Author: Deadline

The first Bad Guys (2022) stood out for several reasons, primarily for a voice cast that sounded like the most stellar Sundance movie ever. The reason it worked, however, is that it capitalized on parent fatigue, replacing the black-and-white lecturing of the average Disney morality tale with subversive shades of grey, asking kids to root for a criminal gang of animals that, for a time, are only pretending to reform (until they inevitably do for real). This premise immediately sets up a tricky double negative for the sequel: where do they go next? By pretending not to have not reformed…

EXCLUSIVE: Vampires, Daywalkers, Zombies, Werewolves, Aliens — oh my! Disney’s Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires is keeping kids and families entertained this summer, raking in 9.3M views globally in its first 10 days on Disney+, Deadline can reveal exclusively. That adds to an already impressive viewing total for the franchise. Per Disney, the Zombies movies have generated over a quarter of a billion streaming hours to-date, making it one of the most popular Disney Channel Original Movie franchises on Disney+. “With an electrifying story, a chart-topping soundtrack, and major buzz across streaming and social, Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires…

Hot off her first Emmy and Golden Globe nomination for her starring role in HBO’s The Penguin, Cristin Milioti has inked a deal to star in Buddy, a new film from Too Many Cooks helmer Casper Kelly, Deadline has confirmed. Written by Kelly and Jaime King (World’s Best), the film’s plot is being kept under wraps, but it’s been described as a “new experience in horror.” Production is underway, with J.D. Lifshitz & Raphael Margules producing for BoulderLight (Companion, Friendship), alongside Tyler Davidson & Drew Sykes for Low Spark Films (Emily The Criminal, Take Shelter), which co-financed the project —…

EXCLUSIVE: It was clear back in the mid-1990s when New Line made the first adaptation of the Midway videogame, and it’s still evident today: There’s a massive appetite for Mortal Kombat. WaveMetrix data reports that the latest trailer for the Simon McQuoid sequel has notched 106.8M worldwide views in its first 24 hours after being dropped on Thursday, July 17 at 9AM PST — the best ever for a red-band trailer. The trailer launched in 68 countries and 47 languages. Mortal Kombat II opens on Oct. 24. The previous McQuoid movie back in 2021 was also a red trailer record-breaker,…

When it comes to the future of Marvel Studios, which has taken its licks this year with misfires Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World, the No. 1 superhero box office brand isn’t letting up. Marvel Studios producer and president Kevin Feige hosted a sit down with the press at Marvel’s Burbank HQ, gesturing toward a series of locked doors in a meeting room. “It’s a seven-year plan,” teases Feige, “I think it goes to 2032.” “It’s on magnets, it can move around.” Feige is particularly chipper, for even though Marvel is skipping San Diego Comic-Con this year as they…

Having risen to fame in the late ’90s, Jennifer Love Hewitt was among the many starlets caught in the crosshairs of bubblegum misogyny in the early aughts, particularly when it came to tabloid media and paparazzi. In a sprawling profile with Vulture tied to the return of scream queen Julie James in the legacy sequel I Know What You Did Last Summer, Hewitt said she only recently realized she experienced sexism en masse while viewing the documentary Framing Britney Spears, which exposes the harsh treatment the singer received from the public and media at the height of her fame and…

With Natasha Lyonne joining a franchise based on a beloved ’80s childhood classic, the Smurfs star was up for any role. The 2x Golden Globe nominee revealed how she got the voice role of Mama Poot in the new animated feature adaptation, which is now in theaters, and how she feels about comparisons to the character. “So, they said, ‘You wanna be a Smurf in a Smurfs picture?’ It’s an email, I say, reply all, ‘Sure, who doesn’t?’ I mean, it’s not Strawberry Shortcake, but I’ll take it,” she recounted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Fallon confirmed, “Oh,…

KPop Demon Hunters, released June 20 and, at 80 million views, one of Netflix’s biggest animated films ever with chart-topping music to boot, had co-CEO Ted Sarandos singing its praises today. The film “is a phenomenal success out of the gate. One of the things that I’m excited, really proud of the team over, is [that it’s] original animation — not a sequel, not a live action remake. Original animation … is very tough and has been struggling for years.” Leo, The Sea Beast and now Kpop Demon Hunters are original animation and “we’re super thrilled about that,” he said…

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a young talent to watch: Eight-year-old Arabella Olivia Clark (Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere) has landed the lead role in Other Mommy, Universal and Atomic Monster‘s new supernatural horror film from director Rob Savage. Clark joins a cast that includes the previously announced Jessica Chastain, Jay Duplass, and Dichen Lachman. Based on the book Incidents Around the House by Bird Box‘s Josh Malerman, the film centers on eight-year-old Bela (Clark), who lives in a home strained by her parents’ troubled marriage, only to see her life further upended by a sinister entity she calls “Other Mommy.” When this…

EXCLUSIVE: The genre maestros at BoulderLight Pictures (Barbarian) and Divide/Conquer (Heart Eyes) are teaming on Amityville, a radical new spin on the famed haunted house story for a new generation, sources tell Deadline. Joseph and Vanessa Winter, the married writer-director duo behind the excellent SXSW found footage horror movie Deadstream, are set to direct from their own script. Plot details are under wraps. But Raphael Margules & J.D. Lifshitz will produce for BoulderLight, alongside Adam Hendricks & Greg Gilreath for Divide/Conquer. Given that BoulderLight has been under a first-look deal with New Line since 2023, that will be the filmmakers’ first…