Steve Pond's Blog, page 199

‘Verity’: Colleen Hoover Joins Amazon’s Slate With Tale of a Ghostwriter’s Nightmare

Thanks to “It Ends With Us,” Colleen Hoover and her novels are a hot commodity in Hollywood. In its efforts to build out its theatrical slate, Amazon MGM is adding an adaptation of her thriller “Verity” to its 2026 schedule.

The film’s cast presented the upcoming project, which stars Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway who play struggling ghostwriter Lowen Ashleigh and renowned author Verity Crawford.

Lowen is hired to be Verity’s ghostwriter by the writer’s husband, Jeremy, played by Josh Hartnett. When she arrives at their house, she is shocked to discover that Verity is catatonic and bedridden. As the days go by, she discovers chilling autobiographic notes from Verity that suggest why she might be in her current state, drawing her deeper into a web of temptation as she also begins to develop an attraction to Jeremy.

In a sneak peek clip, we see how Verity and Jeremy first met, and then see Lowen’s arrival at the wintery lake house where she is shocked to see the state Verity is in. She then has a nightmare where she is passionately making out with Jeremy, only to see Verity biting her lip and drawing blood.

“Verity” hits theaters May 15, 2026.

The post ‘Verity’: Colleen Hoover Joins Amazon’s Slate With Tale of a Ghostwriter’s Nightmare appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Project Hail Mary’ Trailer: Ryan Gosling Goes on a Suicide Mission to Save the Sun in Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Sci-Fi Spectacle

Amazon MGM Studios’ CinemaCon presentation began on Wednesday night with a look at the first trailer for Ryan Gosling’s “Project Hail Mary.”

The filmed-for-IMAX movie from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller is based on Andy Weir’s 2021 novel by the same name. Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher-turned-astronaut who wakes up from a coma and finds himself alone on a space station — with absolutely no memory of how (or why) he got there.

On Earth, Sandra Hüller’s character recruits a reluctant Grace who complains “I put the not in astronaut. I can’t even moonwalk.”

“The whole world is counting on you,” she says. Scenes ensue on the space ship called “Hail Mary.”

The character’s memory begins to return over time. He must figure out how to complete his interstellar mission to save Earth from an astronomical catastrophe completely alone, until he meets a mysterious alien who has traveled light years to save his own species from the same fate.

Gosling and director’s Lord and Miller came out on stage to promote the film. “You are the first people to see ‘Project Hail Mary’ who aren’t my mom,” Gosling said.

Miller revealed that Grace travels to a destination 12 light years away.

The movie was first announced in May 2020, with Amy Pascal attached as a producer along with Gosling and Weir. Drew Goddard and Sarah Esberg will serve as executive producers, and Lord, Miller, Aditya Sood and Rachel O’Connor are also onboard as producers. This is Lord and Miller’s first live-action film since working on Star Wars film “Solo” before being replaced by Ron Howard.

While promoting the book in 2021, Weir admitted “I went waaaay down the rabbit hole on this one. Stuff like the math behind relativistic travel, time dilation, and fuel consumption is tons of fun for me. And I had to get a lot of astrophysics details figured out — stars’ exact behavior and how they work, and how astrophysicists do their jobs.”

 “Project Hail Mary” has set its liftoff for March 20, 2026.

The post ‘Project Hail Mary’ Trailer: Ryan Gosling Goes on a Suicide Mission to Save the Sun in Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Sci-Fi Spectacle appeared first on TheWrap.

Chris Hayes Says Trump’s Tariffs ‘Waterboarded’ America ‘for No Reason’: ‘I Have Never Seen Anything Like This | Video

Following Donald Trump’s announcement of massive tariffs — and the precipitous stock market drop directly caused by said announcement — MSNBC’s Chris Hayes weighed in, saying in the opening segment of Wednesday’s “All In” that he was “struggling to communicate just how nuts this all is” and likened it to the president having “waterboarded the economy.”

“Donald Trump is single handedly, unilaterally and for no reason, plunging America into economic crisis,” Hayes declared. “I have never seen anything like this at all in the decades I’ve covered politics.”

