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    Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick Blindsided by 'Trolls World Tour' VOD Release, Demand Bonuses

    WENN

    ‘Top voice stars’ of the ‘Trolls’ sequel were reportedly not told beforehand that the animated movie would be skipping theaters and premiering straight on VOD.
    May 7, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Theater owners were apparently not the only ones shocked by NBCUniversal’s decision to release “Trolls World Tour” straight on demand. Words are the movie’s “top voice actors,” including Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick, were caught off guard with the animated flick’s on-demand release.
    According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cast was not informed ahead of the March 16 announcement that the film would be skipping theaters and premiering straight on VOD. The movie was made available for rent for $19.99 on VOD on April 10, the same day it was slated to hit theaters.
    Now, the stars are reportedly demanding to be paid the bonuses they would have received had the movie opened theatrically. Generally, the actors would earn bonuses once the film makes $350 million at the global box office.
    As Universal has bragged about the impressive $100 million gross the movie has earned since its release, the stars are still looking for the compensation they agreed on when they signed on for the film years back. However, unlike “relatively transparent box office numbers,” studios aren’t obligated to share the on-demand numbers.
    Meanwhile, industry veterans think that the movie may never make a dime, considering the on-demand release doesn’t cater to fans in countries where on-demand is not yet a big business. “They probably overhyped it,” says Hal Vogel of Vogel Capital Management. “But like most people in the business, they haven’t had a lot of success in the past two or three months, so any ray of sunshine helps.”
    Prior to this, NBCUniversal enraged AMC Theaters after its CEO Jeff Shell said that “as soon as theaters reopen, we expect to release movies on both formats.” This prompted AMC Theaters to ban future all Universal movies if the studio goes ahead with this model.

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    'Leaving Neverland' and 'Watchmen' Among Nominees at 2020 Peabody Awards

    HBO/DC Comics

    The Michael Jackson documentary and the DC Comics series land a nomination each at the Peabody Awards, joining ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ and ‘Stranger Things’ among others.
    May 7, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Stirring Michael Jackson documentary “Leaving Neverland” and TV series “Watchmen” and “Stranger Things” are among the nominees for the Peabody Awards.
    “Leaving Neverland”, which chronicles sexual molestation allegations made against the late King of Pop by James Safechuck and Wade Robson, will compete for the documentary prize alongside the “Surviving R. Kelly” series, which explores the years of misconduct claims made against the veteran R&B singer.
    Other nominees in that category include 2020 Oscar Documentary (Feature) winner “American Factory”, “Apollo 11”, “Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men”, and “For Sama”.
    The Entertainment section features hit series “Fleabag”, “Watchmen”, “Chernobyl”, “Stranger Things”, “Succession”, and “When They See Us”, the acclaimed Netflix miniseries from Ava DuVernay about the wrongful convictions of the Central Park Five.
    Meanwhile, among those competing for the Podcast title are pop culture series “Dolly Parton’s America”, criminal justice reform show 70 Million, and “The Catch and Kill Podcast with Ronan Farrow”, about how he helped to bring disgraced producer and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein to justice.
    Nominations for the annual ceremony, organised by officials at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia to honour compelling and empowering TV, radio, and digital media programming from the past year, were unveiled on Wednesday, May 6, 2020.
    Winners are typically celebrated at an in-person gala, but the coronavirus pandemic recently forced producers to cancel plans to stage their ceremony in Los Angeles for the first time on June 18, 2020.
    A new date for the winners to be unveiled has yet to be announced.

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    Cate Blanchett Lands Lead Role in Video Game Adaptation 'Borderlands'

    WENN

    The ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ actress is expected portray a superhuman, one of the main protagonists in the upcoming big-screen adaptation which will be directed by Eli Roth.
    May 7, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Cate Blanchett is reportedly set to star in the new movie adaptation of hit science-fiction video game “Borderlands”.
    Sources tell Variety the “Thor: Ragnarok” star is in talks to star as another superhuman by playing Lilith in the film, which will be directed by “Hostel” filmmaker Eli Roth.
    Lilith is one of the main playable protagonists in the original 2009 game, being one of only six women in the galaxy in the superhuman siren class.
    Craig Mazin, who won an Emmy for his work on the “Chernobyl” mini-series, has penned the latest screenplay draft.
    “Borderlands” is a role-playing game set on the frontier of a science-fiction universe on the planet of Pandora, a world which has been abandoned by a mega-corporation.
    The game and follow-up instalments, the latest of which, “Borderlands 3”, was released in September 2019, have sold more than 57 million copies worldwide.

