Connect with us

Entertainment

Universal Pictures teases ‘Wicked’ and announces ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’

Published

on


LAS VEGAS (AP) — With the dust settled from a big 2023, winning best picture and topping the box office, Universal Pictures is looking to the future. The studio’s upcoming releases include the big screen adaptation of “Wicked,” “Twisters” and the newly announced sequel to “Five Nights at Freddy’s.”

Universal brought some of the stars of its biggest films, like Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Glen Powell, Lupita Nyong’o, Daisy Edgar Jones and Anthony Ramos to CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Wednesday to get the audience of theater owners and exhibitors excited for what’s to come as well.

“This whole experience is absolutely impossible to put into words,” said Grande, who with Erivo introduced some new footage from the Thanksgiving release.

Goldblum was also on hand to talk about “Wicked” in which he plays the man behind the curtain.

“I’ve been chased by dinosaurs, I flew into the belly of a humongous spaceship … I tuned into a fly,” Goldblum said. “But I have never been part of the particular flavor or magic that is this movie. … The whole experience has been dreamy.”

The first part of “Wicked” arrives in theaters on Nov. 25, with part two coming in 2025, also over Thanksgiving. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the film stars Erivo as the green-skinned Elphaba and Grande as the popular Glinda. Yeoh plays the headmistress at their school, and, the studio recently announced, Peter Dinklage will be Dr. Dillamond, a history professor and goat.

Producer Marc Platt has been on the “Wicked” journey for 25 years, since he first read the novel.

“I always intended ‘Wicked’ to be a movie,” he said.

It was Stephen Schwartz who convinced him that it needed music and to go to Broadway first. The theatrical production made a big impression on the movie’s future director, too, who brought both a reverence for the stage show and a vision for big screen grandeur.

“We dreamed very, very, very big for ‘Wicked,’” Chu said.

“Twisters” star Powell introduced some intense new footage from “Twisters,” which is storming theaters July 19. The film, a companion to the 1996 Jan de Bont blockbuster, was directed by “Minari” filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung and produced by Frank Marshall and Steven Spielberg, who Chung said is a “tornado fanatic.”

“We really tried to make this film as immersive and real as possible,” Chung said. “This is meant to be a joyful, fun ride.”

Universal was the top grossing studio in 2023 thanks to the likes of juggernauts like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “ Oppenheimer,” which accounted for over $2.3 billion in ticket sales alone, and other hits like “M3GAN,” “Cocaine Bear,” “Fast X” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” the video game adaptation that made over $295 million worldwide despite its day-and-date release. All told, Universal made nearly $5 billion in ticket sales. It’s the first time that Universal topped the charts since 2015, before Disney dominated in first place for almost a decade.

“Audiences are sending us a very clear message: They’ve fired off a bright green flare telling us they’re ready for something new,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s head of distribution.

Also, he added, “We released more movies in theaters than any other studios.”

Universal plans to release more than 20 films theatrically in 2024, too, more than any other studio for the third year in a row, spanning all genres and including original titles and franchises.

Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination, spoke about the upcoming “Despicable Me 4” (July 3) and a new Mario movie that’s in development for 2026, but also said that their “commitment to producing original animated films remains steadfast.” Their original “Migration,” released in late 2023, became a slow-burn hit earning nearly $300 million globally.

Universal also has DreamWorks Animation offerings, which recently released “Kung Fu Panda 4” and has “The Wild Robot” set for September, from “Lilo & Stitch” filmmaker Chris Sanders and based on the children’s book by Peter Brown and featuring Nyong’o’s voice.

“If you haven’t read it, please do yourself a favor and do it because it is wonderful,” Nyong’o said.

On the other end of the ratings spectrum, horror films are also a key component of the mix as one of the most consistent box office genres in recent history. Coming up, the studio has “Wolf Man,” with Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott, coming in January, “Speak No Evil,” a remake of a Danish horror with James McAvoy set for Sept. 13 (a Friday), and then “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” in the fall of 2025.

Focus Features, the independent arm of Universal, which put out films like “Asteroid City” and “The Holdovers” last year, also previewed its slate including Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black” (May 17), Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” (June 21), Edward Berger’s Machiavellian papal thriller “Conclave” (Nov. 8) and Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” (Dec. 25).

“This definitely ain’t your father’s ‘Nosferatu,’” said Focus chairman Peter Kujawski.

Donna Langley, the Chairman of NBC Universal Studio Group, took the stage to thank the exhibitors in the room. She noted that it would have been easy to drop the mic after their last year.

But, Langley said, “We believe that our best year should always be in front of us and our best projects always in the pipeline.”





Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Entertainment

Growing demand for minerals sparks Indigenous outcry over ‘business as usual’ mining practices

Published

on


BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Indigenous representatives from 35 countries issued a declaration Thursday criticizing the fact that they are too rarely consulted about mining that takes place on or near their lands, an issue that has become more acute with increased demand for minerals needed in the transition to a cleaner energy system.

“We recognize and support the need to end fossil fuel reliance and shift to renewable energy as critical in addressing the climate crisis,” the statement read. “However, the current trajectory of the energy transition fails to meet the criteria of justice, social equity, and environmental sustainability, particularly from the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and well-being.”

The document comes out of the Conference on Indigenous Peoples and the Just Transition which took place in New York last week. Indigenous leaders from the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Kenya, Australia and Norway among other countries attended.

