Steve Pond's Blog, page 131
June 4, 2025
‘Wicked: For Good’ Trailer Welcomes Fans Back to Oz for Part 2
Like a comet pulled from orbit, Universal has changed the trajectory of “Wicked” fans’ lives for good with Wednesday’s “Wicked: For Good” trailer.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande return as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in Jon M. Chu’s musical sequel, which is set to premiere on Nov. 21. The movie will come out almost one year to the day after “Wicked: Part 1” premiered on Nov. 22, 2024.
The trailer showcases several songs, including “No Good Deed” and “For Good,” and teases how the central characters’ relationship has changed since Elphaba’s high-flying exit from Oz at the end of the first film. Will Elphaba and Glinda end up working together to stop the Wizard? How does Fiyero’s heart fit into all of this? And what’s that glimpse at the Cowardly Lion from “The Wizard of Oz” doing there? We’ll find out all the answers we need later this year.
The trailer also comes just a day after Universal teased the sequel with first-look vignettes of the cast — including Fiyero, Madame Morrible, The Wizard of Oz, Boq and Nessarose. As such, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater and Marissa Bode will also reprise their roles from the first film, in addition to Bowen Yang.
Watch the trailer for “Wicked: For Good” below:
The epic conclusion comes to theaters this November. Watch the #WickedForGood trailer now
— Wicked Movie (@wickedmovie) June 5, 2025pic.twitter.com/IqTI7eYU59
“Wicked: Part 1” was based off the first act of Stephen Schwartz’s Tony-winning Broadway play, and was itself nominated for 10 Oscars at the 2024 Academy Awards, ultimately winning two — Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Naturally, this year’s “Wicked: Part 2” will follow our favorite witches into the show’s second act, complete with two new original songs from Schwartz.
“Wicked: For Good” flies into theaters on Nov. 21.
The post ‘Wicked: For Good’ Trailer Welcomes Fans Back to Oz for Part 2 appeared first on TheWrap.
California Assembly Passes Film Tax Bill to Expand Production Incentives
The California State Assembly has overwhelmingly passed a bill that would overhaul the state’s production tax incentive program, a key step in legislators’ efforts to provide support to struggling Hollywood workers.
The vote on Assembly Bill 1138 was 73 in favor and one against, and comes a day after a similar bill, SB 630, passed 34-1 out of the state senate. The bills now head to the opposite houses as its co-authors say they are looking to expedite the committee vote process so that they can be passed by the legislature, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, and implemented by the California Film Commission all ideally before the legislative session ends for the year in September.
“We are in an emergency, given the unemployment levels and the loss of business in California due to the film industry, so we are working with the legislative leadership to find ways to have the bill go into effect this summer,” said Hollywood Asm. Rick Chavez Zbur, who is one of the co-authors on the bills.
The two bills had language removed that calls for the program’s cap to be increased from $330 million to $750 million, though that increase is still included in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. Zbur says that there is high confidence among supporters of the program expansion that the cap raise will be approved in the final budget.
“The structural support that we are receiving from all of the entertainment unions, all of the studios, independent producers, the sound stage managers and owners is uniform, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.
The two bills, known together as the California Film & TV Jobs Act, would expand the types of productions eligible for the tax credit, including animated productions and TV shows with a half-hour runtime.
The bill also allows productions that shoot in Los Angeles County and other select nearby shooting locations in Southern California to be eligible for an increased tax writeoff of 35% of all eligible spending.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of film and TV production jobs in California in 2024 fell by approximately 40,000 from the all-time high recorded in 2022, when ongoing demand for streaming shows and a need to catch up on projects delayed by the 2020 pandemic helped fuel a surge in productions.
But a variety of factors led to production jobs dropping not just in California but in other major American production hubs like Georgia and New York in 2024. Among them was an industry-wide cutback in production spending as media companies looked to make their streaming services profitable, as well as increased competition from other countries with their own production tax incentives.
The combination of that drop in jobs and the loss of work caused by the 2023 strikes that shut down productions for 191 days has led to thousands of entertainment workers in California facing serious financial struggle and has called the future of a cornerstone of the state’s economy into question.
The post California Assembly Passes Film Tax Bill to Expand Production Incentives appeared first on TheWrap.
Blumhouse in Talks to Acquire ‘Saw’ Film Rights From Twisted Pictures
Blumhouse is in talks to acquire the rights to Twisted Pictures’ portion of the “Saw” horror film franchise, according to media reports.
Lionsgate owns 50% of the franchise and will continue to be involved as a partner. The studio has the distributed the films dating back to the release of the first “Saw” in 2004.
