Steve Pond's Blog, page 135

‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Trailer: Adam Sandler’s Unlikely Golfer Returns for Another Round

Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore is back to swing for the fences — and, ideally, the green — again.

Nearly 30 years after he made his big-screen debut in 1996, Sandler’s beloved hockey-player-turned-professional-golfer is set to make his long-awaited, unlikely return in “Happy Gilmore 2.” Netflix released a brief teaser for the film back in March, but now the streamer has unveiled the first, full-length trailer for “Happy Gilmore 2” as part of its 2025 Tudum Live fan event.

“Even when you’re at the top of your game, you can always shank one,” Sandler’s older Happy explains at the start of the trailer. Facing $300,000 in tuition fees for his daughter’s (Sunny Sandler) ballet school, Happy decides to pick his golf clubs up again and take another shot at success — both financially and as a professional athlete. Other moments throughout the trailer tease Happy’s unshaken tendency to still flip out on the golf course when things don’t go his way, as well as a humorous confrontation in a graveyard between him and his old rival, Shooter McGavin (a returning Christopher McDonald).

Sandler, for his part, seems to have seamlessly stepped back into the shoes of one of his most iconic characters. You can watch the full “Happy Gilmore 2” trailer yourself below.

Summer just got happy-er. Adam Sandler stars in Happy Gilmore 2 arriving July 25. #TUDUM pic.twitter.com/yfB2kulovK

— Netflix (@netflix) June 1, 2025

Sandler and McDonald are not the only “Happy Gilmore” stars who have returned for the sequel. Julie Bowen and Allen Covert have both reprised their respective roles as Virginia and Otto, and Ben Stiller is also back as the mustachioed Hal, who still seems as conniving and unlikable as he was 30 years ago.

They are joined in “Happy Gilmore 2” by a wide array of newcomers, including Bad Bunny, Kid Cudi, Margaret Qualley, Benny Safdie, Kym Whitley, Jim Downey and Nick Swardson. “Murder Mystery” filmmaker Kyle Newacheck has taken over the director’s chair this time for original “Happy Gilmore” director Dennis Dugan. Viewers will still get to see Dugan back as Doug Thompson, though, when the sequel debuts this summer.

“Happy Gilmore 2” premieres Friday, July 25 on Netflix.

The post ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Trailer: Adam Sandler’s Unlikely Golfer Returns for Another Round appeared first on TheWrap.

Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ Unveils Freaky First Teaser

Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” approaches.

The new retelling of the Mary Shelley classic stars Oscar Isaac as the mad Victor Frankenstein, Jacob Elordi as the creature and Mia Goth as Victor’s fiancée, arrives on Netflix this November. The first teaser for the movie, which debuted at Netflix’s Tudum event in Los Angeles, is available now.

Based on the footage, del Toro seems to be incorporating elements from the original novel, as well as the classic Universal monster movie iteration (Christoph Waltz plays Dr. Pretorious, a character created for “Bride of Frankenstein,” released by Universal in 1935). There are also elements clearly drawn from the Bernie Wrightson-illustrated comic book version of the story, which was first published by Marvel Comics in 1983. The creature’s sinewy physique and long, stringy black hair is drawn directly from this version of the character.

The visuals, of course, are out of this world – the blood-red gloves, the red-lined casket and the giant green towers, perfect for funneling electricity into a reanimated corpse. Beware.

Watch it below:

“Frankenstein” marks del Toro’s first feature since his Oscar-winning stop-motion feature “Pinocchio” was released by Netflix in 2022. “Frankenstein” has long been a passion project for the director, who started talking about the project back in 2007. For a number of years, he had developed the project at Universal, where it would have fit more snugly into its history of classic Universal Monsters. By 2016 he had said that he had been wanting to make the movie for 25 years, once again identifying it as his dream project. Following the success of “Pinocchio,” Netflix revived the project (it’s alive!), with del Toro assembling his cast and setting out to make his dream a reality.

“Frankenstein” roars onto Netflix this November.

The post Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ Unveils Freaky First Teaser appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Gen V’ Season 2 Gets September Premiere Date

“Gen V” Season finally has a premiere date, and just in time for the new school year, too.

