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Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahn have joined Paul Rudd and Jack Black in a darkly comic reimagining of 1997’s Anaconda.

The new, blacky comic and somewhat meta-sounding Anaconda reboot is currently filming in Queensland, Australia, and from the production comes a new bit of casting. Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, Ione Skye and Selton Mello have all been added to the line-up, which is already headlined by Jack Black and Paul Rudd.

The new Anaconda is being directed by Tom Gormican, who previously made The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent – an action comedy that doubled as a knowing retrospective on its star Nicolas Cage and his acting career. Judging by the story details from the production so far, Gormican’s Anaconda (stop chortling at the back) has a similar post-modern edge.

As revealed last October, the new take is about a pair of filmmakers (Black and Rudd) who set off to...

Mufasa: The Lion King is continuing to roar its way to success. The latest Lion King movie has thrived in a slow January, competing against a small field consisting of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Nosferatu, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, and several other new releases. Wolf Man and One of Them Days were poised to top the box office over the holiday weekend. Even with Martin Luther King Day offering a chance for a booming box office, it has been a slow week. Still, despite only a trickle at the box office, Disney's lions are thriving.

According to a report by Variety, the Lion King prequel is expected to end the weekend with $209.8 million domestically and $588.4 million worldwide. With that total, it has officially become the 10th 2024 movie to reach the $200 million milestone domestically. It sits ahead of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which earned $196 million, and just behind Sonic 3's $218 million total.

Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahn have joined the cast of 'Anaconda'.The 'Westworld' actress and the 'Silo' actor will join Paul Rudd and Jack Black in the action comedy, directed by Tom Gormican and co-written by Gormican and Kevin Etten.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Selton Mello will make his English-language debut in the film and Ione Skye will also star.The movie is a reimagining of 'Anaconda', the cult classic 1997 horror movie which featured Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Jonathan Hyde, and Owen Wilson.The original film told the story of a documentary film crew in the Amazon rainforest led by a snake hunter, who was hunting a legendary green anaconda. According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources previously revealed the new version could see a group of friends head to the rainforest to remake a film from their younger years, only for giant snakes,...

Four more stars have joined the cast of the upcoming Anaconda reboot movie!

Back in August 2024, it was revealed that a comedic re-imagining of the 1997 horror movie was in the works from Columbia Pictures with Tom Gormican directing and collaborating on the script.

Now on Friday (January 17), it was announced that Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahn have signed on to star in the new movie.

Keep reading to find out more…The 52-year-old Westworld actress and the 57-year-old White Lotus actor – along with I’m Still Here actor Selton Mello and Beef actress Ione Skye – will be starring in the comedic re-imagining alongside previously announced stars Paul Rudd and Jack Black, The Hollywood Reporter announced.

It has already been revealed that the new version of the story will center on “a group of friends facing mid-life crises who are remaking their favorite movies from their youth.”

Find out more about the project here!

Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, Ione Skye and Selton Mello round out the cast of Sony Pictures’ new reimagined “Anaconda” movie, according to an insider with knowledge of the project.

The comedy stars Paul Rudd and Jack Black based on the action horror film series.

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” writers Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten wrote the screenplay, with Gormican attached to direct. “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “Tomb Raider” screenwriter Evan Daugherty wrote the previous draft of the script.

Brad Fuller and Andrew Form are producing via their Fully Formed banner.

“Anaconda” which is currently in production in Australia, is supported by the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy.

The 1997 original starred Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Ice Cube and Eric Stoltz, along with a very over-the-top Jon Voight.

The original followed a documentary film crew on their trek through the Amazon when they come across a stranded,...

The Anaconda franchise is snaking its way back to theaters this holiday season, and the cast continues to grow. THR reports today that Thandiwe Newton (“Westworld”) and Steve Zahn have joined the comedic reimagining of the 1997 action horror movie.

Sony’s Anaconda is set to release in theaters on December 25, 2025.

Selton Mello, making his English-language debut, and Ione Skye (Zodiac) have also joined the cast that includes Jack Black, Paul Rudd (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), and Daniela Melchior.

The plot is said to follow “a group of friends facing mid-life crises who are remaking their favorite movie from their youth. They head to the rainforest, only to find themselves in a fight for their lives against natural disasters, giant snakes, and violent criminals.”

The new cast additions also bring new character details. Black is set to play a director stuck in his job as a wedding videographer, and Rudd stars as...