Hayes reminded viewers that Trump “promised to do this on the campaign trail, time and time and time again, and despite the many hopes and prayers and justifications among Wall Street traders and CEOs that it was all just campaign talk, guess what, Trump today announced he was imposing tariffs, national sales tax on imports, on everything the United States imports, plus additional taxes of double digits on everything coming to the US from dozens of others of countries.”

“This was essentially the worst case scenario,” Hayes added.

He then noted that if these tariffs actually go into effect, “prices of everything, and I mean smartphones, computers, cars, clothes, shoes, avocados, it’s all about to go up on everybody now,” before explaining how Trump waited until after the stock market closed for the day before announcing the tariffs in “an incoherent and genuinely worrying performance,” which “imposed a $6 trillion tax hike on Americans, something that I pretty sure has never been done in American history.”

Hayes then summed up the misleading claims Trump used to justify the tariffs, particularly the claim that the European Union already has a 39% tariff against the U.S.”

“It’s utter nonsense,” Hayes explained. “The European Union charges the US a 39% tariff. That’s obviously preposterous. It’s totally invented. We don’t even know where that number comes from.”

He added, “aside from the fact they made up all the numbers and completely fabricated this retaliation, economists are saying this will absolutely kill American growth. It’s going to lead to price inflation, a possible recession, possibly a combination of both the much feared stagflation.”

“In fact, before Trump’s announcement, lots of folks were trying to run the numbers, and the worst case scenario outlined by the credit rating agency Moody’s, which was a 20% blanket tariff on all imports, estimated up to 5.5 million job losses, which would send the unemployment rate up to 7%, the worst since Great Recession, and cause the country’s GDP to sink by 1.7%,” Hayes said.

“But today’s announcement appears to be in excess of that, the worst since COVID,” Hayes continued. “I should say again, I’m struggling to communicate just how nuts this all is. It’s really hard to get a sense of what this all adds up to.”

Y0u can watch the clip below:

The post Chris Hayes Says Trump’s Tariffs ‘Waterboarded’ America ‘for No Reason’: ‘I Have Never Seen Anything Like This | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Universal’s CinemaCon Presentation Focuses on What Works in Theaters: Sequels and Horror

A lot of the conversation at CinemaCon 2025 has been about trying to find the elusive answer to the question of how to get audiences back in theaters for films that aren’t franchises and horror…the sort of offerings that made up the vast majority of Universal’s CinemaCon presentation on Wednesday afternoon.

The presentation, which kicked off with an elegant, 50-piece live orchestra playing iconic Universal film scores and showcased everything from “Wicked: For Good” to “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” was a notable departure from Warner Bros.’ focus on risky original titles and Lionsgate’s attempts to strike a balance on expanding their franchises and offering some low budget originality. Universal’s message was about stability, offering titles that audiences know and which will likely provide reliable box office while the industry as a whole tries to figure out how to effectively bring variety back to the big screen in a way that the masses will buy tickets for.

Universal’s pitch to theaters began Wednesday morning with an advance screening of this June’s live-action remake of DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon.” If the studio’s confidence that fans of the animated film will turn out in droves to see Toothless ridden by a live-action Hiccup regardless of online grumblings wasn’t clear enough, series director Dean DeBlois was sent out to announce that a remake of “How to Train Your Dragon 2” has already been greenlit for a summer 2027 release.

Jonathan Bailey and Scarlett Johansson in “Jurassic World Rebirth.” (Universal Pictures)

That franchise focus continued with a presentation of “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” a bet that “Jurassic” fans hunger for dinosaur smashing is so unending that they can launch a brand new story led by Scarlett Johansson. Given that the three previous “Jurassic World” films all topped $1 billion, with the first “Jurassic World” holding the studio record, it’s a pretty easy bet to make.