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    Rachel Weisz Nervous About Physically-Demanding Role in 'Black Widow' After Childbirth

    Harper’s Bazaar U.K. Magazine/Pamela Hanson

    The new mom admits she feels apprehensive about taking the role in Marvel’s action movie less than a year after giving birth to her child with Daniel Craig.
    May 7, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Rachel Weisz found it “daunting” taking on the physically challenging role of spy Melina Vostokoff in “Black Widow” less than a year after having her daughter.
    The 50-year-old stars alongside Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel spin-off, with her character acting as a mother figure for Scarlett’s alter ego. But given that filming on the movie began before Rachel’s daughter with Daniel Craig turned one, the screen star felt more than a little apprehensive about throwing herself into such a demanding project.
    “I think all women would recognise that as daunting,” she told Harper’s Bazaar U.K. “I didn’t have my core, shall we say. It was a good incentive to do some Pilates and dance cardio…”

    Rachel is also hoping the film, when it’s released in November 2020, will help do more for the on-screen representation of women.
    “The Eighties and Nineties were really s**t for women,” she sighed. “But I used to watch a lot of black and white movies with my mum – Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn, they were very powerful in the narratives. Bette Davis didn’t have superpowers but she’s powerful as hell.”
    “I do think it’s important for girls growing up to see stories where women are front and centre, and to see a female politician, or a female prime minister. It’s about identification, it’s seeing possibilities. We need more stories about women. We need more role models!”
    As for her own role models, Rachel admitted Wonder Woman is one of her biggest on-screen heroes.

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    Tom Cruise Teaming Up With Elon Musk and NASA to Film in Space

    WENN/AEDT

    NASA’s administrator confirms the ‘Mission: Impossible’ actor is having discussions about shooting a film at the International Space Station with Musk’s SpaceX.
    May 6, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Tom Cruise is taking a space-themed movie to the next level by shooting an upcoming film in outer space. The “Jack Reacher” star is teaming up with SpaceX, the rocket company started by Elon Musk, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to film the feature film project at the International Space Station.
    NASA’s administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed on Tuesday, May 5 that there have been discussions with the 57-year-old Hollywood star about filming in space. The agency, however, refused to divulge more details. “Not at this time,” Matthew Rydin, the press secretary for Mr. Bridenstine, wrote in an email. “We will say more about the project at the appropriate time.”
    Deadline first reported the news about Cruise’s space-themed movie, which will be the first narrative feature film to be shot in outer space. The site said that it would be an action-adventure film, but not part of the “Mission: Impossible” film series that the actor has starred in since 1996.
    It’s also noted that the project is still in its early stages and no movie studio is attached just yet.
    Cruise is no stranger to taking risks to film dangerous stunts in his action films on his own. In 2011’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”, he scaled the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world which is located in Dubai, and executed stunts 123 floors up. He hung from the side of a jet plane during takeoff in 2015’s “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”. During the filming of “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”, he broke his ankle while leaping from one rooftop to another, forcing the production to take a break. He also hung from a helicopter in the 2018 film.
    The actor, who reprises his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun: Maverick”, is also a licensed pilot as his co-star Glen Powell recently recalled seeing Cruise flying his P-51 Mustang during the filming of the “Top Gun” sequel. “After wrapping a shooting day, Tom would rocket off into the sunset in his P-51,” the “Scream Queens” alum shared, which he said inspired him to get his own flying license.

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    John Boyega and Oscar Isaac Caught Up in Sandstorm on 'Star Wars' Movie Set

    Disney

    In never-before-seen footage, the two actors are seen taking shelter from the strong winds while filming ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ in the desert of Jordan.
    May 6, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Actors John Boyega and Oscar Isaac were forced to take shelter in the midst of shooting “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” after they were caught up in a sandstorm.
    Part of the 2019 blockbuster was filmed on location in Wadi Rum, Jordan, and to mark Star Wars Day on Monday, May 4, 2020, Boyega shared previously-unseen video footage from the desert shoot, which was temporarily halted as they tried to take cover from the strong winds.
    “Happy Star Wars day everyone!” Boyega captioned the Instagram post. “Here’s myself and Oscar chilling during a sandstorm! We couldn’t shoot… good times though.”
    In the clip, the actors are shown using blankets to shield their faces from the sand as they lay behind a large photography umbrella, with Isaac jokingly covering his whole face and quipping, “I’m scared. I can’t see anything. There’s so much sand.”