The comedic reimagining of Anaconda is now shooting in Australia, and THR reports that Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahan will be joining Paul Rudd and Jack Black for a little snake wrangling. Selton Mello (Bury Your Dead) and Ione Skye (Zodiac) have also joined the cast.

The new Anaconda movie “involves a group of friends facing mid-life crises who are remaking their favorite movie from their youth. They head to the rainforest only to find themselves into a fight for their lives against natural disasters, giant snakes and violent criminals.“

Black plays an “erstwhile director, a man stuck in his job as a wedding videographer,” with Rudd playing “an actor who did a stint on a cop show but sees his Hollywood dreams slipping further and further away.” Newton and Zahn play the pair’s childhood friends who join them on this adventure, with Mello playing a Brazilian animal wrangler...

Thandiwe Newton, who starred in HBO’s acclaimed Westworld, and Silo actor Steve Zahn have been swallowed up by Anaconda, Columbia’s comedic reimagining of the 1997 horror movie that launched a mini-franchise.

Selton Mello, who appears in Brazilian awards season hopeful I’m Still Here, and Ione Sky have also joined the feature that stars by Paul Rudd and Jack Black. Mello will be making his English-language debut with the action comedy.

Tom Gormican, who directed the Nicolas Cage meta movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, is co-writing with collaborator Kevin Etten and will direct the feature.

The original movie starred Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Ice Cube and Jon Voight, and followed a National Geographic film crew hunting for the world’s largest and deadliest snake, only to find the tables turned.

The new story, according to sources, involves a group of friends facing mid-life crises who are remaking their favorite movie from their youth.

The impressive recent box office performance of Mufasa: The Lion King sets Disney up for a live-action Lion King sequel in the near future. Directed by Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins, Mufasa: The Lion King not only follows the origin story of Mufasa, Simba's father, but also Scar, Mufasa's brother who ran astray. Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) leads the cast of Mufasa: The Lion King alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and Thandiwe Newton.

While Mufasa: The Lion King didn't make nearly as much at the worldwide box office as its 2019 predecessor, it was still one of the highest-grossing blockbusters of 2024. 2019's The Lion King directed by Jon Favreau remains one of the highest-grossing movies of all time with its whopping $1.662 billion box office total. Remarkably, The Lion King wasn't even the top-performing film of that historic year at the box office (Avengers: Endgame...

Mufasa: The Lion King has just crossed a new box office milestone, beating Emma Stone's Oscar-winning film to enter a prestigious top-10 list. Directed by Barry Jenkins, the Lion King prequel movie chronicles Mufasa's origin as he embarks on an epic journey with fellow lion Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. Mufasa reviews have been generally mixed from critics, but the film has fared generally well with audiences, becoming a box office success.

New data from The Numbers now reveals that Mufasa has grossed $542 million worldwide, surpassing La La Land ($506M) to become the tenth highest-grossing movie musical of all time. This worldwide total comprises $189 million domestic and $352 million from overseas territories. The Lion King prequel currently falls short of titles like The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, and Wonka. Check out the full top 10 list and their worldwide totals below:

Top 10 Highest-Highest Grossing Musical Movies

Rank

Title...

The 2025 science-fiction horror movie Companion provides a darkly humorous take on Westworld's premise. Inspired by Michael Crichton's 1973 Westworld movie, the HBO show aired for four seasons from 2016-2022. The series takes place in a future where guests are able to interact with and do as they please with humanoid robots, known as hosts, in a park known as Westworld. This status quo is upended when the hosts begin to gain awareness of their horrifying reality, which leads to Westworld's many memorable plot twists.

Like Westworld, Companion takes place in a future where humans have the ability to misuse humanoid robots. The Boys' cast member Jack Quaid plays Josh, a disturbed individual who abuses his sex robot, Iris (Sophie Thatcher). The trailers show Josh lighting Iris' hand on fire and smiling as he watches the flames. Similar to Westworld's hosts, Iris eventually becomes aware of her situation,...

In 2024, Naomi J. Ogama revealed that she will not be returning for Wednesday season 2, leaving many to wonder what happened with the actress. Back in 2022, Ogama portrayed the character Yoko in Wednesday season 1. Though not as pivotal of a supporting character as Enid, or even Bianca, Yoko added depth to Nevermore Academy via her identity as a vampire. With iconic round glasses and sharp fangs, Yoko hinted at an even wider world of outcasts, that unfortunately, will not be explored upon Wednesday season 2's premiere.

