Movies

Michael Keaton Compares Upcoming DC Movie ‘The Flash’ To His 90s Film ‘Duplicity’

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While it might seem a stretch to compare an imminent super hero blockbuster to a 90s cult-classic comedy, it’s exactly what Michael Keaton is doing. In an interview for the YouTube channel Jake’s Takes, Keaton revealed that working on the upcoming DC movie The Flash strangely reminded him of working on one of his former movies: Duplicity.

According to Keaton, Duplicity’s story — which follows a father who creates clones of himself in order to keep up with his hectic life — shares a lot of similarities with 2022’s The Flash. The actor then went on to say he feels a lot of the challenges he faced while filming Duplicity, such as having to play different versions of himself, are seemingly the same ones Barry Allen star Ezra Miller has incurred while on set:

I mean just did The Flash and there’s a similarity in how – I don’t want to give too much away – but how he has to play against himself and with himself. And we were talking about the difficulty of making multiplicity and the challenge.

While it might seem a strange pull, what Keaton’s saying actually makes perfect sense considering everything we know about the upcoming DC film. It’s been confirmed for some time that The Flash will be the DCCU’s take on the iconic comic book series Flashpoint, a story in which Barry Allen must merge three separate timelines into one in order to save the universe… s.

Honestly, and Flashpoint plot aside, just Keaton’s involvement in the film alongside Ben Affleck’s Batman makes it seem as if there are going to be alternate realities and versions of other superheroes — heroes such as Miller’s Flash — aplenty. While the abundance of Batman movies makes for quite a few Batman variants to pepper in the film, it wouldn’t be shocking at all to hear that Miller will be playing his own counterparts in a very Duplicity-esque fashion seeing as The Flash has had much less prominence in the film. Only time will tell if our speculations are correct, but we’re pretty certain at least in some reality they are.

Lady Gaga And Adam Driver Do Their Best Italian Accents In The Trailer For ‘House Of Gucci’

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Thursday was a big day for House of Gucci, the forthcoming fashionista drama and one of two Ridley Scott films due before year’s end. Earlier, social media lost it over the new posters, specifically the one where Jared Leto once again looks nothing like Jared Leto. Later in the day people got to see him in action, in the first official trailer, which milks one of the couture world’s wildest true tales.

The film finds Lady Gaga belatedly following up A Star is Born, which took someone who was already a Golden Globe-winning thespian next level as an actress. She plays Partrizia Reggiani, the woman infamous for (spoiler alert, sort of) ordering the murder of her husband, fashion magnate Maurizio Gucci, played by Adam Driver.

That grim conclusion is buried in a trailer, which is still chock-full of high fashion melodrama, flaring egos, thrown-about wealth, and amazing ‘80s fashions. Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” gets a slightly slower, moodier cover, as is the style of the time, over top images of comfy sweaters, Lamborghinis, and lots of broad Italian accents.

You also get to see the actors, already made instantly amusing in the poster wing of the ad campaign, in action. Leto, who plays Gucci family member Paolo, looks pretty comfortable in his bald patch and giant mustache, though the trailer is pretty skimpy on howling Al Pacino action. (He plays the family patriarch, also named Maurizio, who was also a screen actor.)

House of Gucci hits theaters on November 24. Meanwhile, Scott’s other 2021 release — The Last Duel, reuniting Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, as well as Driver, again — will be released a mere month and change earlier, on October 21.

You can watch the trailer in the video above.

Chloe Bailey Has Been Cast In The Creator+ Psychological Thriller ‘Jane’

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Chloe and Halle Bailey of R&B duo Chloe X Halle have proven to be a multitalented pair. Not only are they one of music’s most sought-after new acts, performing on awards shows, sporting events, and corporate livestreams throughout the pandemic in lieu of touring, but they are also both accomplished actresses. While they both appear on Black-ish spinoff Grown-ish as the athletic Forster twins (in reality, Chloe is two years older), Halle is headed to the big screen in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid in the title role.