Lithium, nickel and cobalt are often used in batteries, which are key to both electric vehicles and extending production from solar and wind farms. Copper and aluminum are in higher demand as countries expand their electrical grids. Lesser-known rare earth elements are used in magnets in electric motors.

Mining has left a legacy of environmental damage in many places for more than a century and is now expanding.

The declaration also mentioned increasing criminal persecution and attacks against Indigenous leaders.

The statement called out both the International Council of Mining and Metals, a trade group that says it represents a third of the industry, and the International Seabed Authority, for failing to respect Indigenous rights and conducting what it calls business as usual. Neither group responded to queries from The Associated Press.

About half of energy transition minerals and metal projects are located on or near the lands of Indigenous and other subsistence farmers, according to a study published in 2022 by the journal Nature Sustainability.

“We are those who generate the least impact on the planet,” Ruth Alipaz Cuqui, an Indigenous leader from the Bolivian Amazon who attended the conference, told the AP in a phone interview. “But even so, we understand that we have to be part of this whole process.” That participation should be comprehensive or else the energy transition will not be fair, she said.

Alipaz Cuqui cited conflicts in the arid region of Uyuni, Bolivia, where local communities oppose the intense use of water to produce lithium. The project, still in its beginnings, is a joint venture between Bolivia and China. The Bolivian Ministry of Energy did not respond to a request for comment.

The lead organizer for the conference was the Indigenous Peoples Rights International, a nonprofit registered in the Philippines and the U.S., with financial support from Nia Tero, a nonprofit that supports Indigenous rights, The Christensen Fund, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Waverley ST Foundation, and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, according to the event website.

___

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.





Source link

Continue Reading

Entertainment

‘Miss Peregrine’ author Ransom Riggs to launch new fantasy series, ‘Sunderworld’

Published

on


NEW YORK (AP) — Ransom Riggs’ first new series since the million-selling “Miss Peregrine” books will launch this summer.

“Sunderworld, Vol. 1 The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry” begins the adventures of a Los Angeles teen who, after his mother’s death, has some surreal encounters in his everyday life. Dutton Books for Young Readers, a Penguin Random House imprint, will publish “Sunderworld” on Aug. 27.

“I’ve always been drawn to portal fantasies in fiction,” Riggs said in a statement Wednesday. “They feel like invitations to optimistic worlds where, ultimately, joy is possible, if only you can find the key. We’re living through some very heavy, very dark times — we have been for a while — and this story is meant to be an escape — and a respite from darkness.”

Riggs’ “Miss Peregrine” novels have sold more than 10 million copies. The first book in the series, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” was adapted by Tim Burton into a 2016 film starring Eva Green.





Source link

Continue Reading

Entertainment

ABBA, Blondie, and the Notorious B.I.G. enter the National Recording Registry

Published

on


LOS ANGELES (AP) — ABBA, Biggie, Blondie and Rudolph are entering America’s audio canon.

New inductees into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress include ABBA ‘s 1976 album “Arrival,” The Notorious B.I.G. ‘s 1994 album “Ready to Die,” Blondie ‘s 1978 breakthrough “Parallel Lines” and Gene Autry’s 1949 version of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced the 25 new titles in the class of 2024 on Tuesday, saying in a statement that they are “worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”

Puerto Rican singer Héctor Lavoe’s signature song, 1978’s “El Cantante,” written by Ruben Blades, will enter the registry, along with Mexican singer Juan Gabriel ’s tribute to his mother, “Amor Eterno.” The library is enshrining a 1990 recording of the song first released in 1984.

Other titles deemed to be among “the defining sounds of the nation’s history and culture” are Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 album “Surrealistic Pillow,” Green Day ’s 1994 album “Dookie” and The Chicks ’ 1998 “Wide Open Spaces,” the most recording among the new inductees.

Lily Tomlin’s 1971 album of sketches “This Is a Recording” is the only comedy and the only non-musical recording on this year’s list.

Autry, the singing cowboy who was among America’s biggest stars in the mid-20th century, recorded the definitive version of “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Last year a newer holiday perennial, Mariah Carey’s, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” joined the registry, which now has 650 titles.

“Arrival” was the disco-tinged fourth album from the Swedish supergroup ABBA, and included their hits “Dancing Queen,” “Money, Money, Money” and “Fernando.”

Blondie and singer Debbie Harry had their commercial breakthrough with “Parallel Lines,” an album with a famous striped black-and-white cover that featured “Heart of Glass.” It’s joined this year by another new wave classic from the same year, the self-titled debut album by the Cars.

The Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 album “Ready to Die” featuring “Juicy” and “Big Poppa,” the only album released during his life, headlines hip-hop entries that also include “La-Di-Da-Di” — Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick’s 1985 single.

“Rocket ‘88’” by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, the 1951 single that some argue was the first rock ‘n’ roll song, is also on the list.

Career-defining singles from several canonical artists are also entering the registry, including “Chances Are,” from Johnny Mathis, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” from Bobby McFerrin,” “The Tennessee Waltz” from Patti Page and “Ain’t No Sunshine” from Bill Withers.

___

This story has been corrected to report that the ABBA album included is “Arrival,” not “The Visitors.”





Source link

Continue Reading

Trending