Ogama's departure comes at an interesting time for Wednesday. Nearly three years after the first season's premiere, audiences are still waiting for the next season. Considering how much time has passed, it's no surprise that Wednesday's cast is changing. Not only are certain actors not returning for the latest installment, but new talents have also been recruited. Just as Ogama is exiting the series, actors like Steve Buscemi,...

Actress Scarlett Johansson finally escaped our long-running photo gallery of the greatest living actresses to never receive an Oscar nomination. And she did it in grand style by picking up two for her 2019 films “Marriage Story” and “Jojo Rabbit.” Just recently, Kirsten Dunst had been in our gallery for years and then earned her first Academy Award bid for “The Power of the Dog.” Jamie Lee Curtis was fortunately removed from the gallery with not only a nomination but win for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Emily Blunt was finally nominated for “Oppenheimer” years after winning her first SAG Award for “A Quiet Place.”

In 2014, “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston looked like a lock to receive her first Academy Award nomination for “Cake,” following citations at the Golden Globes, SAG, and Broadcast Film Critics. Yet on Oscar morning, the Emmy-winner was left out. Aniston’s “Friends” costar and fellow Emmy-victor Lisa Kudrow...

Wednesday season 2 is set to be a darker show, more interesting show, with Jenna Ortega's character becoming fully realized. Viewers can expect a deeper dive into the Addams Family dynamics, a more prominent role for horror, and a renewed focus on Wednesday's friendships, all while maintaining the show's signature gothic charm, as seen in a first Wednesday season 2 images.

Some Wednesday characters will not be returning to the series, but the show will also welcome a lot of new characters. While not much is known about Wednesday season 2's story, expectations are high for it to be one of the biggest shows of 2025, and many signs point to it delivering. From a great new cast to changes in the tone of the show, Wednesday season 2 is shaping up to be even better than the first season.

Wednesday Season 2 Will Be More Cinematic A Potential Evolution Beyond The Show's Teen-Focused...

It’s 2025, and the second season of Netflix’s hit show Wednesday is on its way! Filming wrapped up in Ireland recently, and the show is set to return later this year. While we already know quite a bit about the upcoming season, there are some new cast members to look out for, as has been revealed officially.

Over the holiday break, more details about supporting and minor characters were revealed. The cast lineup is expanding, with several new actors joining Jenna Ortega and the rest of the crew.

Netflix is already ramping up its marketing for the season, though we don’t have an official release date yet. A teaser was even featured during the NFL Games on Christmas Day.

We now know that Liv Spencer from Kaos and Knightfall will play a character named Varicose. Neri Zaccardelli steps in as Stassa, while Andrew Macklin, known from Doctor Who,...

Mufasa: The Lion King Box Office (Worldwide): Beats The Wild Robot ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Mufasa: The Lion King is performing steadily at the box office. It recently crossed the $100 million mark at the US box office and $300 million worldwide. In the process, the Disney animation has now surpassed The Wild Robot’s global haul and is closer to entering the top 15 highest-grossing films of 2024. Scroll below for the deets.

The Wild Robot was not only critically acclaimed but also a financial success. It came out in September this year along with Transformers One but outperformed it at the box office. Dreamworks Animation featured an ensemble voice cast that included Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames.

The movie premiered at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival and was made on an estimated budget of $78 million. It...

There is a long-hidden secret formula in the film industry that lets Hollywood choose which stars to raise among the litany of struggling and aspiring actors. Tom Cruise is one such movie star who has almost a messianic quality to his career, fame, success, and popularity.

The fact was further proven when his love for the entertainment business propelled him to save the theatrical distribution system, thus saving Hollywood, after the global pandemic.

Mission: Impossible 2 [Credit: Paramount Pictures]

However, such an overbearing love for the industry has often led Cruise to cross a line and overstep where he isn’t meant to. Jumping off cliffs and dangling from a Boeing aside, the fanatic in Tom Cruise has sometimes taken his love for the filmmaking business and turned it into a weird obsession. Naturally, not all directors took kindly to his attitude… for obvious reasons.

Tom Cruise Gets Too Bossy on...

