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    'Bridgerton' Star Rege-Jean Page Rises as Contender for New James Bond

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    The Duke of Hastings depicter first fueled the speculation that he was in the running for the role of the secret agent with his social media post, in which he made a reference to Bond’s martini preference.

    Jan 7, 2021
    AceShowbiz – Rege-Jean Page has entered the ring of competition to be the new James Bond. The British-Zimbabwean actor’s name has been thrown in the list of possible actors to replace Daniel Craig as the 007 agent in future installment(s) of the spy film franchises following the success of his Netflix series “Bridgerton”.
    The Duke of Hastings of the period drama has increased his odds of taking on the role of the super spy, according to British betting firm Ladbrokes. As reported by Variety, Page is now just 5/1 in the betting with Ladbrokes to replace Craig as Bond, having previously been 40/1 before Christmas.
    “Tom Hardy still leads the way as favorite, with James Norton close behind in second place,” Ladbrokes representative Alex Apati tells the site. “But it really is all to play for in the race for 007 and RJP has a great chance if the odds are anything to go by.”
    Noting that this kind of shift in the odds isn’t uncommon in the wake of a successful show, Apati cites a previous example, “It’s the reason Cillian Murphy was once favorite during the peak of ‘Peaky Blinders’.” He goes on explaining, “All of those aforementioned names have seen their odds slashed immediately after a huge hype around the show they most recently starred in, hence why it’s no surprise to see a similar pattern with Rege-Jean Page.”
    He adds, “However, what strengthens RJP’s chances somewhat more is that an announcement feels seemingly imminent [around] Daniel Craig’s replacement, so the timing of ‘Bridgerton’ success may well have worked in his favor.”

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    The actor himself stirred the speculation last month with his social media post. On December 19, Page shared promo clip of his hit drama “Bridgerton” featuring him in character, who is described as “equal parts desirable and scandalous.” He captioned it with, “Regency, royalty. Shaken and stirred,” which was a reference to how Bond likes his martini mixed.

    A number of fans supported him as the next Bond, with one tweeting, “Watching Bridgerton and thinking that @regejean would make a brilliant new James Bond.” Another weighed in, “If @regejean is the new James Bond… I’ll actually watch a James Bond.”
    When someone pointed out that Page may be a little young for the part, another fan insisted, “He’s 31, Craig was 38 on first Bond but I still think he’s perfect for the role. Great age for reboot.”
    Prior to starring on “Bridgerton”, Page has already been known for his role as Chicken George on 2016’s miniseries “Roots”. He also starred as a regular cast member on ABC’s legal drama “For the People” from 2018 to 2019.

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    Patty Jenkins Lashes Out at Headlines Suggesting War With Warner Bros. Over 'Wonder Woman'

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    Insisting she was extremely supported by the studio executives, the ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ director clarifies her ‘beard’ statement by stressing that it was about other projects at other studios.

    Jan 7, 2021
    AceShowbiz – Filmmaker Patty Jenkins has taken aim at New York Post editors for exaggerating comments she made about initial creative conflicts with Warner Bros. bosses over her vision for “Wonder Woman”.
    The director recently appeared on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast and recalled how studio chiefs were hesitant at the start of their collaboration to take her story ideas for 2017’s “Wonder Woman” into consideration – until she put her foot down.
    “They wanted to hire me like a beard,” she said. “They wanted me to walk around on set as a woman, but it was their story and their vision.”

    “They didn’t even want to read my script. There was such mistrust of a different way of doing things and a different point of view… When I first joined ‘Wonder Woman’, it was like, ‘Uh, yeah, OK, but let’s do it this other way.’ But I was like, ‘Women don’t want to see that. Her being harsh and tough and cutting people’s heads off… I’m a ‘Wonder Woman’ fan, that’s not what we’re looking for!’ ”

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    Her remarks quickly hit headlines, but Jenkins didn’t appreciate the Post’s take on her conversation with Maron, which resulted in an article titled, “Patty Jenkins exposes ‘war’ with Warner Bros. over Wonder Woman”.
    Taking Post reporters to task on Twitter on Tuesday (January 05), the filmmaker wrote, “Versions of this article seems to be everywhere and not true (sic). There was no ‘war’ with warner bros. over ww (‘Wonder Woman’).”
    “I’m talking about 10 years of discussions with 10 different execs through them. And whole beard thing was about other projects at other studios.”
    Jenkins then insisted she has a great working relationship with Warner Bros. executives, who recently signed the director and her leading lady, Gal Gadot, for a third film in the superhero franchise, following the recent launch of “Wonder Woman 1984”.