The sequel focus continued across Universal’s stable of production companies. At Blumhouse, where several recent titles like “Wolf Man,” “The Woman in the Yard,” and “Night Swim” haven’t become breakout successes, the studio will turn to sequels of recent films that have broken out like “M3GAN,” “The Black Phone,” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which got the fans’ rabid fanbase excited when a new trailer dropped online as it was screened to exhibitors in Caesars Palace.

Other sequels include 87North’s followup to “Nobody” starring Bob Odenkirk, and DreamWorks’ animated “The Bad Guys 2,” which looks to build off the $250 million global theatrical run of its predecessor by bringing in families that saw the first film in theaters as well as others who may have seen the film on Peacock or premium on-demand.

And of course, there’s the biggest “sequel” of all: “Wicked: For Good,” the second part of Jon M. Chu’s record-setting Broadway adaptation. Universal took a big gamble on a massive marketing campaign rivaled only by “Barbie” in recent memory to get the world to come see Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande on the big screen, and now “Defying Gravity” has taken over the zeitgeist. The question now is only whether the second part of this duology can top the $747 million global run of last year’s film.

That’s not to say originality was completely absent. While Focus Features’ portion of the presentation also had a sequel with “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” the specialty division also showed off the latest from two critical darlings: Wes Anderson and Yorgos Lanthimos.

After Anderson’s “Asteroid City” found some traction with the Letterboxd crowd two years ago, the filmmaker has returned with his take on the spy genre in “The Phoenician Scheme.” Meanwhile, Lanthimos’ Emma Stone-led “Bugonia,” a film about a CEO kidnapped by a pair of conspiracy theorists, will take the early November release slot that Focus has used as a launch pad for recent Oscar contenders like “The Holdovers” and “Conclave.”

And among the horror sequels was “Him,” a Jordan Peele-produced film that takes the “rise and grind” mentality shown in every Nike and Gatorade sports ad and twists it, showing how a rising football star is coerced by that mentality into joining a satanic cult in which he must show he is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to achieve greatness.

One topic that wasn’t largely bypassed at the presentation was windowing, an issue that has been pressed by Cinema United CEO Michael O’Leary in his keynote speech and by many exhibitor attendees in industry panels and private conversations. While O’Leary advocated for theatrical windows to expand to 45 days, Universal has stuck by the deal they made with theater chains during the pandemic five years ago to exercise the option to release films on premium on-demand as early as 17 days after theatrical release, or 31 days if the domestic opening weekend exceeds $50 million.

In lieu of this, NBCUniversal Chairman Donna Langley reiterated many of the points she and other Universal execs have cited at past CinemaCons to show its faithfulness to theaters regardless of how it plans windows: its status as the studio with the highest wide release volume of any in Hollywood, its standing with the most films in the top 5 of the annual box office charts of any studio since 2021, and marketing campaigns that emphasize seeing the film in theaters and treat each title as a spectacle best enjoyed on the big screen.

“Our audiences are evolving and we need to work harder than ever to earn a share of their time and wallets,” Langley said. “There’s no question we continue to face an uphill climb, but it is one they will climb together.”

To that end, Universal’s president of domestic theatrical distribution, Jim Orr, praised Christopher Nolan’s “visionary take” on “The Odyssey,” which is currently in production and will be released in theaters next year. “We know this film will be a once-in-a-generation cinematic masterpiece that Homer himself would be very proud of,” he said, also tipping to Steven Spielberg’s mystery UFO film that Universal will release next summer too.

There was one brief mention of theatrical exclusivity during the presentation: Jason Blum, dressed as horror gaming icon Freddy Fazbear, acknowledged that “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was released simultaneously in theaters and on Peacock back in 2023, earning an $80 million opening despite that.

But the sequel to “FNAF,” set to liven up a historically quiet early December release period, will be released only in theaters. In a presentation that included a live orchestra, ScarJo jokes, and the return of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Blum’s assurance of that exclusivity got as much of an enthusiastic cheer as anything else.