One of Hollywood’s most promising names in the past decade has been Lin-Manuel Miranda. After his stunning success on Broadway, dozens of films have called up the songwriter for his expertise. This has been great for the musician and actor, who racked up an Emmy win, five Emmy nominations, and two Oscar nominations since 2017. Miranda’s latest contribution to Disney comes with Mufasa: The Lion King. Building on the foundation of Disney’s iconic franchise, Miranda finds himself in the Oscar race once again. Meanwhile, with visual effects awards in flux, Mufasa hopes to hear its name on Oscar nomination morning in more than one category.

(L-r): Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre), Eshe (Thandiwe Newton), and Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) in Disney’s live-action Mufasa: The Lion King. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved. Related Mufasa: The Lion King’s First Reviews Are Disney...

Lin-Manuel Miranda initially pitched a dancehall-inspired villain song for Mads Mikkelsen’s character Kiros in “Mufasa: The Lion King,” an idea that was perhaps a bit too “counterintuitive” in the end.

Asked whether any tracks didn’t make the cut, the Grammy, Tony and Emmy award-winner, who wrote and co-produced all of the film’s original songs, revealed to TheWrap that his party-banger pitch ultimately gave way to “Bye Bye.”

“One of the things I pitched that wasn’t necessarily spelled out in the script was a song for our bad guy — I really wanted to write a good villain song for Barry [Jenkins], and I called him and I said, ‘This is going to sound crazy,'” Miranda told TheWrap.

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“‘Mads Mikkelsen,’ who’s, like, one of our great movie villains in a lot of his roles, ‘like I’m hearing like a dancehall beat under his voice. I know...

Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Dec 20-22) Total gross to date Week 1. Mufasa: The Lion King (Disney) £4.4m £4.4m 1 2. Wicked (Universal) £2.5m £48.2m 5 3. Moana2 (Disney) £2.1m £29.8m 4 4. Paddington In Peru (Studiocanal) £649,278 £31.3m 7 5. Gladiator II (Paramount) £495,000 £29.6m 6

Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.26

Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King hit the top spot in its first weekend on release at the UK-Ireland box office, bringing in £4.4m from 663 venues, for a site average of £6,637, with a few sites still to report.

The result does not match up to the film’s predecessor, 2019’sThe Lion King, which opened on £16.7m, the second highest-opening...

Mufasa: The Lion King has divided critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, similar to the 2019 remake. Directed by Barry Jenkins, the prequel once again employs photorealism and tells the story of Mufasa, eventual king of the Pride Lands, and Taka, who later becomes Scar. The movie, released on December 20, brings back several voice actors, including Donald Glover and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, but adds Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Aaron Pierre, and Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Now that Mufasa: The Lion King has premiered in theaters, the scores on Rotten Tomatoes reveal a disconnect. The Popcornmeter, currently at 89%, is a noticeable contrast from the critic-based Tomatometer, which only stands at 57%. This kind of division happened back in 2019 as well, when critical reception of The Lion King was negative, but audiences gave the movie an 88% on the aggregator.

What Contrasting Reviews Mean For Mufasa: The Lion King Critics And Audiences Appreciate Different Things...

Mufasa: The Lion King Box Office (North America): Release Day Update(Photo Credit – YouTube)

While Sonic 3 is headed for a splendid debut at the US box office, Mufasa: The Lion King is expected to come below the predicted range. The Disney flick has a lower rating than Sonic the Hedgehog 3, as well. Previously, it was expected to earn between $177-$192 million worldwide in its debut weekend, but that number has now drastically decreased. Keep scrolling for the deets.

Mufasa received an A- on CinemaScore, and the Rotten Tomatoes score included a score of 57% for critics, while the audience gave it 89%. The musical drama by Barry Jenkins has an incredible voice cast with Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and John Kani reprising their roles from the previous movie. The new cast included Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose,...

Plot: The origin of Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre), the future lion king who, as a cub, is separated from his family and taken into the pride as an outsider, only for him to prove himself the most truly worthy heir to the throne.

Review: Here’s the funny thing about the 2019 remake of The Lion King – it might be one of the most successful films ever to leave virtually no cultural footprint. Think about it – the movie grossed an insane $1.6 Billion. Usually, that would have been enough to propel it into becoming a monster franchise. Still, thanks to Covid and the basic state of the industry, it’s taken over five years for us to get a follow-up, and it seems likely to only gross a fraction of what the original film did. Frankly, as successful as the Jon Favreau film was, people still think of the cartoon when...

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, Preston Nyman, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, John Kani

Director: Barry Jenkins

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Review Out ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

What’s Good: The film’s visual fidelity is impressive, making it look like real animals are being filmed.