James Wan directed the first “Saw” film and co-wrote the script with Leigh Whannell. Should the deal go through, it would restore partial control of the franchise to Wan.
Wan and Whannell’s “Saw” offered a deceptively simple premise of two desperate men chained together in an empty room with little idea of how they got there or how to get out.
Starring Cary Elwes and Danny Glover, Monica Potter and a pre-“Lost” Michael Emerson, “Saw” inspired a new wave of grindhouse horror, films that reveled in old-school gore and a certain Rube Goldberg mentality to the kills beyond just attractive teenagers being picked off one by one.
Its grindhouse mentality and ruthless brutality personified the post-9/11 decade in horror, just as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Last House on the Left” spoke to a generation ravaged by participating in or witnessing the real-life carnage of the Vietnam War. It gave Hollywood its first new iconic onscreen boogie man since “Scream”s Ghostface or – since it was a different murderer every time in those films — Tony Todd’s Candyman.
The last film in the franchise, “Saw X” was released in 2023 and earned $112.2 million worldwide. Earlier this year, Lionsgate has pulled “Saw XI” from its release slate.
Deadline first reported the news.
The post Blumhouse in Talks to Acquire ‘Saw’ Film Rights From Twisted Pictures appeared first on TheWrap.
Elon Musk Calls on Congress to Kill Trump’s Bill With Memes of Quentin Tarantino Classic
Elon Musk’s crusade against Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” now includes references to a Quentin Tarantino classic.
The former leader of President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency has spent the past few days barraging X with post after post targeting his former boss’s “big beautiful bill.” Said bill seeks to slice funding for Medicaid and the country’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), includes a number of tax cuts among other changes and tacks on an additional $2.3 trillion over the next 10 years.
Musk’s latest posts on Wednesday made reference to the Quentin Tarantino classic “Kill Bill.”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 4, 2025
“Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok,” the Tesla CEO wrote. “KILL the BILL.”
Call your Senator,
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 4, 2025
Call your Congressman,
Bankrupting America is NOT ok!
KILL the BILL
Musk began calling out Trump and other Republicans at the top of the week, saying he could not hold his silence anymore. The mogul had been vocal about his dislike of the bill from the start, however got more aggressive about it after stepping down at DOGE earlier this week.
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk wrote on X Tuesday. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
Trump has been uncharacteristically silent on Musk’s many shots at the spending bill. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell said that it’s that specific silence that could point to how the president is feeling on the matter.
“Elon Musk declared today, on day 134 of the Trump presidency, ‘I just can’t stand it anymore.’ And in response, the explosively rageful Donald Trump said nothing,” O’Donnell said on his MSNBC program “The Last Word.” “And that is how you know who Donald Trump fears in this world. If you attack Donald Trump and Donald Trump says nothing, Donald Trump’s silence is the biggest expression of fear that he has.”
The post Elon Musk Calls on Congress to Kill Trump’s Bill With Memes of Quentin Tarantino Classic appeared first on TheWrap.
Sean Spicer Predicts Karine Jean-Pierre Is Still ‘Team Biden’ and New Book Will ‘Stick a Knife’ in White House Colleagues | Video
Sean Spicer, former press secretary to Donald Trump, reacted with skepticism on Wednesday about Karine Jean-Pierre’s announcement that she is leaving the Democratic Party, considering it appears her upcoming book about Biden’s last days in the White House will side with the former president.
“It sure sounds like she’s going to stick a knife in the people who pushed Biden out,” Spicer said on a new episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show.” “It sounds like she’s still Team Biden, and we’ll get a bunch of nonsense about how he could have [won the 2024 election].”
Spicer cited publisher Hachette’s press release that “Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines,” is about the “betrayal” of Democratic Party leaders who convinced Biden to step down from the 2024 race and back Vice President Kamala Harris instead.
Watch the full segment below:
Kelly added, “Color me curious about her insider details — less interested in her definition of what it means to be independent.”
The one self-identified Democrat on Wednesday’s “Megyn Kelly” panel, Dan Turrentine, who co-hosts “Morning Meeting” with Spicer on the 2Way platform, echoed Kelly’s thoughts.
“I’ll be curious about her angle,” Turrentine said. “She had real tension with people inside the White House who didn’t think she was qualified. There were concerns she struggled to respond without reading from the briefing book.”
Spicer, who served as Trump’s press secretary for only a few months in 2017 before going on to “Dancing With the Stars,” argued that, “Jean-Pierre was the most epically unqualified person to hold that position.”