The post Universal’s CinemaCon Presentation Focuses on What Works in Theaters: Sequels and Horror appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Wicked: For Good’: CinemaCon Trailer Shows an Oz Lost in Darkness

Universal put forth one of the biggest marketing campaigns this side of “Barbie” last year for “Wicked,” and it was rewarded with the biggest box office returns ever seen for a Broadway musical adaptation.

Now Elphaba and Glinda themselves, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, are back at CinemaCon with “Wicked: For Good,” director Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the second act of the legendary musical that tells the story behind the Wicked Witch of the West.

As anyone who has seen the musical knows, the second act is much darker than the first, filled with tragedy. The CinemaCon sneak peek showed this, as we return to an Oz lost in darkness, with Elphaba plotting to expose the manipulative Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) while Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) turns Glinda into a propaganda figure against her former friend.

In the first trailer shown exclusively at CinemaCon, we see Glinda in a white dress looking for Elphaba when she sees one of the windows of her penthouse suite crack. Elphaba is indeed there, out of hiding briefly as she plots her plan against the Wizard, leaving a message in the cloud that reads, “Our Wizard Lies” as part of her fierce plans.

Meanwhile, Fiyero has been promoted to captain of the Emerald City guard, a job he takes in the hopes of seeing Elphaba again. But his love takes a backseat as he is forcibly betrothed to Glinda, much to her delight and his chagrin.

And while tensions escalate, a certain young girl from Kansas lands in Oz and begins her famous journey, all while Madame Morrible watches from the shadows.

Originally called “Wicked: Part Two,” the film now takes its name from “For Good,” the song that captures the emotional climax of the film as Elphaba and Glinda reflect on the ways they have changed each other. The film is expected to be one of the highest grossing of the year, matching or perhaps exceeding the first film’s $747 million in global box office revenue.

“Wicked: For Good” hits theaters Nov. 21.

The post ‘Wicked: For Good’: CinemaCon Trailer Shows an Oz Lost in Darkness appeared first on TheWrap.

‘M3GAN’ Spinoff ‘SOULM8TE’ Footage Introduces an Adult Companion Bot

Jason Blum came out on the CinemaCon stage with new producing partner James Wan to introduce his new “M3GAN” sequel and its spinoff, “SOULM8TE.”

“We share a demented sensibility,” Blum said.

“This January, we invite you to meet Sarah, our new soulmate,” Wan added.

In the project’s first trailer screened at the event, a huge box is delivered containing a lifelike attractive adult android Sarah (Lily Sullivan) to a new owner. A series of quick shots ensue, “I love you,” the Soulm8te said.

“Nobody will ever know you like I do,” she added. Sarah attacks the girlfriend of the main character and she says, “Don’t come at me with this girl power s–t.”

“SOULM8TE,” another entry in the newly established “M3GAN” cinematic universe, stars “Evil Dead Rise” breakout star Lily Sullivan as its lead character.

In the Kate Dolan-directed thriller, Sullivan will play an artificially intelligent android purchased by a male character in the hopes that she will help alleviate the grief he feels after the death of his wife. Dolan also rewrote an original version of the script penned by Rafael Jordan (“Salvage Marines”), off a story by Jordan, Wan and Ingrid Bisu.

“SOULM8TE” is slated for January 2026, and will follow direct sequel “M3GAN 2.0,” which is set to premiere June 27.

The official logline is as follows: “A man acquires an artificially intelligent android to cope with the loss of his recently deceased wife. In an attempt to create a truly sentient partner, he inadvertently turns a harmless lovebot into a deadly soulmate.”

Aussie actress Sullivan gave a standout performance in Lee Cronin’s 2023 horror-fantasy “Evil Dead Rise,” in which she played Beth, a woman who comes back into her estranged sister’s life and is thrust into a journey to save her niece and nephew from their mother who was possessed by a flesh-eating demon.

Blum and Wan produced “SOULM8TE.” Michael Clear and Judson Scott, of Wan’s Atomic Monster banner, executive produced, along with Bisu. Alayna Glasthal is the executive overseeing the project.

The post ‘M3GAN’ Spinoff ‘SOULM8TE’ Footage Introduces an Adult Companion Bot appeared first on TheWrap.