What’s Bad: The film lacks any meaningful justification for its existence, making the story feel rushed and slow. There is no clear vision.

Loo Break: The music numbers are a low point in the film, so if you need a break, the start of a song is the perfect signal to go for one.

Watch or Not?: Sadly, this movie is a big pass, but there are better movies to watch during the holidays.

Language: English (with subtitles).

Available On: Theatrical release

Runtime:...

Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King roars into 663 cinemas in an otherwise quiet weekend for new releases at the UK and Ireland box office.

The animated sequel will be looking to at least match the record-breaking success of its predecessor, 2019’s The Lion King. That film, a remake of the 1994 original, opened on £16.7m in one of the biggest debut weekends for either an animation or a PG-rated title. It ended on £76m and is the 13th highest-grossing film of all time in the UK and Ireland.

Mufasais a prequel that tells the origin story of the eponymous lion. As a lonely and lost cub,...

With Christmas less than a week away, the “Mouse House” has decided to send another family-friendly flick into the multiplexes to share space with its recent “box-office behemoth” Moana 2 (which is still in the number one spot). Oh, and this is somewhat of a sequel, too. When the Marvel Cinematic Universe made a huge cinematic splash, many studios wanted to create their own versions of a “brand”. Naturally Warner Brothers had their DC Comics line (which is getting a big “re-do”) and Universal keeps attempting a “Dark Universe’ based on those classic monsters (The Wolf Man is on the way next year). And though Marvel is a partner, Disney itself is “getting into the act” with their legacy of classic animated tales, the twist being that they’re being remade in “live-action”. This new film is unique in that it is “technically” an animated film with pixels replacing the...

The worst (and far and away the most profitable) of the pre-pandemic cycle of pointless Disney remakes, Jon Favreau’s The Lion King swapped out the colorful and dynamic animation of the original for tediously unimaginative photorealism, turning the cartoon musical into a drab safari of blank-eyed, celebrity-voiced African wildlife.

Jon Favreau’s photorealistic remake of The Lion King from 2019, like many of the other various live-action Disney remakes over the years, offered no real justification for its existence beyond being a showcase for the impressive technology powering the animation. Which makes Barry Jenkins’s Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to 1994’s The Lion King, all the more impressive for actually having something worthwhile to impart to audiences.

Mufasa, unbound by having to recreate large swaths of the original Lion King whole cloth, was clearly allowed to be a product of its director. Yes, it features big cats that talk and sing, but it’s fundamentally the story of an orphan, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), who transcends hardship to lead those in his community. By forging a closer relationship with his loving adoptive mother, Afia (Anika Noni Rose), rather than his abusive adoptive father, Obasi (Lennie James), Mufasa develops the...

Barry Jenkins brings his signature storytelling magic to Mufasa: The Lion King, a visually stunning and emotionally charged prequel to Disney’s beloved The Lion King franchise.

Unlike the 2019 remake, Mufasa benefits from its freedom to tell an entirely original story, unburdened by comparisons to the iconic and much-loved 1994 classic. This creative liberty allows Jenkins to explore themes of family, loyalty and destiny without the looming shadow of nostalgia. The result is a film that feels both respectful of its roots as well as able to stand on its own two feet. In turn, this solidifies Disney’s efforts to shift their live-action strategy toward original narratives within existing franchises.

Mufasa’s journey unfolds as a young lion adrift after being separated from his parents, finding sanctuary within a royal pride. There, he forms an unbreakable bond with the heir to the throne, Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Their childhood friendship...

Long before he ruled over everything the light touches, lead creatures from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope, and issued proclamations with the gravitas of a CNN-tagline announcer, Mufasa the lion king was just a lion cub. He, too, had parents that loved and nurtured him, and spoke of a future in which the sun rose and set on paradise. Mufasa would also experience great tragedy and great adventures, betrayal and romance, tests of bravery and the opportunity to sing Broadway-friendly show tunes. For so long, he was...

The first thing you see on screen in Mufasa: The Lion King, Disney’s latest attempt to squeeze another billion or so out of its gift that keeps on giving on stage and screen, is a dedication to the late, great James Earl Jones, who of course provided the regal voice of Mufasa in both the classic 1994 animated film, and its 2019 live-action remake. It is also a reminder that it would be near impossible to try to replace the presence of Jones, and smartly — especially if you are hellbent on adding to the franchise — director Barry Jenkins and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson have not tried to do that.