While Chloe has seemingly been content to work on solo music while the sisters are separated by Halle’s shooting schedule, it appears the elder sister is ready to pursue her own movie career. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chloe has been cast in Jane, the debut feature film from Creator+, an upstart movie studio/streaming platform aimed toward Zoomers and digital creators — two categories Chloe X Halle clearly fall under and appeal to greatly. Produced by and starring Riverdale‘s Madelaine Petsch, Jane is described as a psychological thriller exploring “social media anxiety and mental health from the perspective of a high school student.”

The film will also feature model Chloe Yu, Shrill actor Ian Owens, and Oscar-winner Melissa Leo, most recently of Netflix’s Thunder Force. Creator+, founded by former YouTube executive Benjamin Grubbs, is set to launch in the first quarter of 2022.

Yasiin Bey Will Play Jazz Legend Thelonious Monk In An Upcoming Biopic

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On top of his very successful career in hip-hop, Yasiin Bey, who previously went by Mos Def, has also had a thriving acting career. He appeared in movies, sitcoms, and Broadway shows as a child, and his acting career continued through his hip-hop days and after retirement from the music industry. For his latest role, Bey will play jazz legend Thelonious Monk in an upcoming biopic. The film is simply titled Thelonious and it will start shooting next summer.

Bey — who will be doing his first movie since the 2016 French drama Tour De France — shared a statement about the film to Rolling Stone, and it seemed to find him already in character. “A leader.A Lord.A shape in space.A man from a community of devotion who lives a simple life distant from society,” he said in an email to the publication. “The adjectives.can never be nouns.Love.is a verb.The Future has already happened.And Forever.is a current event.Jupiter and team.”

The film’s writer-producer Peter Lord Moreland also explained why he thinks Bey is perfect for the role. “Yasiin lives his life with a vibe not easily found in Hollywood, because he’s not Hollywood, point blank,” he said. “His values and moral compass are intentional and focused on what really matters. Everyone who knows his body of work has seen him boldly transform himself from his music to the Broadway stage, the silver screen and beyond.” He added, “When he looked at me and said, ‘I am Thelonious,’ I knew we had found him.”

A director or other stars for Thelonious have not been revealed yet.

Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, And Swizz Beatz’s Sons Are All Starring In A Movie Together

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Dr. Dre‘s son Curtis Young has reportedly landed a role in the new film Charge It To The Game. He’ll apparently also be composing original music for the film.

According to TMZ, who spoke to Young, Charge It To The Game is a coming-of-age story about four best friends with Young playing “Kong,” one of the friend’s older brothers. And, making it a veritable who’s-who of famous rappers’ offspring, Snoop Dogg‘s son Julian Broadus is also in the movie, playing Kong’s younger brother, and Swiss Beatz‘s son is reportedly making his acting debut as one of the four friends (plus scoring the film with Young).

“This is my first movie and I wanted to get into acting… I always loved the art,” Young told TMZ. “It’s just an art form I’ve always loved. I’m playing a role, Kong, which is a gentleman named Hardtime — it’s Julian Broadus, which is Snoop’s son — I’m playing his older brother. So, I’ve been reading the script, just preparing, getting motivated, behind it and getting engaged with it.”

Talking about scoring the film, Young said, “I was asked and I’m honored to score the film and I believe they just yesterday announced that note. Swizz Beatz’s son is gonna be scoring it with me, so I’m just honored to have this opportunity.”

Young also offered an update on Dre’s health since his father suffered a brain aneurysm earlier this year. “My pops is healing,” he said. “He appreciates me for what I’m doing and doing on my own… It’s been a while since I had an opportunity like this to really step out of that shadow, but at the same time show respect and understand that people came before me.”

Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, And Swizz Beatz’s Sons Are All Starring In A Movie Together

by
Getty Image

Dr. Dre‘s son Curtis Young has reportedly landed a role in the new film Charge It To The Game. He’ll apparently also be composing original music for the film.