Val Kilmer, Acclaimed Actor Known for ‘Tombstone’ and ‘Top Gun,’ Dies at 65

Val Kilmer, the celebrated actor known for intensely committing to his performances and for starring roles in films like “Tombstone,” “Top Gun,” “The Doors” and more, died Tuesday from complications of pneumonia. He was 65.

His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, made the news public.

A Los Angeles native born in 1959, Kilmer grew up in the San Fernando Valley and as a teenager set a record as the youngest student to be accepted into the Julliard school of Drama (the record was broken by Seth Numrich.)

Kilmer pursued a stage career when he started acting professionally in the early 80s, but launched his film career with “Top Secret!” a parody of both World War II dramas and musical comedies starring Elvis Presley directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, the team behind “Airplane!”

The film, though considered a bomb, showcased Kilmer’s matinee idol looks, impeccable comic timing but also his versatile singing voice, skills that defined much of his career over the next decade and change.

His next film was the science fiction/college comedy “Real Genius” in 1985, another flop that very quickly became a beloved cult classic celebrated in large part for Kilmer’s witty performance as a tortured, sarcastic math genius tricked into making weapons of war.

But it was Kilmer’s third film that served as his breakthrough, the Tom Cruise-starring blockbuster “Top Gun.” Kilmer played Iceman, the severe, by-the-book rival to Cruise’s Maverick. He reprised the role in the 2022 sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.”

This launched Kilmer into a decade of movie stardom he never seemed entirely comfortable with but nevertheless projects he threw his all into.

Among them, he played a rogueish swordsman in Ron Howard’s lighthearted 1987 fantasy film, “Willow,” delivered an uncannily accurate depiction as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic “The Doors,” gave a career-defining performance as John Henry “Doc” Holliday in the western “Tombstone” in 1993 and that same year practically stole “True Romance” out from under his castmates playing an imaginary Elvis who can only be seen by the main character, Clarence (Christian Slater).

His matinee idol years reached their peak in 1995, when he took over for Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman in 1995’s “Batman Forever.” That year he also appeared in Michael Mann’s legendary crime drama “Heat,” starred opposite Marlon Brando in the much-maligned cult classic adaptation of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” in 1996 and in 1997 toplined a blockbuster movie version of the 1960s British spy TV show “The Saint.”

Only getting busier in the 2000s, Kilmer’s output included major productions and more indie or outsider far, ranging from “Red Planet” (2000) and “The Salton Sea” (2002) to “Alexander” (2004), “Kiss Kiss Bang Band” (2005) and “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” (2009). All total, he appeared in at least 80 different films, alongside numerous TV appearances and occasional theatrical starring roles.

He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015, and though he was able to successfully treat it, it resulted in his voice being reduced to a rasp, and him requiring the use of an electric voice box when speaking in public. His struggle was detailed in the 2021 documentary “Val,” narrated by his son Jack.

Notably, his actual speaking voice was used in “Top Gun: Maverick,” though it was digitally adjusted for clarity.

Known for dating numerous famous women, Kilmer was married once, from 1988 to 1996 to Joanne Whalley, his co-star in “Willow.” They had two children, Mercedes and Jack.

The post Val Kilmer, Acclaimed Actor Known for ‘Tombstone’ and ‘Top Gun,’ Dies at 65 appeared first on TheWrap.

Cory Booker Says Voters ‘Very Understandably’ Angry at Democrats Inspired His Record Filibuster | Video

Shortly after the conclusion of his 25-hour filibuster on the Senate floor, New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker spoke to Rachel Maddow about why he decided to take that ultimately record-setting action.

Booker told Maddow it’s because he’s spoken to constituents “who were demanding, who were scared, who were angry, and very understandably taking that anger out on Democrats, who have to take some responsibility for being where we are in American history right now.”

“Those people were demanding to me to catch up, to try to do what they’re doing. This is really about folks leading from their hearts and deciding ‘I’m not going to just let business as usual go on in my life. And so I’m hoping that this is one part of a larger effort that tries to stop [Republicans] from doing what they’re about to do later this week or next week,” he said also.