Instead what we have is an origin tale, the harrowing journey of a seemingly orphaned cub Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins voicing the young version) trying to survive the elements on his own after being separated from his parents due to a sudden raging river taking him on top of,...

A noticeable uneasiness burdens Mufasa: The Lion King, the most recent artifact of Disney’s avaricious intellectual property mining. The bemoaned follow-up to Jon Favreau’s condemned 2019 live-action remake of the beloved 1994 film, Mufasa probes the principled lion’s biography and explains his lethal feud with his brother Scar. But the Barry Jenkins-directed project is mostly a site of strained encounters between a visionary helmer and his corporate shareholders.

This kind of confrontation is familiar. In a cinematic landscape laden with diluted IP projects, Jenkins is hardly the first filmmaker working as a cog in a billion-dollar machine. With a clear profit motive, Disney has dedicated itself to supplanting their 2D animation catalog with “live-action” remakes, sequels and prequels. While a few have found mild success with audiences, most have been fairly rejected on grounds of pointlessness. These movies, which are being churned out at a dizzying clip, are mostly exercises in risk aversion.

“Mufasa: The Lion King” is exactly what you’d expect from a photorealistic Disney prequel/sequel directed by indie filmmaker Barry Jenkins. In other words, our guy lost.

As insecure as its title, the House of Mouse’s latest spin-off of an animated classic comes from the Oscar winner behind the moody, R-rated masterpiece “Moonlight.” Jenkins’ pivot to a big-budget, kid-friendly project for a major studio was always intriguing. But in hindsight, it’s hard to imagine he ever really stood a chance at revolutionizing from within Disney’s so-called “live-action” money machine.

A busy-yet-bland franchise addition, “Mufasa” serves as the latest chronicle of the same lion-based events seen in Jon Favreau’s divisive “The Lion King” from 2019. Although critically disliked, that film made $1.65 billion at the worldwide box office by staying mostly faithful to the original movie in a ground-breaking visual style. It attached a roster of A-list talent,...

Founded in 1972 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, Aardman Animations has become renowned for its clay-based stop-motion animation, blending visual artistry with a distinctive wit. Over the course of more than 50 years of production, Aardman has left an indelible mark on the world of animation, standing as a leading example of practical, handcrafted visual art in an age dominated by digital filmmaking. Aardman’s influence is far-reaching and their craft extends beyond technical innovation, showcasing animation as a powerful art form in its own right.

What distinguishes Aardman is its masterful blend of wit and heart and their films often mix slapstick comedy with clever dialogue, creating multi-layered stories that have resonated with audiences of all ages. Beyond the humor, many Aardman films address deeper themes such as friendship, resilience, and the importance of creativity as their characters frequently overcome obstacles in order to create a greater sense of community.

Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, “Mufasa: The Lion King” enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.

The film features an all-star roster of talent, including Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., John Kani, Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, Preston Nyman, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Blue Ivy Carter, Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu,...

There’s meta and then there’s meta meta.

The latest indie feature from director/actress Alexi Pappas mocks the very idea of creating…well, anything. Pappas and Jeremy Teicher helm “Not An Artist” from a script they co-wrote with “Veep” alum Matt Walsh, who also stars.

“Not An Artist” centers on a artist-in-residency program overseen by an enigmatic patron (RZA) who may or may not be a cult leader. Per the official synopsis, the film follows “artists in turmoil who face a make-or-break ultimatum: unlock their full creative potential or abandon art forever. Yet, the unexpected intrusion of an outsider (Walsh) jeopardizes the program’s delicate balance.”

Haley Joel Osment, Rosalind Chao, Cleopatra Coleman, Paul Lieberstein, and Robert Schwartzman, whose Utopia is releasing the film, also star. Schwartzman founded Utopia in 2019, and has distributed films such as “Divinity” and “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,” and contributed marketing...

No stranger to the prequel business, this evening Disney arrived in London to showcase their big Christmas movie – Mufasa: The Lion King, their prequel to The Lion King.

Directed by Barry Jenkins, the voice cast includes Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, a lion prince with a bright future who accepts Mufasa into his family as a brother, Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, Kagiso Lediga as Young Rafiki, Preston Nyman as Zazu, Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, a formidable lion with big plans for his pride, Thandiwe Newton as Taka’s mother, Eshe, Lennie James as Taka’s father, Obasi, Anika Noni Rose as Mufasa’s mother, Afia, Keith David as Mufasa’s father, Masego, John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba.