Prime Video’s college-based spinoff of “The Boys” returns Sept. 17 with the premiere of the first three episodes, available in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. New episodes will follow weekly with the second season finale airing Wednesday, October 22.

Season 2 picks up where Season 4 of “The Boys” left off — with Homelander (Antony Starr) firmly established as America’s brutal new fascist dictator and pretty much everyone who opposes him, with the sole exception of Starlight (Erin Moriarty), shoved into gulags at best.

Watch a trailer for Season 2 below:

New year, new U. Gen V Season 2 is in session September 17. pic.twitter.com/gbe3QJeCRa

— GEN V (@genv) June 1, 2025

We got a taste of that in the “Gen V” Season 1 finale, when Marie (Jaz Sinclair), Emma (Lizze Broadway) and Jordan (played by both London Thor and Derek Luh) tried to stop Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips) and Sam Riordan (Asa Germann) as they carried out a bloody campus rampage, only to learn Homelander approved of it and considered the heroes to be traitors.

We last saw Marie, Emma and Jordan in a desolate, secret Super-Prison and things don’t look much better for them in Season 2. Per the official description, “as the rest of America adjusts to Homelander’s iron fist, back at Godolkin University, the mysterious new Dean preaches a curriculum that promises to make students more powerful than ever. Cate and Sam are celebrated heroes, while Marie, Jordan, and Emma reluctantly return to college, burdened by months of trauma and loss. But parties and classes are hard to care about with war brewing between Humans and Supes, both on and off campus. The gang learns of a secret program that goes back to the founding of Godolkin University that may have larger implications than they realize. And, somehow, Marie is a part of it.”

Season 2 of “Gen V” also stars Sean Patrick Thomas who returns as Polarity, with Hamish Linklater joining the show as Dean Cipher. Other series newcomers include Keeya King (“Yellowjackets”), Stephen Kalyn (“Warrior Strong”), Julia Knope (“In The Dark”), Stacey McGunnigle (“This Hour Has 22 Minutes”), Tait Fletcher (“The Mandalorian”), Wyatt Dorion (“Eerie Hall”) and Georgie Murphy (“Accused”), all of whose roles have been kept under wraps.

Sadly not returning is Chance Perdomo, who played Andre Anderson in Season 1. Perdomo tragically died in a motorcycle accident in late March, 2024 while traveling from New York to Toronto to begin shooting “Gen V” Season 2. producers announced a month later on May 5 that Andre Anderson, would not be recast.

“As we continue to navigate the tragic loss of Chance Perdomo, everyone at Gen V is determined to find the best way to pay respect to his memory,” “Gen V” producers wrote at the time. “We won’t be recasting the role, because no one can replace Chance. Instead, we have been taking the time and space to recraft our Season 2 storylines as we begin production in May.”

“Gen V” is executive-produced by showrunner Michele Fazekas. Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Michaela Starr, Ori Marmur, Thomas Schnauz, Steve Boyum, and Brant Engelstein also serve as executive producers. Loreli Alanís, Gabriel Garcia, and Jessica Chou are co-executive producers.

The show is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, in association with Kripke Enterprises, Point Grey Pictures, and Original Film.

“Gen V” Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.

The post ‘Gen V’ Season 2 Gets September Premiere Date appeared first on TheWrap.

Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Casts Mikaela Hoover to Voice Tony Tony Chopper, Beloved Straw Hat Pirate | Video

“One Piece” has found its Tony Tony Chopper.

Mikaela Hoover will voice the manga’s iconic character while also providing facial capture for the live-action series, Netflix revealed during Saturday’s Tudum fan event in Los Angeles.

The cast of the show shared a first-look at the character while teasing things to come in Season 2, watch the clip below:

ATTENTION ALL PIRATES! The doctor is in! Meet Tony Tony Chopper, voiced by the incredible Mikaela Hoover.

One Piece Season 2 sets sail in 2026! #TUDUM pic.twitter.com/DUTzStsqDb

— Netflix (@netflix) June 1, 2025

Hoover’s other credits include working with James Gunn on both “Superman” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and appearing in “Beef,” also at Netflix.

Chopper is the latest and one of the most beloved members of the Straw Hat pirates and was teased for their Season 2 appearance long before the casting. He joins the rest of the crew returning from Season 1 including Iñaki Godoy as Luffy, Mackenyu as Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp and Taz Skylar as Sanji.