Watch the full video below:

Maddow began the conversation by bringing viewers up to speed on the filibuster which, if you missed it, saw Booker speak for more than 25 hours on a range of topics. This included much criticism of Trump administration policies and Republicans, a detailed explanation of how Trump, enabled by Republicans, is acting unconstitutionally, and calling attention to various problems related to both.

She also noted that the previous filibuster record-holder was segregationist Strom Thurmond, the South Carolina Senator who spoke for 24 hours in an attempt to kill the 1957 Civil Rights Act. Then speaking to Booker she also recalled his Democratic Senate colleague Chris Murphy’s 2016 filibuster to force a vote on a gun safety bill.

Booker for his part said he was mindful of both of those things when planning for his marathon speaking session.

“When my team and I decided to do this, we just said, let’s take some risks. Let’s go out there and see how long we can last. And, to be candid, Strom Thurmond’s record always kind of just — just really irked me that he would be the longest speech, that the longest speech on our great Senate floor was someone who was trying to stop people like me from being in the Senate,” Booker said.

Maddow then asked Booker about how and why he decided to do this.

“I do really credit constituents who were impatient, who were demanding, who were scared, who were angry, and very understandably taking that anger out on Democrats, who have to take some responsibility for being where we are in American history right now,” Booker said.

“And so the more I thought about it with my team, especially after the decisions we made revolving around the continuing resolution,” he continued, the more he felt the need to do something public.

Incidentally, he was referring to the recent Trump-backed funding bill that most Democratic voters and even a large number of elected Democrats urged Senate Dems to filibuster, part of a larger call for Democratic leaders to more actively fight back against Trump. Instead, 9 Democrats led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer switched their support to the bill at the last minute, a decision that ultimately backfired badly for Schumer in particular and the party generally, inspiring the anger Booker mentioned. (Booker was not among the Senators who voted for the bill.)

“And to read from my staff people rendering their most personal stories about their fears or what’s happening to their families, and so my staff and I said, let’s try to bring those voices to the Senate floor. Let’s see how long you can last. They’re demanding something different. This will certainly be different,” Booker said also. “And I think that a lot of that energy from the folks that I have been seeing in Jersey and across this country really helped carry me through.”

Later in the conversation, Booker elaborated that “My constituents, the letters, the calls, the demands were definitely an ignition point for me, but we have got to continue to ignite this movement. The only thing that stopped Donald Trump from tearing away the Affordable Care Act was the engagement of tens of thousands of Americans who didn’t think they would become little lobbyists or activists or come down to the Capitol or protest in their communities.”

Americans, Booker said, are not “waiting for us in Congress to lead. They have decided to take matters into their own hands and do something different. Those people were demanding to me to catch up, to try to do what they’re doing. This is really about folks leading from their hearts and deciding I’m not going to just let business as usual go on in my life. And so I’m hoping that this is one part of a larger effort that tries to stop them from doing what they’re about to do later this week or next week.”

There’s more of course, and you can watch the full video above.

The post Cory Booker Says Voters ‘Very Understandably’ Angry at Democrats Inspired His Record Filibuster | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ‘The Bride!’ Sneak Peek Drops F-Bomb, Smashes Skulls

Warner Bros. has a lot of hope and belief in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!”, a highly stylized and brutally violent take on the tale of the Frankenstein Monster and his Bride set in Great Depression Chicago.

They have so much belief that earlier this month they moved the release date of the film back from fall to March 2026, the month from which they turned “Dune: Part Two” and “Godzilla x Kong” into major box office hits. To show theaters why they’re so hyped, film division chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca brought Gyllenhaal and star Jessie Buckley onstage to talk about the film and show the first trailer.

The trailer is incredibly brutal, opening with a slow-motion image of Buckley playing the Bride in the accident that killed her, her limbs slowly snapping and her body splayed out on the ground. She is then brought back to life, all memory of her past lost and black ooze pouring from her lips, much to the delight of the gruesomely stitched Frankenstein Monster, played by Christian Bale.