The movie hits cinemas on December 20th. Colin Hart and Ethan Hart were on the red carpet, here are their interviews.

Enter our contest by following the link at the bottom of this page for your chance to win a pair passes to a preview of the new film Mufasa: The Lion King on Monday, December 16, 2024 at 7:00pm at the AMC Forum 30 theater!

Synopsis: Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, “Mufasa: The Lion King” enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka — the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny — their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.

About The Film

Genre: Action/Adventure,...

Mufasa: The Lion King Early Reactions(Photo Credit – YouTube)

Mufasa: The Lion King, the prequel to the 2019 blockbuster The Lion King, is set to be released in just a few days. The early reactions are pouring in on social media already, and we are here with a detailed report on that. Disney’s Moana 2 is already ruling at the box office, and another animated feature by the media conglomerate will be out soon, and it is getting really exciting for the exhibitors. Scroll below for the deets.

About the Movie-

It has been directed by the Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins. He won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for Moonlight. It is both a prequel and a sequel to The Lion King, a remake of the 1994 classic. Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Kani, and Beyonce Knowles-Carter will reprise their roles from the 2019 musical.

The new cast of Mufasa...

Beyoncé gets emotional in the recording booth after watching her daughter, Blue Ivy, perform her lines in new behind-the-scenes footage from Mufasa: The Lion King (via Good Morning America).

Both mother and daughter voice characters in Barry Jenkins’ upcoming Lion King prequel, which tells the origin story of Simba’s father Mufasa. In the film, Mufasa’s tale is told via flashback, with the mandrill Rafiki sharing the story with Simba and Nala’s daughter, Kiara. Blue Ivy voices Kiara, while Beyoncé voices Nala (and Donald Glover rounds out the...

The rise of the King of Pride Rock is about to be told in the Lion King prequel Mufasa: The Lion King. The film boasts quite the voice cast, with Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka/Scar, Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, Kagiso Lediga as Young Rafiki, Preston Nyman as Zazu, Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, Lennie James as Obasi, Anika Noni Rose as Afia, Keith David as Masego, John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba, Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, Braelyn Rankins as Young Mufasa, Theo Somolu as Young Taka, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala.

The film has been screened and early reactions have been revealed on social media. Dempsey Pillot is praising the job that director Barry Jenkins has accomplished with this special effects spectacle and stated, “Pleased to say #MufasaTheLionKing is really good!

The first reactions to Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” have started pouring in on social media, and members of the press are roaring with excitement over the prequel to the 2019 photorealistic remake of “The Lion King.”

“‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is the perfect prequel,” wrote Variety‘s senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay. “So beautifully crafted. The songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda and score are absolutely divine and music to the ears. Pure joy.”

Dana Abercrombie, entertainment editor for The Koalition, praised the film as “a story that deserves to be told that makes you question what is destiny. Expertly written & crafted, it adds to ‘The Lion King’ franchise by adding more dimension to the characters we love & thought we knew. The visual effects are astounding.”

ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian admitted that “a ‘Lion King’ prequel was not something I was asking for, but the animation is incredible, the songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda are infectious,...

Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” begins with the voice of James Earl Jones, followed by a title card that reads, “In Remembrance.”

Jones, who died in September at 93 years old, originated the voice of King Mufasa in the 1994 Oscar-winning animated feature “The Lion King,” its direct-to-video sequels and the 2019 live-action remake. Jones did not return for the prequel, which opens in theaters on Dec. 20.

Barry Jenkins, who helmed “Mufasa,” tells Variety why he decided to open the movie with a tribute to the late actor. “When I think about what James Earl Jones means, not even just to me, but to global audiences — people know this — I grew up without a father figure, and you go in and you watch this art, you watch these films, sometimes these fathers in these movies become a stand-in for that,” he says. “They become these father figures.”

So, when Jones died, Jenkins explains,...

Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to Disney’s live-action The Lion King. The movie will explore Mufasa’s early years, though the full plot is still under wraps. It’s expected to dive deeper into the tense relationship between Mufasa and Scar. Timon and Pumbaa will also return, with Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen reprising their roles.

Director Barry Jenkins recently shared that he’s not keen on returning to the CGI technology used for the film.

“When I took this job, the idea was ‘What does Barry Jenkins know about visual effects? Why the hell would he do this movie? Why would he be making The Lion King?”