He added, “No one in America wants her political analysis.”
Jean-Pierre’s book follows CNN anchor Jake Tapper’s “Original Sin,” about the alleged cover-up over Biden’s cognitive decline. Spicer quipped, “The pitch was probably: ‘If Jake Tapper can sell a book, why can’t I be independent?
“Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines,” is scheduled to be released in October.
The post Sean Spicer Predicts Karine Jean-Pierre Is Still ‘Team Biden’ and New Book Will ‘Stick a Knife’ in White House Colleagues | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Wes Anderson Tried (and Failed) to Cast Jodie Foster in Several Films: ‘It Used to Be Every Movie’
Wes Anderson really wants Jodie Foster to be in one of his movies but has not been able to make it happen.
While speaking with Collider about his career and upcoming film “The Phoenician Scheme,” Anderson revealed there were “so many movies that I tried to get Jodie Foster to be in.” The casting has yet to pan out despite multiple attempts.
“It used to be every movie, we went to Jodie Foster for a part,” he said. “And I think I did it three movies in a row, maybe four. And I met her, and I liked her. And I thought it was going to get her. And I think she’s just great, Jodie Foster. And I loved her.”
Anderson continued: “I still would like to get Jodie Foster. But I guess after asking few times, I thought maybe I’m not … I think sometimes somebody has an idea of the kind of work they want to do at that time in his or her life, and we weren’t right.”
Here’s hoping that Anderson’s next go-around grants his wish of working with Foster.
The director’s latest film “The Phoenician Scheme” lands in theaters on June 6. TheWrap reviewer William Bibbiani called the film “a serious work of art that plays like a boondoggle.”
“Anderson could be accused of copping out of making a decision to choose between God and, you know, owning stuff, but I think he finds that there’s a bit of spirituality in all of us that can’t be ignored, and a desire to relish in life’s little indulgences as well, and that the two aren’t mutually exclusive,” Bibbiani wrote. “The scheme, it seems, was finding a good and worthy life in between the extremes we tend to yearn for. Anderson’s diorama, in its details, is a place we all would be lucky to find ourselves. A little silly, a little profound, a little lovely, a little dingy. A vast mosaic revealed through countless individual tiles.”
The post Wes Anderson Tried (and Failed) to Cast Jodie Foster in Several Films: ‘It Used to Be Every Movie’ appeared first on TheWrap.
Mike Flanagan Explains Why There Is ‘No Way’ His ‘Exorcist’ Movie Makes Its 2026 Release Date
Update: Universal appeared to confirm filmmaker Mike Flanagan’s concerns that there was “no way’ his “Exorcist” movie would be ready for its March 2026 release date. The studio removed the project from its spring slate later on Wednesday, announcing that it would be replaced with an untitled Blumhouse feature.
Original story: Mike Flanagan’s upcoming “Exorcist” film isn’t exactly cursed, but it is going to miss its targeted release date.
“The Life of Chuck” director was asked on Tumblr what the status of his forthcoming “Exorcist” film was and if it was going to make the March 13, 2026 release date. No castings have yet been announced.
“Production hasn’t started, we need to finish ‘Carrie’ first,” Flanagan wrote. “No way it’s coming out next March. Nothing to worry about though.”
Prime Video greenlit the “Carrie” series – based on Stephen King’s 1974 debut novel – back in April. Flanagan will serve as the showrunner, executive producer, writer, and director of select episodes for the series. Summer Howell and Flanagan mainstay Samantha Sloyan were cast as Carrie and Margaret White respectively.
Flanagan’s “Exorcist” film comes from Blumhouse and Morgan Creek and was announced back in May 2024. The upcoming film has no connection to 2023’s “The Exorcist: Believer” from David Gordon Green. That film was the first of a planned trilogy after Universal forked over $400 million but the first entry only pulled in $137 million and poor critical response. “The Exorcist: Deceiver” was originally slated for April 2025 before being pulled from the schedule.
On top of “Carrie” and the eventual “Exorcist” film, Flanagan is plenty busy. His latest Stephen King adaptation “The Life of Chuck” arrives in theaters June 6 after winning the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024.
The director is best known for creating limited series “Haunting of Hill House,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Midnight Club,” “Midnight Mass” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor.”
The post Mike Flanagan Explains Why There Is ‘No Way’ His ‘Exorcist’ Movie Makes Its 2026 Release Date appeared first on TheWrap.