    Patty Jenkins reacted to headlines about her war with Warner Bros. over ‘Wonder Woman’.
    “I felt extremely supported in my vision on both films by @wbpictures, (producer) @ZackSnyder all the producers and everyone on board our eventual team,” she tweeted. “Just was a long road to make it. Let’s chill the dramatic headlines like ‘war’.”

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    John Rhys-Davies Hints at His Return to New 'Indiana Jones' Movie

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    The actor who played Sallah in the first and third ‘Indiana Jones’ movies is keen to reprise his role in the upcoming fifth installment to be directed by James Mangold.

    Jan 7, 2021
    AceShowbiz – John Rhys-Davies has hinted at an appearance in the forthcoming “Indiana Jones” sequel.
    The 76-year-old actor played the role of Sallah in both “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and, speaking to ComingSoon.net, the star suggested he could reprise the role in the upcoming fifth movie.
    Explaining he believes that the movie’s production won’t begin in May (21) as suggested due the coronavirus crisis, John said, “I understand the film is going to be made, allegedly in May.”
    “I have the slightest skepticism that the world will be able to shoot a movie like that in May. I suppose it is possible that I will be asked to be in it. If nominated I will serve!”

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    “But I think we ought to wait a little bit longer and, you know, let our masters actually make announcements and then you can either share my joy or my disappointment. Is that suitably diplomatic?”
    “Indiana Jones 5” is slated for release in 2022 and will see James Mangold take over as director from Steven Spielberg, who remains involved on the project as a producer.
    Harrison Ford will once again play the iconic adventurer, with the screen legend previously insisting, “We’re determined to get it right before we get it made… We’re not going to make another Indiana Jones unless we’re in a position to kill it. We want it to be the best.”
    The plot is still kept under tight wraps, but the upcoming movie is expected to “conclude” Indiana Jones’ journey.

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    Bond Star Lashana Lynch In Talks for New 'Matilda' Movie

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    The actress, who will become the first black 00 agent in the upcoming James Bond movie, is reportedly circling one of the major roles in the upcoming adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic.

    Jan 7, 2021
    AceShowbiz – Lashana Lynch is reportedly in talks to play Miss Honey in “Matilda”
    The actress is said to be in line to take on the role of the title character’s good-natured teacher, who was portrayed by Embeth Davidtz alongside Mara Wilson in the 1996 big-screen adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic.
    According to Variety, Lynch is set to join the upcoming Netflix version based on the 2010 stage production “Matilda the Musical”.
    Matthew Warchus – who directed the musical – will helm the film while original playwright Dennis Kelly will adapt the screenplay, featuring music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.

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    The movie is based on the 1988 classic novel about a five-year-old girl named Matilda, whose gift for telekinesis helps her to overcome bullying from her parents, classmates, and terrifying school principal Miss Trunchbull.
    Meanwhile, film fans will be able to see Lynch on screen later this year as she stars opposite Daniel Craig as Nomi in highly anticipated James Bond blockbuster “No Time to Die”.
    The actress – the first black woman to play a 00 agent in the iconic spy series – recently revealed she wanted to represent the black community authentically in the franchise and she “searched” for moments in the script that audiences could identify with.
    “A character is too slick, a cast-iron figure? That’s completely against what I stand for,” she said. “I didn’t want to waste an opportunity when it came to what Nomi might represent. I searched for at least one moment in the script where black audience members would nod their heads, tutting at the reality but glad to see their real life represented.”
    “In every project I am part of, no matter the budget or genre, the black experience that I’m presenting needs to be 100 per cent authentic.”

