'll be played by veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs, Lust, Caution and Chungking Express). They'll also be joined by Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, Ocean's Eight) in an as-yet-unannounced role. Interesting times ahead.

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Release date: May 7, 2021

Scott Derrickson (who directed the first Doctor Strange movie) started his film career in horror movies: The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, Sinister, and Deliver Us From Evil were all directed by him. And it sounds like he's going back to his roots- and Strange's roots- for the next film, using 'the gothic and the horror and the horrific' of the original comicbooks to make 'the first scary MCU film'.

Sounds as if Benedict Cumberbatch might need a helping hand as the Sorceror Supreme goes to places unknown... luckily, Scarlet Witch will be there for him (as Elizabeth Olsen has confirmed she'll be appearing as Wanda, and that the Disney+ show WandaVision links to the film). No other details were given, but there's still plenty of time as it's nearly two years away.

THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
Directed by Taika Waititi
Release date: November 5, 2021

Natalie Portman is back in the MCU. I repeat: NATALIE PORTMAN IS BACK IN THE MCU. For me, this was one of the biggest surprises of the panel (if not Comic-Con as a whole). Earlier last week, it had been rumoured that Taika Waititi had signed on to direct a fourth Thor film (after his success with Thor: Ragnarok). So, to have it confirmed was no surprise. But to have Portman back is major, given her less-than-enthusiastic response in the past. But maybe the idea of playing Thor was enough to get her back?

No, I've not gone mad. Natalie Portman will play the Mighty Thor. This is based on a 2014 comicbook storyline where Thor loses his powers and Jane Foster is deemed worthy to wield Mjolnir, so takes on the mantle of the God(dess?) of Thunder. Alongside Portman and Chris Hemsworth (naturally), Tessa Thompson will also be back, reprising her role as Valkyrie (who, at the end of Avengers: Endgame, became the ruler of New Asgard). No word on whether Tom Hiddleston will pop up, but you never know...


ONE MORE THING...

As if all of this wasn't enough, Feige couldn't help but tease a few more ongoing projects: sequels to Black Panther and Captain Marvel are in development (no surprise to either of those), as is James Gunn's Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. But there's also going to be a Fantastic Four movie and a movie about... mutants (read: X-Men). Then to REALLY end things on a high, they announced this....

BLADE!

Well, not only did they announce the project - they also announced the new leading man. Double Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Green Book) will be playing the vampire hunter (previously played on screen by the utter legend that is Wesley Snipes). No confirmed release date but a very exciting announcement.

So there we have it! As if this wasn't enough, there's still this year's Disney expo (D23) in August - so there might be more news then!

* * * 

OTHER FILM NEWS

IT: CHAPTER TWO

One of the first trailers to hit from SDCC this year was the frankly nerve-jangling one for It: Chapter Two:

Set 27 years after the events of the first film, the now adult Losers Club (played by Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader amongst others) return to Derry to face off with the evil Pennywise for the last time. Bill Skarsgård still looks absolutely terrifying as the demonic clown, and you can even see a glimpse of the scene which apparently uses the most amount of fake blood ever in the movies. Poor Jessica Chastain...

HALLOWEEN

Sticking with horror for the moment, it was announced that- due to the success of last year's Halloween reboot- two more films are on their way. Entitled Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, they'll be released in 2020 and 2021 respectively.  

TOP GUN MAVERICK

A trailer dropped for next year's Top Gun: Maverick. 34 years since the first film, Maverick still has that need for speed:

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE

At the Terminator: Dark Fate panel, it was revealed that Edward Furlong would be returning to his iconic role as John Connor for the first time since Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which was 28 years ago. What's interesting is that Dark Fate is essentially a direct sequel to Judgment Day (thus disregarding Rise Of The Machines, Salvation, and Genisys). Considering the critical drubbing Genisys got, a reboot of it mightn't be too bad an idea.  

JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT

I didn't know this was in the works, so it tickled me immensely to see that Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes were reuniting for another Jay and Silent Bob movie. Taking a satirical look at reboots, remakes, and sequels, the film will see Jay and Silent Bob return to Hollywood to stop a reboot of the Bluntman And Chronic movie from getting made. Trailer is here (it's Not exactly Suitable For Work, but would you expect anything less?)

* * *

TV NEWS

It's rare that Comic-Con will give me more TV stuff to be excited about than movies, but that was definitely the case this year. There's a lot of really good TV stuff on its way. 

STAR TREK: PICARD

Sir Patrick Stewart got an absolutely storming reception when he appeared to talk about Star Trek: Picard. Since the project was announced, fans have been foaming at the mouth for more information, and we were not left disappointed. The fact that several familiar old faces popped up in the trailer was the icing on the cake.

HIS DARK MATERIALS

A rather lavish trailer for the new HBO/BBC co-production of His Dark Materials, based on the best-selling and award-winning novels by Philip Pullman. It's got a fantastic cast, headed by James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Logan's Dafne Keen as Lyra. With the scope and range of a TV show, hopefully it'll do the source material justice.

WATCHMEN

It's rare that you'll hear me say this, but I admire Zack Snyder for his work on Watchmen. Famously thought unfilmable, he made a decent fist of it back in 2009 and- whilst it was never going to please everyone- it was as faithful as it could be (up to a point, of course). 

Ten years on, HBO have greenlit a new Watchmen series. However, this is a continuation of the acclaimed graphic novel (rather than a remake). Set in contemporary America, costumed heroes are outlawed and the doomsday clock continues to tick. With a cast including Jeremy Irons, Regina King, Frances Fisher, Louis Gossett Jr, and Tim Blake Nelson, it definitely looks worth a watch!  

THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE

I was chuffed when this project was announced. With a star-studded voice cast (Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Hamill, Taron Egerton, and Alicia Vikander to name but a few) and the same attention to detail and craftsmanship that made the original film such a beloved classic, August 30th can't come quickly enough for me.

THE WITCHER

For those looking for their next sword-and-sorcery fix, The Witcher looks to deliver that in spades. Henry Cavill stars as Geralt of Rivia, and he's supported by Freya Allan, MyAnna Buring, Lars Mikkelsen, and Jodhi May. 

This show will be based on the novels and short stories by Andrzej Sapkowski, rather than the video games (in fact, showrunner Lauren Schmidt has said the show will not be adapting the video games). Henry Cavill was on hand during the panel to talk about the project: 

Sorry... where was I? 

OTHER TV NEWS 

Other bits of interesting TV news: 

• It's been confirmed (to nobody's great surprise) that Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. will conclude its run after Season 7.

• FX's spy cartoon series Archer has been renewed for an eleventh season! For the past few years, they've played with genre as the main character has been in a coma but, for Season 11, we're back to the real world- and Archer will be waking up! 

• Rick Grimes' spin-off movie (from The Walking Dead) will be released in cinemas only. Maybe that should have come under movie news instead?

So, there we go. Lots to look forward to in the coming year!