Alien director Ridley Scott and Aliens director James Cameron seem impressed by Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus, a stand-alone interquel that takes place between Alien and Aliens. Produced by Scott, Alien: Romulus stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, and Spike Fearn.
The official description of Alien: Romulus — the seventh film in the Alien franchise — reads: “While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face-to-face with the most terrifying life-form in the universe.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Álvarez said, “I love all of those [Alien] movies. I didn’t want to omit or ignore any of them when it comes to connections at a story level, character level, technology level, and creature level. There’s always connections from Alien to Alien: Covenant.”
Álvarez showed producer and Alien franchise creator Scott a director’s cut of Alien: Romulus without VFX. Scott said, “Fede, what can I say? It’s f-ing great.”
Álvarez continued, “[Aliens director] James Cameron is also someone I’ve met through the years, and when he learned that I was doing it, we started chatting about it. So I also had that conversation with him at the script level. He’s now seen [Alien: Romulus] and loved it. It’s also fascinating because [Cameron and Scott’s] notes and comments are completely different. [Laughs.] They wouldn’t repeat a note. Whatever Ridley said, Cameron said something different. They were all supersmart comments, notes and thoughts on [Alien: Romulus] and the filmmaking, et cetera, but both of them have completely different approaches. So the fantastic part of being able to make [Alien: Romulus] is to have the chance to work with them.”
Alien: Romulus screams into theaters on August 16. Click here to watch the first official trailer for the Alien interquel.
‘Blade Runner’ Actor M. Emmet Walsh Passes Away at 88
Character actor M. Emmet Walsh — who played LAPD Captain Bryant in Blade Runner — has passed away at age 88. He died from cardiac arrest in Vermont just three days before his 89th birthday.
Walsh enjoyed a 55-year career as a character actor, often playing grizzled, hardened characters. In addition to his role as Harrison Ford’s former boss in Blade Runner, Walsh appeared in the Coen brothers’ debut film, Blood Simple, for which he won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. Walsh also had memorable parts in Straight Time, The Jerk, Critters, Christmas With the Kranks, and Knives Out.
According to IndieWire, “Born in Ogdensburg, New York in 1935 but raised in Vermont — that New England thwang of his (can’t call it a twang) doubling for so many other accents throughout his career — [Walsh] studied business at Clarkson University and seemed to stumble into acting by accident. His characters are often people you underestimate, then prove shockingly formidable.”
‘Chucky’ Season Three, Part Two Trailer: The Killer Doll Fights Old Age on Syfy Series Starring Jennifer Tilly
Time has caught up with aging killer doll Chucky in the new trailer for the second half of Chucky season three. The Syfy and USA Network spin-off series from the Child’s Play movies stars Zackary Arthur, Björgvin Arnarson, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Teo Briones, Brad Dourif, Devon Sawa, and Jennifer Tilly.
According to Syfy, “Chucky isn’t the only one a little worse for the wear in the remaining half of season three. Tiffany Valentine (Jennifer Tilly) is still sitting on death row for her many, many, many crimes. While she and Chucky are constantly on the rocks, it seems with both of them knocking on death’s door permanently for the first time, they decided to have a little phone call to talk things out. However, all of that seems to pale in comparison to what the First Family is going through after the unbelievable massacre Chucky created at Halloween.”
The new trailer offers glimpses of John Waters as the creator of the Good Guy dolls, plus Brad Dourif in the flesh — not just as the voice of Chucky. Sawa — who has played four different characters who look astonishingly similar on Chucky — plays the president of the United States in season three. Will the character live to see season four or will Sawa get offed and recast again? Whatever happens, Chucky promises to make it an outrageously wild ride that keeps fans guessing.
The second half of Chucky season three premieres April 10 on Syfy. Click here to watch the new trailer.
‘Humane’ Trailer: Peter Gallagher Plays a Troubled Family Patriarch in Caitlin Cronenberg’s Directorial Debut
Peter Gallagher plays a family patriarch who enlists in a euthanasia program to help save the environment in the dystopian thriller Humane. The directorial debut of Caitlin Cronenberg — the daughter of iconic body-horror director David Cronenberg — Humane also stars Jay Baruchel and Emily Hampshire.
IFC Films’ official logline for Humane reads: “A global environmental collapse forces world leaders to take extreme measures to reduce Earth’s population.”
“It had humor and darkness and felt timely while still essentially being a family drama,” said Caitlin Cronenberg to IndieWire about Humane. “Michael [Sparaga] is a brilliant writer and I knew he’d be amazing to collaborate with through this process. I don’t consider it a straight horror film as it doesn’t necessarily fit into the classic definition of horror. I like to think of it as genre-bending or a ‘family thriller.’ The characters had so many levels we knew it would attract a brilliant cast, and it all just fell into place.”