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    Ray Fisher Dropped From 'The Flash' Movie After He Criticizes DC Boss

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    The Cyborg depicter has been written out of the upcoming DC Speedster standalone movie following the actor’s outburst against DC Films President Walter Hamada.

    Jan 7, 2021
    AceShowbiz – “The Flash” bosses have reportedly had “Justice League” star Ray Fisher’s Cyborg character written out of the upcoming standalone movie, following his public resignation from the role.
    Last summer (20), Fisher had been offered the opportunity to reprise his part for a cameo in “The Flash”, but he has since clashed with studio executives at Warner Bros., who are developing the DC Comics film, after accusing director Joss Whedon of misconduct on the set of 2017’s “Justice League”, which he completed when Zack Snyder had to step down.
    An internal investigation was launched, but Fisher refused to co-operate, and last week (30Dec20), he slammed DC Films President Walter Hamada, branding him, “the most dangerous kind of enabler” – even though he was not employed by the firm or involved in “Justice League” when it was originally released.
    Fisher then declared, “I will not participate in any production associated with him. A >E (Accountability >Entertainment).”

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    Hamada is currently overseeing work on “The Flash”, and it appears producers have taken note of Fisher’s outburst and had the storyline reworked to exclude an appearance by Cyborg, according to The Wrap.
    The character will not be recast.
    Fisher previously returned as Cyborg for reshoots for the “Justice League Snyder Cut”, an extended version of the director’s original vision, which will premiere this spring on U.S. streaming service HBO Max.
    Meanwhile, “The Flash” will feature two familiar faces reprising their roles as Bruce Wayne/Batman – both “Justice League” ‘s Ben Affleck and former Caped Crusader Michael Keaton will suit up for the blockbuster, which will introduce audiences to the multiverse, in which different versions of the same characters exist in alternate, co-existing realities.
    Andy Muschietti is directing “The Flash”, which is set for release in November 2022.

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    Zack Snyder Rules Out Returning to DC Extended Universe After 'Justice League' Reshoot

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    The ‘Justice League’ director has no plan to continue making anymore DC Extended Universe movies after completing the director’s cut of the 2017 superhero film.

    Jan 7, 2021
    AceShowbiz – Zack Snyder has no plans to make anymore DC Extended Universe movies.
    The filmmaker, who is currently working on a director’s cut of “Justice League”, due for a March (21) release, admitted that he hasn’t ruled out making a DC movie again, but he thinks a return is unlikely.
    “Look, I never thought I’d be here doing this. I didn’t think I’d be finishing Justice League,” he told ComicBook Debate. “The truth is, and it’s been widely reported, and I have no issue, this is an old movie.”
    “This is a years-old movie I’m working on. The DC universe has gone and branched off and done its own thing and that’s fine… as far as what I did and as far as what my vision for what I wanted to do with these characters and the journey I wanted them to go on, it’s well known that I planned on more movies – five movies or something – but I’m busy. I’ve got a lot going on.”

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    Zack added he’s grateful fans have “so much faith” in his filmmaking, musing, “Is it cool that the fans have so much faith in the trajectory?”
    “Yes, it’s amazing, and I couldn’t be happier and I’m excited for them to see Justice League so they can really drink the entire elixir of Justice League,” smiled the star. “But would I continue? I have no plan to. But like I said, I didn’t think I’d be here, so who knows?”
    Zack shot new scenes for his extended cut of “Justice League”, bringing back stars such as Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman during the week-long filming.
    The new material will form part of a four-episode limited series that will air on HBO Max, which would have been his intended edit of the 2017 DC Extended Universe blockbuster.

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    Sacha Baron Cohen Has No Plan to Make Third 'Borat' Movie

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    The ‘Ali G Indahouse’ actor has ruled out any possibility of bringing back his controversial character for a third movie after the sequel ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.’