This is the latest in a long list of major castings for “One Piece'” Season 2 that should excite fans of the manga. Among the biggest include Joe Manganiello as Mr. 0, one of the biggest antagonists in the “One Piece” franchise, as well as Callum Kerr (“Monarch”) as Smoker, another antagonist who was teased at the end of Season 1.

Other additions for Season 2 are Charithra Chandran as Miss Wednesday; Katey Sagal as Dr. Kureha; Mark Harelik as Dr. Hiriluk; Sendhil Ramamurthy as Nefertari Cobra; Brendan Sean Murray as Brogy; Camrus Johnson as Mr. 5; Clive Russell as Crocus; Daniel Lasker as Mr. 9; David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3; Jazzara Jaslyn as Miss Valentine; Julia Rehwald as Tashigi; Rob Colletti as Wapol; Ty Keogh as Dalton; and Werner Coetser as Dorry.

Despite all the additions for the second season, the show is losing one name – co-showrunner Matt Owens who announced on social media back in March that he was stepping away for mental health reasons.

“The last six years working on the live-action One Piece have been a life-changing journey,” he wrote. “A dream come true. It’s also been A LOT. So I’m stepping off the Going Merry to take a break and focus on myself and my mental health,” Owens wrote on Instagram. “For now I’m gonna take a breath, do some therapy, try and rank up in Marvel Rivals, and come back refreshed for the new adventures that await.”

“One Piece” Season 2 is expected to premiere in 2026.

The post Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Casts Mikaela Hoover to Voice Tony Tony Chopper, Beloved Straw Hat Pirate | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Netflix Teases Rian Johnson’s 3rd ‘Knives Out’ Film ‘Wake Up Dead Man,’ Sets December Release Date | Video

Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man,” the third film in the trilogy that began with “Knives Out,” is headed to Netflix on Dec. 15.

The release date for the feature, which once again stars Daniel Craig, this time joined by Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott and more, was revealed during Netflix’s Tudum event in Los Angeles. Most of the cast appeared on stage to tease the film, with Renner receiving massive applause from fans.

“Wake Up Dead Man” follows Craig’s Benoit Blanc as he investigates a new, seemingly very spooky crime, this time in London, England. The first movie, 2019’s “Knives Out,” was set in New England and had the contours of a cozy murder mystery; while the follow-up, 2022’s “Glass Onion,” was set at a private island off of Greece and had the vibe of a glamourous vacation mystery a la “The Last of Sheila.”

All of the stories, of course, owe a debt to Agatha Christie.

You can watch a teaser for the new mystery below.

XII.XII.MMXXV. Thou shalt be seated.

Save the date for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the newest Benoit Blanc whodunnit from Rian Johnson. #TUDUM pic.twitter.com/047f8Cyo6N

— Netflix (@netflix) June 1, 2025

As for the theatrical component that will accompany “Wake Up Dead Man,” that remains to be seen. “Glass Onion” had a truncated theatrical run in 600 theaters over Thanksgiving in 2022 after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier that fall. Johnson, in the years since, has been vocal about his desire about a bigger theatrical presence for the follow-up but Netflix has not revealed details yet.

The post Netflix Teases Rian Johnson’s 3rd ‘Knives Out’ Film ‘Wake Up Dead Man,’ Sets December Release Date | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Former Obama Aide Slams Jake Tapper for Resurrecting Hunter Biden Scandal: ‘All Of Us Knew’ | Video

It’s almost June 2025 and Hunter Biden’s scandal is back in the news, thanks in large part to CNN’s Jake Tapper and his book “Original Sin” — and former Obama aide Johanna Maska isn’t having it. At least that’s what Maska told fellow panelists in Friday’s episode of “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”

The Biden story isn’t new to anyone, she said, and “Hunter was corrupt! All of us knew! Hunter was corrupt.” Instead of regurgitating a story that dominated news cycles throughout 2023 and 2024, she continued, Tapper should have focused on the Trump administration.