According to TMZ, who spoke to Young, Charge It To The Game is a coming-of-age story about four best friends with Young playing “Kong,” one of the friend’s older brothers. And, making it a veritable who’s-who of famous rappers’ offspring, Snoop Dogg‘s son Julian Broadus is also in the movie, playing Kong’s younger brother, and Swiss Beatz‘s son is reportedly making his acting debut as one of the four friends (plus scoring the film with Young).

“This is my first movie and I wanted to get into acting… I always loved the art,” Young told TMZ. “It’s just an art form I’ve always loved. I’m playing a role, Kong, which is a gentleman named Hardtime — it’s Julian Broadus, which is Snoop’s son — I’m playing his older brother. So, I’ve been reading the script, just preparing, getting motivated, behind it and getting engaged with it.”

Talking about scoring the film, Young said, “I was asked and I’m honored to score the film and I believe they just yesterday announced that note. Swizz Beatz’s son is gonna be scoring it with me, so I’m just honored to have this opportunity.”

Young also offered an update on Dre’s health since his father suffered a brain aneurysm earlier this year. “My pops is healing,” he said. “He appreciates me for what I’m doing and doing on my own… It’s been a while since I had an opportunity like this to really step out of that shadow, but at the same time show respect and understand that people came before me.”

Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, And Swizz Beatz’s Sons Are All Starring In A Movie Together

by
Getty Image

Dr. Dre‘s son Curtis Young has reportedly landed a role in the new film Charge It To The Game. He’ll apparently also be composing original music for the film.

According to TMZ, who spoke to Young, Charge It To The Game is a coming-of-age story about four best friends with Young playing “Kong,” one of the friend’s older brothers. And, making it a veritable who’s-who of famous rappers’ offspring, Snoop Dogg‘s son Julian Broadus is also in the movie, playing Kong’s younger brother, and Swiss Beatz‘s son is reportedly making his acting debut as one of the four friends (plus scoring the film with Young).

“This is my first movie and I wanted to get into acting… I always loved the art,” Young told TMZ. “It’s just an art form I’ve always loved. I’m playing a role, Kong, which is a gentleman named Hardtime — it’s Julian Broadus, which is Snoop’s son — I’m playing his older brother. So, I’ve been reading the script, just preparing, getting motivated, behind it and getting engaged with it.”

Talking about scoring the film, Young said, “I was asked and I’m honored to score the film and I believe they just yesterday announced that note. Swizz Beatz’s son is gonna be scoring it with me, so I’m just honored to have this opportunity.”

Young also offered an update on Dre’s health since his father suffered a brain aneurysm earlier this year. “My pops is healing,” he said. “He appreciates me for what I’m doing and doing on my own… It’s been a while since I had an opportunity like this to really step out of that shadow, but at the same time show respect and understand that people came before me.”

Alicia Keys’ New Netflix Film Is Getting Roasted On Twitter For Being A Little Too Realistic

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Resort To Love, a new Netflix movie coming out this month produced by Alicia Keys, is garnering a lot of attention on Twitter today. Unfortunately for her, the buzz consists less of excitement to see the movie than it does fans trolling it for its premise. The film, which stars Keys’ fellow 2000s pop fixture, Christina Milian, as a singer who gets booked for her ex’s wedding and winds up romancing him away from his new fiancee, is reminding fans of Keys’ own affair with Swizz Beatz, who divorced his wife Mashonda and married Keys the same month in 2010.

Love can be messy, sure, but the film’s plot is hitting a little close to home for some fans, prompting a roast session of trend-worthy proportions. The jokes came flying at breakneck speed to point out the obvious similarities between Keys’ real-life love story and the one that she produced, which apparently asks viewers to sympathize with the would-be homewrecker’s point of view. Granted, the movie still isn’t out yet so we don’t know that this is actually what happens in it, so maybe it deserves the benefit of the doubt.

That, however, would be entirely too reasonable and not what we’re here for today. Today, we are going to get these jokes off. Check out the film’s trailer above and more hilarious reactions below.