    Jan 7, 2021
    AceShowbiz – Sacha Baron Cohen has retired his controversial “Borat” character because he can’t imagine bringing the oddball Kazakh journalist back after two films.
    Cohen released “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” – his follow-up to the 2006 mockumentary “Borat”, in October (20) via Amazon Prime Video, and in a new interview with Variety, the Brit has confirmed he can’t foresee a further movie for the character.
    “I brought Borat out because of (President Donald) Trump,” he said. “There was a purpose to this movie, and I don’t really see the purpose to doing it again. So yeah, he’s locked away in the cupboard.”
    And Cohen admits there were times while he was making the Borat sequel, during which he staged a series of questionable stunts – including dressing up as Trump for a political event – that made him wonder if he was “mad.”

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    “There were moments in making this movie where I thought, ‘Why the hell am I doing this?’ ” he explained. “This is illogical. You think, ‘Am I mad? Have I got something deeply wrong with me?’ ”
    Earlier this week (beg04Jan21), Maria Bakalova, who played Borat’s daughter Tutar in the sequel, said she felt it was her “duty” to see through a controversial interview scene with Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani even though it was terribly uncomfortable.
    Bakalova posed as a journalist for the interview with the former New York Mayor and, after the chat, the pair retreated to a hotel room before Cohen – as Borat – burst in.
    “I was afraid because Rudy is a lawyer, and he is the president’s lawyer,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I am not an American and don’t know about American politics, but I knew that as an actor, it was my duty to do this scene to save the movie. I also knew that I wasn’t alone in the room because Sacha was hiding there. I knew that if something happened, I could make my exit.”

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    Stream These 8 Titles Before They Leave Netflix This Month