“I also want us talking about issues that are not some made-up Jake Tapper scandal,” Maska told Chuck Todd. “I mean, Chuck, we traveled around the world with Jake Tapper and you, and I know that you guys care a lot about the story, but you also care about access. And Jake Tapper has done this multiple times where he has done whatever he can to get access. So now he’s kissing up to the right-wing media because he wants access in the Trump White House.”

While agreed that focusing on corruption in politics is important, Maska insisted Tapper just missed the mark.

“We are missing all of the stories that actually affect people,” she explained. “Corruption, absolutely cover it, but also the 1,000 plus page bill that the House Republicans just passed, that will actually affect people in Galesburg, Illinois. And that’s what’s going to matter this next election. My point is, Chuck, we had an election and we lost.”

In an interview with Bill Maher Friday night Tapper admitted he believes Dr. Jill Biden, President Biden, and Hunter Biden share the blame for the administration’s downfall and the president’s alleged mental decline.

“He had moments where he was non-functioning but he understood what was going on. We saw him earlier today: He can speak and talk. If he was here right now, he could talk for 10 to 15 minutes, he’d be fine,” he said.

Watch the episode of “Piers Morgan Uncensored” in the video above.

The post Former Obama Aide Slams Jake Tapper for Resurrecting Hunter Biden Scandal: ‘All Of Us Knew’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Squid Game’ Season 3 Trailer Promises More Twists and Bloodshed in Final Episodes

It’s the beginning of the end for “Squid Game.” Netflix dropped the first trailer for the third and final season of the streaming behemoth on Saturday as part of its Tudum presentation. The trailer followed a performance from rapper Hanumankind and was introduced by the cast of the hit Korean drama.

“‘Squid Game’ will shock the world one last time,” star Lee Jung-jae told fans before unveiling the trailer.

Filmed at the same time as Season 2, Season 3 takes place right after the events of the last installment. Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) originally returned to the Squid Game to bring this deadly competition down from the inside. By the end of Season 2, he came close to accomplishing that goal, recruiting several players to start a riot. But ultimately the guards and the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) prevailed. Season 3 sees Gi-hun as a disheartened husk of his former self while the stakes around him have never been higher.

Watch the trailer below:

Every game must come to an end.

Squid Game. The final season. June 27. #TUDUM pic.twitter.com/UzKmpBLmJE

— Netflix (@netflix) June 1, 2025

Created, written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, “Squid Game” premiered 2021 and became a worldwide hit practically overnight. The series revolves around Gi-hun, a happy-go-lucky man who enters a competition to try and make some quick cash to clear his vast debts. It’s only after the first challenge that he realizes that the stakes of the Squid Game are life are death as 456 people face off in a series of deadly children’s games. The winner can walk away with 45.6 billion South Korean won — leaving behind 455 dead competitors.

The first season of “Squid Game” currently stands as the most-watched Netflix title of all time, accumulating 265.2 million views in its first 90 days of availability. As for Season 2, that ranks as the fourth most-watched Netflix original of all time, raking up 192.6 million views. The only titles to surpass it are “Squid Game” Season 1, Jenna Ortega and Tim Burton’s “Wednesday” and the Gal Gadot, Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds comedy “Red Notice.”

The South Korean juggernaut has also spawned several spinoffs including the reality competition series “Squid Game: The Challenge,” which premiered its first season in 2023, and the video game “Squid Game: Unleashed.” A second season of “The Challenge” has already been ordered. There has also been talk of an English-language adaptation of the beloved series from David Fincher.

“Squid Game” Season 3 premieres June 27 on Netflix.

The post ‘Squid Game’ Season 3 Trailer Promises More Twists and Bloodshed in Final Episodes appeared first on TheWrap.

Former ‘Doctor Odyssey’ Crewmembers Sue Disney Over Alleged ‘Campaign of Sexual Harassment’ on Set

Former “Doctor Odyssey” crewmembers sued 20th Television and Disney Friday over alleged sexual harassment on set of the medical dramedy.

Caroline Mack, Alicia Haverland and Ava Steinbrenner alleged that they were targets of a “unchecked campaign of sexual harassment” at the hands of their supervisor. The three women reported to assistant prop master Tyler Patton and accused him of bombarding them with unwanted sexual comments and inappropriate touching.

The former crewmembers said that they were fired after complaining about the alleged misconduct. Patton’s supervisor was his wife Tammie Patton. The three women claimed that they have been blacklisted from working on 20th and Disney productions since.