“I think part of that I found very invigorating. People make these things, you know, with computers. So anybody should be able to do this. Anybody, right? There’s nothing physically that says I am incapable of doing this.

Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to Disney’s live-action version of The Lion King. The movie will focus on Mufasa’s early life, though the full story hasn’t been revealed yet. It’s expected to show more about Mufasa and Scar’s relationship and how it became so tense. Timon and Pumbaa will also be back, with Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen playing their roles again.

Barry Jenkins, the director, recently revealed that he isn’t eager to dive back into the CGI technology used for the movie.

“When I took this job, the idea was ‘What does Barry Jenkins know about visual effects? Why the hell would he do this movie? Why would he be making The Lion King?”

“I think part of that I found very invigorating. People make these things, you know, with computers. So anybody should be able to do this. Anybody, right?...

Updated with the latest: Wednesday’s sophomore season has officially wrapped production. Before this, the latest update on the sophomore season set at Nevermore Academy involved the guest appearance of a certain Mother Monster.

After the runaway success of Netflix and Tim Burton’s Addams Family stand-alone series Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega, the streamer renewed it for a second season in January 2023. That decision came less than three months after the eight-episode Season 1 premiered. It eventually became the most-watched original series ever on the streamer, with more than 252 million views to date, far surpassing Stranger Things Season 4, Dahmer, and Season 1 of Bridgerton on the all-time list.

Season 1 received 12 Emmy nominations, including for Ortega in Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She became just the third Latina ever to be nominated in a leading actress category. The series won four Emmys, though Ortega lost out to Abbott Elementary‘s Quinta Brunson on Emmy night.

It'd been a while since we had any official updates on Wednesday season 2, but that all changed at the beginning of December. Rumors started swirling about Wednesday season 2, and now, Netflix has confirmed what we'd all been hearing over the last few days.

Netflix just announced via press release that the cast and crew have officially wrapped production on season 2. Production started in April 2024 and continued filming through the end of November.

That's not all the good news about Wednesday season 2, either!

Wednesday season 2 premieres in 2025

In addition to the good news about filming finishing up this fall/winter, Netflix confirmed (again!) that Wednesday season 2 release will be in 2025. Obviously, Netflix hasn't shared a date yet, but we're hopeful we'll find out the release date within the next few months.

Thanks to our friends at Netflix Life, it looks like there's some reason to believe that we might not have...

Horror fans, rejoice! We have some good news to share about the hit horror series Wednesday. Production on the highly anticipated second season is officially in the can, meaning we're even closer to the show returning to our screens. On top of that, Netflix decided to release a first-look image of the new season featuring Jenna Ortega back as the iconic Wednesday Addams. You can check out the photo above.

In the new image from Wednesday season 2, Wednesday seems to be standing in some sort of cemetery, and as usual, she doesn't seem the happiest if her arms crossed and slight frown means anything. While plot details surrounding the second season are being kept secret, it's obvious that Wednesday is going to find herself in another tricky situation like last season.

In season 1, Wednesday became entangled in a series of supernatural mysteries while attending her parents' old school, Nevermore Academy.

Another school year has concluded at Nevermore Academy as Wednesday wraps production on its awaited second season. Jenna Ortega, who plays the titular role, launched the Netflix series into phenomenon-level popularity when its brooding first season premiered in 2022.

Showrunners and executive producers Al Gough and Miles Millar detailed the upcoming season in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, saying: “This season, Wednesday’s journey is darker and more complex as she navigates family, friends, new mysteries, and old adversaries, propelling her headlong into another year at Nevermore.”

Wednesday is expected to return in 2025. In September,...

As we first reported on FearHQ.com, Netflix has just shared a never-before-seen photo of Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in season 2 of Wednesday to mark the wrap of production on the second season. The series has been confirmed for release in 2025.

Showrunners and executive producers Al Gough and Miles Millar said in a press release today that season 2 will be "exploring more Addams Family Lore and [they] are excited to introduce an eclectic lineup of incredible new characters!"

"This season, Wednesday’s journey is darker and more complex as she navigates family, friends, new mysteries, and old adversaries, propelling her headlong into another year at Nevermore," they continued.

The series is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams' years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Ortega will return to lead Wednesday Season 2 as the part-time detective, part-time mystery author, and full-time outcast; she’s also set to produce.

Emma Myers...