Ice Cube Is Reportedly At Odds With Warner Bros. Over A ‘Friday’ Sequel

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Ice Cube‘s Friday series is a classic, but the chances of getting another film in the series is apparently in doubt due to a dispute between the multi-hyphenate and the studio behind the series.

According to a Wall Street Journal story detailing the dispute, Ice Cube apparently wants Warners to surrender the rights to the Friday series as well as All About The Benjamins and The Players Club, two other films he made with the studio.

According to letters between the parties, Warner Bros. doesn’t intend to do this, instead blaming Ice Cube for dragging his feet on a new movie with the studio.

Warner Bros. replied, calling the demand “extortionate” and saying it won’t release rights to the valuable franchise or any other Ice Cube movies, according to the correspondence.

One letter from Ice Cube’s lawyer said the studio has been excessive in its feedback notes on the scripts Ice Cube wrote for the latest “Friday” and contends Warner Bros. has been a “poor steward” for the franchise. “These guys don’t get me, and I don’t get them,” Ice Cube said in an interview.

The report indicates that Cube’s other projects, such as the Big 3 basketball league, is distracting him from the next installment in the series, titled Last Friday. Meanwhile, the rapper and actor says potential discrimination in allocating resources is part of his issues with Warners.

In one letter, Ice Cube’s representative wrote that movies he has done for the studio “are habitually underfunded in comparison with projects featuring white casts and creative teams.” The correspondence points to other Ice Cube films he says weren’t well supported; it doesn’t offer specific comparisons to projects from other filmmakers.

Warner Bros. denies it has discriminated against Ice Cube or that it gave short shrift to any of his projects. In a letter sent in May to Ice Cube’s lawyer Bryan Freedman, the studio said the complaints are “grounded in a libelous set of knowing falsehoods.”

The disagreement between the two sides seems serious, and also doesn’t seem likely to be resolved anytime soon. Which means a sequel to Friday, which came out in 1995, isn’t on the horizon anytime soon. As the report noted, an agreement to make a new Friday movie was first signed in 2012. The story details some plot details the studio objected to, and the pushback that Cube gave about the film’s direction.

It’s all certainly been a long time coming, but fans are likely to have to wait even longer before any real progress is made on on Last Friday.

[via Wall Street Journal]

David Geffen Is Donating $150 Million To Yale So Drama Students Can Attend Tuition-Free

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In addition to being a giant in the entertainment world, mega-magnate David Geffen—founder of DreamWorks, Geffen Records, Asylum Records, and more—is equally well known for his philanthropic efforts. Particularly when it comes to the arts and investing in the talent of the future, as evidenced by premier cultural centers like UCLA’s Geffen Playhouse and Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.

While UCLA has been the recipient of hundreds of millions of Geffen’s dollars over the years, he’s now sending some of that same generosity to the east coast with a $150 million donation to the Yale School of Drama, which Deadline reports will allow approximately 200 students per year to attend the prestigious training ground—tuition-free.

“By reducing the debt burden of the average student, we create more resilient artists and managers who are able to make braver artistic choices—they’re able to take that downtown play and they don’t have to have a career selling real estate on the side,” said drama school dean James Bundy. “Not every artist is going to break through at the age of 25 or 26 or 27. Certain kinds of careers take time to build, and entering the professions with less debt is going to make for more interesting and more resounding choices in the long run.”

Yale offers one of the most competitive drama schools in the world and its alumni include the best of the best: Meryl Streep, Paul Newman, Frances McDormand, Angela Bassett, Tony Shalhoub, Patricia Clarkson, and Lupita Nyong’o are just some of the school’s acting alumni. But its programs include design, directing, and playwrighting, too, so they’ve got plenty of past students to boast about behind the camera and stage scenes, too.

Deadline reports that Geffen’s gift is the largest donation in the history of American theater. Appropriately, the school will now be renamed the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University.

(Via Deadline)