The lawsuit goes on to detail a work culture in which Tyler and his male colleagues frequently commented on their sexual preferences, waiting for the reactions from the women around them. It also specifically outlines a time when Tyler told one of the plaintiffs to “swallow the cum before you talk.”

The complaint also claimed that Tyler texted pornographic materials, groped female coworker’s butts and gave lingering hugs. One incident outlined in the complaint the plaintiffs recalled a time when Tyler texted the entire props department, including his wife, a fake news story about former President Joe Biden that directed people to a website showing a nude photograph of a man’s erect penis.

The assistant props master then allegedly exclaimed, “If I wasn’t f–king the boss, I’d be fired.” Mack filed a formal human resources incident report after this incident of misconduct.

Tyler was later fired after the complaint was issued, but the plaintiffs noted that his wife Tammie then started to retaliate against them by threatening their own jobs and assigning them meaningless tasks.

Shortly after Tyler’s removal, 20th Television laid off the entire Props Deparment and hired a new team, which the plaintiffs claim was “to avoid having to deal with any remaining employee-relations issues tied to Tyler Patton’s and Tammie Patton’s misconduct.”

Tyler had previously been involved in a sexual harassment case with Universal Network Television on the set of “House.”

20th and Disney didn’t respond to requests for comment.

“Doctor Odyssey” premiered on ABC in September 2024. It has not yet been picked up for a second season.

The post Former ‘Doctor Odyssey’ Crewmembers Sue Disney Over Alleged ‘Campaign of Sexual Harassment’ on Set appeared first on TheWrap.

In Touch, Life & Style, Closer and First for Women Shutter as All Staff Are Laid Off

A number of women’s lifestyle and entertainment magazine publications from McClatchy Media Company are shuttering and laying off their entire staffs. In Touch, Life & Style, Closer and First for Women are ceasing operation by the end of June, the parent company informed staffers Friday.

It’s unclear just how many employees across all four brands were impacted by McClatchy’s gutting of the entertainment brands. Other outlets owned by the media company include newspapers The Kansas City Star, Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Charlotte Observer. They also own Us Weekly, which was acquired as part of the accelerate360 merger that In Touch, Life & Style, Closer and First for Women were also a part of.

“Despite the best efforts of many of our talented colleagues, we have been unable to develop a profitable business model for four of our magazine titles. First for Women, In Touch, Life & Style and Closer will publish their final editions between June 20 and 27,” McClatchy spokesperson Julie Pendley said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the news Friday. “We are grateful for the meaningful contributions of the affected employees and are providing support during the transition.”

McClatchy did not respond to TheWrap’s request for further comment.

The announcement is just the latest in a continuingly tumultuous time for news media. In the same week, Business Insider informed it’s staff that they would experience a 21% workforce reduction as they look to pivot more to AI uses in the newsroom.

“We are reducing the size of our organization, a move that will impact about 21% of our colleagues and touch every department,” Business Insider CEO Barbara Peng wrote. “We’re also proposing changes that impact our U.K. team, but the process is a bit different there; separate communication will follow.”

Going forward, Business Insider will be launching events coverage, “fully embracing AI” and reducing their reliance on “traffic-sensitive businesses.”

The post In Touch, Life & Style, Closer and First for Women Shutter as All Staff Are Laid Off  appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Elio’ Directors Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi Never Intended to Make a Sci-Fi Movie, but They’re Glad They Did

Pixar’s “Elio” is almost here.

The beloved animation studio’s latest sci-fi adventure, after “WALL-E” and “Lightyear,” follows the title character (voiced by Yonas Kibreab), a lonely little boy who dreams of being abducted by aliens. He finally gets his wish, when a group of aliens (residing in a glittery space station known as the Communiverse) mistake him for the ambassador from Earth.

TheWrap previewed 25 minutes of the movie, which debuts on June 20 (tickets are on sale now), during a recent visit to Pixar’s Emeryville, California campus and can attest that Elio’s abduction is just the beginning of a wild, wooly romp. It features all of the mind-boggling character designs and environments you would expect from a Pixar feature, with an underlying tenderness and message about loneliness that felt genuinely new (and deeply impactful). You can watch some of the magic yourself in the trailer below.