Humane premieres in select theaters on April 26 and will stream on Shudder July 26. Click here to watch the trailer.
U.S. Department of Justice Sues Apple for Allegedly Monopolizing Smartphone Market With iPhone
If you think that Apple has unfairly monopolized the smartphone market with its ubiquitous iPhone, the U.S. Department of Justice agrees with you. The DOJ has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the megacorporation has harmed consumers, developers, and competitors such as Samsung by establishing a monopoly.
In an 88-page lawsuit filed on Thursday and reported by Variety, the government said, “Each step in Apple’s course of conduct built and reinforced the moat around its smartphone monopoly.”
“Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies violate the antitrust laws,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement. “We allege that Apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market, not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits, but by violating federal antitrust law. If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly.”
Shockingly, Apple sees things very differently from the DOJ and issued its own statement: “At Apple, we innovate every day to make technology people love — designing products that work seamlessly together, protect people’s privacy and security, and create a magical experience for our users. This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple — where hardware, software, and services intersect. It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology.”
Apple isn’t the only Big Tech company in the U.S. government’s crosshairs. Last year, the DOJ filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google. The FTC also sued Amazon in 2023 for its “monopoly power.”
Oscar Winner Cillian Murphy Will Return for ‘Peaky Blinders’ Movie
Oscar winner Cillian Murphy will return to play Thomas Shelby — the head of the Shelby crime family — for a follow-up Peaky Blinders movie. The BBC period crime-drama series set after World War I ran for six seasons, airing its finale on April 3, 2022.
In a conversation with Birmingham World reported by Deadline, Peaky Blinders series creator Steven Knight confirmed Murphy’s return for the upcoming movie. “He definitely is returning for it,” said Knight of Murphy. “We’re shooting it in September just down the road in Digbeth [England].”
Deadline continues, “Peaky Blinders takes its name from the Birmingham gang whose exploits it chronicles in the aftermath of World War I. Murphy led the popular British crime drama series as gang leader Tommy Shelby, with the show running for six seasons between 2013 and 2022.”
In an interview with Esquire, Knight said, “The film, I know exactly what it’s about. And I know what two stories it’s going to tell. How the story will unfold, I don’t know. What will happen after that, I want that to depend on the film. For all we know somebody is going to pop out – I think I know who it’s going to be.”
‘House of the Dragon’: Choose Between Rhaenyra and Alicent In Dueling Season Two Trailers
To drum up even more excitement for House of the Dragon season two, HBO has released two “dueling” trailers that invite viewers to choose between Rhaenyra’s black faction or Alicent’s green one. House of the Dragon is a Game of Thrones prequel series set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. Emma D’Arcy (pictured) plays Rhaenyra Targaryen and Olivia Cooke plays Alicent Hightower.
According to Variety, “In the wake of the season one finale, in which Aemond murders Rhaenyra’s son Lucerys and his dragon, war is imminent in Westeros. The blacks and the greens are both gathering their forces, dragons, and new allies to face off in a fiery battle to the death. In King’s Landing, young King Aegon is doubling down on his claim to the Iron Throne, which his half-sister Rhaenyra views as her rightful inheritance from their late father. The trailers also tease a return to Winterfell, the snowy home of the Starks that is ruled over by Cregan Stark in the prequel.”
The second season of House of the Dragon premieres June 16 on HBO. Click here to watch the black trailer, and click here to watch the green trailer. Choose a side!
Pete Davidson Walks Away From Semiautobiographical Peacock Series ‘Bupkis’ Despite Renewal for Second Season
Former SNL cast member Pete Davidson has walked away from his semiautobiographical Peacock series Bupkis despite its renewal for a second season. The comedy-drama series also stars Edie Falco and Joe Pesci.
“I’ve always seen Bupkis as a window into my life, since it is so personal and about my struggles and family,” said Davidson in a statement reported by Variety. “After nearly a decade of my personal life being in the media I wanted a chance to tell my story my way. Of all the work I’ve ever done, Bupkis is by far what I’m most proud of. I am so grateful to Lorne Michaels and Broadway Video, Peacock, Universal Television, and the amazing cast and writers for helping me create something honest, funny, and heartfelt. I do also feel that this part of my life is finished. I’m very excited for this next chapter and for you guys to see the work. Thank you to all who support me for I am forever grateful.”
All eight episodes of Bupkis are available to stream on Peacock.
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