    “It’s good for the skin, think of it as exfoliation,” a voice in the distance can be heard saying, as Boyega remarks, “That’s what he says!”

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    Ozzy Osbourne's Son Jack Confirms Biopic

    Instagram

    According to Jack Osbourne, a big-screen adaptation chronicling his famous father’s early solo career and life with wife Sharon is ‘absolutely’ in the works.
    May 6, 2020
    AceShowbiz – A biopic about Black Sabbath rocker Ozzy Osbourne’s early solo career and the singer’s life with wife Sharon is in the works, according to son Jack.
    Speaking during an appearance on web series “The Jasta Show”, the son of the hitmaker and “The Talk” host confirmed, “There is absolutely things in motion right now to make (the movie) a reality.”
    “I think in the next few months, you’ll probably see something coming up about it. But we haven’t landed (at a studio) yet. So, fingers crossed.”
    Asked who will play him in the movie, Jack said, “I think the time period I would do it in, I would be a child in it. So I wouldn’t be so heavily featured. It’s gonna be more about my mom and dad making their way through the world. I would be in the background just being annoying.”
    Sharon first revealed work was ongoing on a biopic about her childhood and early days with Ozzy, telling Variety, “I don’t want to do another rock and roll, sex, drugs and money movie about a musician.”
    “That’s not what I’m doing. There hasn’t been a movie about a woman that actually works on the management side – that’s a true story – and somebody that succeeds through the struggle and you come out the other side.”
    In the meantime, the new documentary “Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne” is set to premiere this summer 2020 on the A&E network, with Jack gushing of the feature, “It’s f**king awesome! As much as I love (the 2011 documentary) God Bless Ozzy (Osbourne), this is so much better…”
    “I think this does a better job of kind of cramming in his entire life in a two-hour film. We start from childhood and we go all the way up to his recent Parkinson’s diagnosis. So it’s all in there.”

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    'Thor: Ragnarok' Helmer Taika Waititi Officially Signs Up for New 'Star Wars' Film

    Instagram

    The Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind ‘Jojo Rabbit’ has been announced to direct an upcoming feature film in the space-fantasy franchise and co-write the script.
    May 5, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Taika Waititi is saddling up to go to a galaxy far, far away. The “Thor: Ragnarok” helmer has been officially announced to work on a new “Star Wars” feature film for theatrical release.
    The news was announced on Monday, May 4, which happens to be a day when fans celebrate the “Star Wars” media franchise created by George Lucas. Known as Star Wars Day, the date was chosen for the pun on the catchphrase “May the Force be with you” as “May the Fourth be with you.”
    Taking to “Star Wars” official Twitter page, Disney and Lucasfilm revealed that the filmmaker, who recently won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on “Jojo Rabbit”, will co-write the upcoming “Star Wars” movie with Academy Award nominee Krysty Wilson-Cairns.
    Rian Johnson, who directed 2017’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, is among those who are excited to learn of Waititi’s involvement in the project. He retweeted the official announcement and gushed over it, “I have NO idea what kind of SW will come out of Taika and Krysty’s and Leslye’s brains, if I tried to guess I’d be wrong, and that is the most exciting thing I can imagine.”

    Rian Johnson reacts to news of Taika Waititi directing a new ‘Star Wars’ film.
    Along with the announcement, Disney and Lucasfilm also stated that Emmy-nominated writer Leslye Headland (“Russian Doll”, “Bachelorette”) is currently developing a new untitled “Star Wars” series for Disney+. She will write, executive produce and serve as showrunner for the series.
    Waititi’s possible involvement in the “Star Wars” movie was first reported back in January. The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news at the time, noted that it was unknown whether the project is the same one or separate from the one that is being developed by Kevin Feige, whom Waititi was closely working with on “Thor: Ragnarok”.
    While this will be the first time the Kiwi director is working on a big-screen installment of the space-fantasy franchise, he is no stranger to the “Star Wars” universe, having directed the final episode of season one of the live-action series “The Mandalorian” which streams on Disney+. He also voiced a bounty hunting droid named IG-11 on the series.

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