Just as Elio (the character) met false starts and dead ends on his way to outer space, the production of “Elio” (the movie) went through a similarly bumpy trajectory. The film was announced at the D23 Expo in 2022, with “Coco” co-director Adrian Molina directing, and Mary Alice Drumm producing. A teaser trailer was released the following year, with a spring 2024 release date announced. Afterwards, though, Molina left the project (it was later revealed he is working on “Coco 2”) and a pair of filmmakers stepped in to shepherd “Elio” towards completion – “Turning Red” director Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian, whose incredibly charming short film “Burrow” was meant to play theatrically before Pete Docter’s Oscar-winning “Soul.” (When “Soul” wound up a direct-to-Disney+ project, “Burrow” premiered alongside it.)

Not that a change like this was totally unique to Pixar.

“I think at Pixar, all the movies are always changing,” Drumm said. “But I think when we think about ‘Elio’ as it started, and ‘Elio’ as it finished, there’s so many building blocks that are the same. Maddie and Domee had both been along the ride this whole time. I think that they have this shared sensibility. And they brought a lot of themselves to the movie as well.”

When we asked if it was hard taking on a project that they didn’t originate, Sharafian said, “I felt fortunate that Adrian and I already had an understanding, that we had shared sensibilities, that he was entrusting me with this responsibility because he believed that our visions were similar.” She said that when she felt self-doubt, she would lean on the idea that her gut instincts were closely aligned to what Molina had envisioned. She said that throughout the process of directing, when “people are throwing options at you,” Sharafian said she “learned to trust my gut.”

Shi said that, initially, it was challenging to jump onto an already-moving train. “It took me a minute to find my way into the character in this story,” Shi said. When Sharafian presented the idea of “a lonely boy who wants to get abducted, who is searching for belonging,” she found her connection. “I clung to it and I think that’s when I found my way into it,” Shi said. She had never worked on a sci-fi movie either, which was also exciting. “This was a really fun opportunity to play in a sandbox that I’ve never played in before,” Shi said. They were able to pay homage to their favorite sci-fi movies, including John Carpenter’s “The Thing” (when Elio is in space, the Communiverse sends a clone to replace him).

The filmmaking team didn’t have the time to second-guess and constantly redo and refine sequences. “It was a lot of trusting each other and trusting this team that has been working on the movie for a really long time,” Sharafian said. She and Shi already had a relationship and “shared taste and experience” working together on “Turning Red,” which also helped out immensely. “I feel like it was always important for us to be on the same page in the room,” Shi added.

They also found solace in watching Docter, Pixar’s chief creative officer, who helped guide the film. “He seemed pretty calm,” Sharafian said. She soon realized that it was because he’s seen it all – directors fired and replaced, projects that were ultimately canceled or abandoned, eleventh hour reworkings that led to a film’s success. “He’s talked about having his own brick walls,” Sharafian said. It helped remind the team that what they were experiencing was totally normal.

Shi remembered a moment when “you get to a point where you’ve exhausted all options.” It was a sequence they were working on months ago, and Shi remembered watching as Sharafian referred to an earlier sequence that they had worked on. “I saw her evolve,” Shi marveled. “Her third eye opened.” Sharafian asked their editor to call up the earlier sequence. “Cut it with this music, take the ed of this and put that there and let’s watch it together,” Sharafian commanded, as Shi looked on. “I was like, Whoa,” Shi said. “You have to get to that place and then you’re unlocking something.”

It was for a scene early in the movie, which we watched at Pixar, which sees Elio, having just lost his parents, wandering into a museum exhibit and learning about the Voyager space probe, with the golden record. (It’s so beautiful.) Once Sharafian pulled the scene together, they got feedback from Docter (who suggested letting the music take over) and Pixar director Andrew Stanton (who gave Elio two little LEGO-like figures to hold).

Sharafian said that the sequence was an example of “the magic of Pixar – watching Pete and Andrew, these legends, come in and help us deliver that final blow, to smelt into something that just works.”

You can find out just how much “Elio” works when it beams down on June 20.

The post ‘Elio’ Directors Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi Never Intended to Make a Sci-Fi Movie, but They’re Glad They Did appeared first on TheWrap.