June 3, 2025
Film Adaptation of Hit Paranormal Video Game ‘Phasmophobia’ in the Works From Blumhouse
Blumhouse is developing a feature film adaptation of the hit paranormal video game “Phasmophobia,” the studio announced Tuesday.
From British indie game developer Kinetic Games Limited, “Phasmophobia” launched in 2020 on Steam and since then has sold more than 22 million copies worldwide. It is also available on consoles including Playstation 5 and Xbox Series.
The film adaptation will be produced by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster in association with Kinetic Games Limited.
“Phasmophobia” is a first person multiplayer horror survival in which players must identify a type of ghost haunting a given location.
The news was announced during Blumehouse’s first “The Business of Fear: event, featuring Blumhouse CEO/Founder Jason Blum and President Abhijay Prakash, Atomic Monster CEO/Founder James Wan and horror analyst/author Stephen Follows.
The post Film Adaptation of Hit Paranormal Video Game ‘Phasmophobia’ in the Works From Blumhouse appeared first on TheWrap.
Kimmel Jokes Elon Musk’s Rift With Trump Is ‘Like Diddy Vs. R. Kelly’ | Video
For reasons readers are invited to speculate about wildly, Elon Musk has suddenly become extremely critical of the draconian budget bill Donald Trump is trying to push through congress. And in his monologue on Tuesday night, Jimmy Kimmel suggested it might not be a coincidence this happened very soon after the bombshell New York Times report alleging Musk indulges in rampant drug abuse.
But then he likened the matter to two of the more notorious figures from recent times.
“The biggest flip of the day, belongs to Elon Musk,” Kimmel declared. “On Friday, Trump gave Elon Musk the key to the White House. And I guess he’d better change the locks, because today Musk had something very nasty to say about Trump’s big, beautiful bill.”
Kimmel quotes Musk verbatim: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
“Boy, when he’s off the ketamine, he is a lot less fun,” Kimmel quipped.
“I mean, he’s right, but ‘shame on those who voted for it?’ Who bankrolled these people that voted for it? I want the name of whoever bankroll-” Kimmel said, before ‘remembering’ that he’s talking about Musk.
“Oh, wait it’s his name. For Elon Musk – to call this a ‘disgusting abomination’ is really saying something. Because this is the man who created this ‘disgusting abomination.’ Musk also tweeted that Congress is ‘bankrupting America.’ Yo! Elon, bro! Were you not paying attention when Trump said he was gonna run the country like one of his businesses?” Kimmel continued.
“Trump vs. Elon. What an unexpected… I’m not sure who to root for. It’s like Diddy versus R. Kelly,” Kimmel said.
There’s plenty more in the monologue, for instance at the start when the ABC host discussed falling vaccination rates, joking, “Have you ever noticed the people who do their own research always do it wrong? They’re never like ‘– “’I did a deep dive and… turns out, every credible scientist in the world says we should get the measles vaccine. So I did.'”
Watch the whole monologue below:
The post Kimmel Jokes Elon Musk’s Rift With Trump Is ‘Like Diddy Vs. R. Kelly’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Kennedy Center Ticket Sales Drop 50% After Trump Takeover
Donald Trump’s MAGA makeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts isn’t working out the way he hoped, if ticket sales and attendance are anything to go by.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that in March and April, single ticket sales for Kennedy Center events dropped by 50% compared to the same period in 2024. The center also endured a deep hit to one of its most important sources of money, as total membership subscriptions declined by 36% year over year, according to the Washington Post.
In addition, subscriptions to the National Symphony Orchestra dropped 28% and Washington National Opera subscriptions by 25%. Subsequently, theatrical revenues were down by an astonishing 86%, and dance revenues by 57%; the center now projects subscription revenue of $2.7 million, compared to $4.4 million last year.
According to the Post and NYT, these figures have been confirmed by multiple, unnamed Kennedy Center employees.
For its part, the center’s leadership downplayed the significance of these figures, saying in a statement provided by senior vice president of marketing Kim Cooper, “Our renewal campaign is just kicking off and our hard-copy season brochures have not yet hit home. Our patrons wait for our new season brochures and renewal campaigns to take action.”
Reports of the cratering of attendance and revenue provides the first real picture of how things have gone since Feb. 7, when Trump fired several board members, declared himself the organization’s chairman and imposed a hard right wing policy agenda.
In the months since, prominent board members have quit, and high profile shows have either pulled out, such as a planned run of “Hamilton,” or been canceled on what appears to be purely ideological grounds, such as planned LGBTQ Pride events.
The post Kennedy Center Ticket Sales Drop 50% After Trump Takeover appeared first on TheWrap.
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