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best ComedyBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest MoviesBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyStream These 8 Titles Before They Leave Netflix This MonthAfter the end-of-year bloodletting, the losses are a little lighter in January. But there are still some great gems worth catching.Jan. 6, 2021Updated 10:57 a.m. ETThis month’s rundown of Netflix exits is lighter than usual — maybe because they seemed to drop half their library last month — but it’s full of little gems, including a double Oscar winner, a gripping limited series, and essential works from Paul Thomas Anderson and the Coen Brothers. Oh, and a comedy about a man who befriends a farting corpse.Catch these 8 titles before they leave by the end of January. (Dates indicate the final day a title is available.)From left, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson, Nathanael Saleh and Emily Blunt in “Mary Poppins Returns.”Credit…Jay Maidment/Disney Pictures‘Mary Poppins Returns’ (Jan. 8)Cooking up a sequel to one of the greatest Disney features, 54 years after the fact, may have been an impossible goal to begin with; it’s certainly fair to say that Rob Marshall’s 2018 follow-up to “Mary Poppins” does not measure up to its 1964 predecessor. But it does offer genuine pleasures: poignant work by Emily Mortimer and Ben Whishaw as the grown-up Jane and Michael Banks; juicily animated supporting turns from Colin Firth and Meryl Streep; a handful of toe-tapping tunes; and most of all, a sharp-tongued, twinkly-eyed performance by Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, gamely capturing much of the matter-of-fact magic of Julie Andrews’s original characterization.Stream it here.‘The Master’ (Jan. 14)One of Paul Thomas Anderson’s most prickly and challenging pictures (and that’s saying something), this 2012 drama prompted plenty of prerelease hand-wringing, as Anderson reportedly drew the inspiration for his script from the Church of Scientology and the biography of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. But this is no mere exposé. Anderson’s story of an alcoholic drifter and World War II veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who stumbles into the circle of a religious leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a complicated examination of blowhard masculinity, male bonding and cults of personality, bolstered by Anderson’s detailed period direction and the performances of two titans at the peak of their powers.Stream it here.Michael Stuhlbarg in the Coen brothers film “A Serious Man,” based on the biblical Book of Job.Credit…Focus Features/EPA‘A Serious Man’ (Jan. 15)The Coen Brothers followed up one of their broadest comedies (“Burn After Reading,” from 2008) with one of their strangest, a retelling of the Book of Job set in their home turf of Minnesota, circa 1967. The peerless character actor Michael Stuhlbarg gets a rare leading role as Professor Larry Gopnik, whose personal and professional life falls into such a shambles that he begins to question his Jewish faith. Darkly funny yet endlessly thought-provoking, “A Serious Man” has the Coens using Gopnik as a vessel to examine their own views on faith and humanity. And while they land on nothing so simple as “answers,” their journey and insights are strangely exhilarating.Stream it here.‘Dallas Buyers Club’ (Jan. 15)Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto won Academy Awards for best actor and best supporting actor for this 2013 drama from the director Jean-Marc Vallée, loosely inspired by a true story. McConaughey stars as Ron Woodruff, an H.I.V. positive Texan in the mid-1980s who funneled his frustration over limited AIDS treatments into action, smuggling experimental drugs into the country while the F.D.A. battled him for his efforts. “Dallas Buyers Club” occasionally falls into the traps of simplification and boilerplate storytelling that plague so many biopics, but Vallée’s direction is vivid and vibrant, and the performances are touchingly humane.Stream it here.‘Waco’: Limited Series (Jan. 15)We’re reaching a point, in the combined (and often intertwined) arcs of nostalgia and re-evaluation, in which it seems that every major news event of the 1990s has received the movie, mini-series or documentary treatment. This 2018 effort revisits the 1993 standoff at the Waco, Tex., compound of the Branch Davidian sect, in six episodes drawn from the memoirs of the Davidian survivor David Thibodeau and the F.B.I. hostage negotiator Gary Noesner. Even at that expanded length, the series sometimes pulls its punches, missing opportunities to connect these events to the fierce anti-government movements of ensuing decades. But the performers are not to be missed — particularly the reliably intense Michael Shannon as Noesner, and a shockingly effective Taylor Kitsch as the sect leader David Koresh, a role miles removed from his matinee idol work on “Friday Night Lights.”Stream it here.‘Swiss Army Man’ (Jan. 29)If there’s one thing you can say about modern movies, it’s that they tend to play it safe — every movie seems like a reflection of every other movie, and before you know it, your only entertainment options are a superhero flick, a “Star Wars” series, and a gritty “reboot” of a terrible show from the 1980s. So hats off to Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, who wrote and directed this 2016 story of a desperate man (Paul Dano), trapped on a desert island, who befriends a washed-up corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) and makes ingenious use of the dead man’s post-mortem flatulence. Maybe it’s off-the-charts bizarre, maybe it’s tasteless, but you’ve got to admit: You’ve never seen anything quite like it.Stream it here.Tracy Morgan and Chris Rock in the American 2010 version of “Death at a Funeral.”Credit…Phil Bray/Screen Gems‘Death at a Funeral’ (Jan. 31)This 2010 comedy, directed by Neil LaBute, was a bit of a head-scratcher — a remake of the British film of the same title from only three years previous, merely shifting the setting of the events to America and the race of its central characters from white to Black. (Peter Dinklage plays the same role in both versions.) Chris Rock, as both star and producer, assembles an enviable collection of his comic contemporaries (including Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Regina Hall, Loretta Devine, Zoe Saldana and Kevin Hart), with the beloved elders Danny Glover, Keith David and Ron Glass joining ringers Luke Wilson and James Marsden to round out the ensemble.Stream it here.‘Pineapple Express’ (Jan. 31)The “Freaks and Geeks” co-stars Seth Rogen and James Franco took their considerable odd-couple chemistry to the big screen for the first time in this 2008 hit from the director David Gordon Green. The sharp script, penned by Rogen and his writing partner Evan Goldberg, mixes its laid-back Cheech & Chong-style “stoner comedy” with the fast-paced shoot-em-up action of ’80s adventures like “Beverly Hills Cop,” a tonal mismatch that could have easily failed. But it landed, thanks to the easygoing charisma of its leads — and the masterly scene-stealing of Danny McBride, in his breakthrough role.Stream it here.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More