Here come the Men In Black…
According to the Box Office Mojo, Men in Black International landed in the first place at the weekend box office. A reboot of the movie series starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, Men in Black International features Chris Hemsworth (Avengers: Endgame), Tessa Thompson (Westworld), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), Liam Neeson (Taken) and Emma Thompson (Beauty and the Beast). And yet, this sci-fi action-comedy nevertheless underperformed, grossing a mere $28,5 million in its opening weekend. Men in Black International seems to be destined to join other failed blockbusters of the summer like Dark Phoenix and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
In the second place of the weekend box office is The Secret Life of Pets 2. Featuring voices by Kevin Hart (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), Tiffany Haddish (Keanu), Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Patton Oswalt (Happy!) and Harrison Ford (Harrison Ford!), this CGI-animated film earned $23,8 million in its second weekend in cinemas. Disney’s live-action version of Aladdin is still going strong, earning $16,7 million in its fourth weekend, while Dark Phoenix has already dropped to the fourth place with $9 million after a single week in cinemas. Finally, in the fifth place of the weekend box office is once again Elton John biopic Rocketman with $8,8 million.
Bill & Ted Face the Music Casts It Villain
When we first heard about the proposed second sequel to a cult comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, we weren’t completely sure if this wasn’t just wishful thinking. About a year later, Bill and Ted Face the Music has its title, cast, and a release date – August 21st, 2020. According to an article on Geek Tyrant, we now also know who will play the movie’s main villain – Anthony Carrigan, best known for his performances on Gotham and HBO’s Barry.
Keanu Reeves and Bill Winter will once again portray wannabe rock stars Theodore Logan and William S. Preston Esq. Still unsuccessful after all these years, middle-aged Bill and Ted will undertake one final adventure across time and space, this time accompanied by their daughters Thea (Samara Weaving – The Babysitter) and Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine – Atypical). William Sadler will reprise his role of Death from Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest, RED 2) will direct the film while Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon – the writers of first two Bill and Ted movies – will pen the script.
Rosamund Pike Cast in Amazon’s The Wheel of Time Adaptation
Variety reports that Rosamund Pike has been cast as a lead in Amazon’s upcoming epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time. Pike, who appeared in everything from the 2005 Doom movie to David Fincher’s 2014 thriller Gone Girl, will play the role of Moiraine Damodred, mysterious sorceress and a member of a secretive all-female organization known as Aes Sedai. Moraine gathers around her a group of people and embarks on a world-spanning quest. This is the third Amazon’s fantasy TV series in production — after Lord of the Rings and Dark Tower — demonstrating how seriously this streaming service wants its own Game of Thrones.
The history behind The Wheel of Time novels is as epic and complex as the novels themselves. In 1990, James Oliver Rigney published the first novel in the series under a pen name Robert Jordan. Initially planned as a six-book series, The Wheel of Time grew up to include fourteen volumes and a prequel novel. After Rigney died in 2007 while working on the final novel, fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn series, The Stormlight Archive) took over, turning Rigney’s copious notes into the final three novels of the series.
In 2000, NBC wanted to adapt The Wheel of Time but ultimately gave up. In 2004, Rigney sold the adaptation rights to production company Red Eagle Entertainment. Eleven years later, Red Eagle Entertainment made a cheap 22-minute The Wheel of Time pilot and paid for its broadcast to keep these rights. Finally, in 2017 Sony announced it was producing a new adaptation in association with Red Eagle Entertainment.