The trailer then shows the couple fighting to survive in a violent Chicago, with the Monster willing to kill anyone who dares threaten them. The Bride watches shocked as her horrific husband slams an attacker’s skull into a wall until blood is pouring down the wall, and as he stands triumphant over the corpse, he hisses, “Til death do us part.”

And just to punch home how in-your-face this film will be, here’s the tagline shown in bright orange letters: “Here. Comes. The. Fucking. Bride.”

In 1935, Elsa Lanchester played the famous Bride of Frankenstein in the Boris Karloff film of the same name, instantly becoming a timeless horror icon. But Gyllenhaal, who first got the idea for the film after being captivated by a man’s tattoo of the Bride, sees potential for that character to become something never seen before on the big screen.

“In the original, the Bride is in the movie for about three minutes and doesn’t speak, which could not be more different than ours,” she said. “I’m really interested in monsters and I think that all of us have a little aspect of something monstrous in us. Monsters in our movie do monstrous things, but they’re also our heroes.”

“The Bride!” will stomp into theaters on March 6, 2026.

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New ‘Superman’ Footage Has CinemaCon Crowd Flying High

DC Studios Chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran hit the CinemaCon stage on Tuesday to introduce new footage from the upcoming “Superman.”

The presentation starts with behind the scenes footage and a sizzle reel of the first day of shooting Superman in Norway. “They’re launching a new era,” Nathan Fillion who plays Guy Gardner in the film says in the clip.

“It is great to be back at CinemaCon,” Gunn said. Gunn introduced David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult as they hit the main stage.

“Back in 2018 I was first offered Superman and I thought ‘Oh, I don’t know if I want to do that, it’s so hard.’ But then they said ‘We want you to do ‘Suicide Squad,’ and I decided to do that since I knew how to do that?'” Gunn said.

He added: “One day, I think it just sort of hit me what I wanted to do, creating a story that was utterly human and utterly fantastic at the same time. And I think we created a film that bounces between those two poles.”

Gunn was especially excited for audiences to see “the flying dog, the giant kaiju, the pocket universes, all the things that were in the classic Max Fleischer cartoons.”

“I was on a set, and David, dressed as Superman, is flying into the set. It felt like I was experiencing the magic of cinema in first person,” Hoult said. “I’m supposed to be Lex and I’m supposed to hate him, but I’m feeling this little warmth in my tummy.”

“I’m just having that moment over and over again,” Brosnahan said. “I remember having a scene where we are filming at night with the moon shining down and the cape is flowing. I just turned to David and I said, ‘Dude…you’re fucking Superman!'”

“If you’ve ever read a comic, you know who Superman is and what that symbol means and what it stands for,” Corenswet said. “There have been so many writers and directors who have excavated different parts of that character…it just feels like you’re riding a tidal wave of good vibes and great creative choices, so maybe you just want to bring that first experience to a new generation of audiences and show them what made the rest of us fall in love with that character in the first place.”

The sneak peek starts in the arctic where Superman crashes into the ice previously seen in the trailer. An elated Krypto arrives and kicks around an injured Superman. “Home,” Superman tells the pooch as the music kicks in and Krypto takes Superman home. The Fortress of Solitude is revealed.

Krypto barks at the security gate at the front entrance. Four robots arrive to help Superman and bring him inside the fortress. Superman is dosed with the sun’s radiation, the John Williams score kicks in, a longer trailer ensues and Superman scolds Krypto for making a mess inside the fortress. “Stay,” Superman says as he flies off.

Kicking off DC’s revamped slate and directed by James Gunn, the film is set to hit screens this July. It follows Superman (David Corenswet) as he tries to balance his alien Kryptonian background with his human upbringing. Along with directing, Gunn also wrote the script, using characters originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

“Superman” opens in theaters on July 11, 2025.

The post New ‘Superman’ Footage Has CinemaCon Crowd Flying High appeared first on TheWrap.