Movies

Flying Lotus Signs A Deal To Direct And Produce Multiple Films

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Tim Saccenti

One of the most innovative producers in hip-hop, Grammy Award winner Flying Lotus (née Steven Ellison), is actually a graduate of the Los Angeles Film School too. He made his film debut with the grotesque 2017 horror comedy, Kuso, which he directed and co-wrote the screenplay for (along with Zack Fox and David Firth.) He then really hit his stride with Netflix’s anime series, Yasuke, about a real Black samurai from feudal Japan. He co-wrote the screenplay along with LeSean Thomas of The Boondocks and it starred Lakeith Stanfield as the voice of the titular role.

Yasuke was awesome, and showed that Ellison definitely has the chops to make creative film and visual entertainment (he also scored the music for the show, natch.) Now, he has signed a multi-picture deal via his Brainfeeder Films, with French company Logical Pictures and XYZ Films, to direct and produce a slew of upcoming films. The projects are said to be focused on horror, thriller, and sci-fi realms, and the first flick, Ash, has already been announced with production happening this year. “I’ve a strong desire to innovate in the sci-fi space and I really want to show the world something they’ve never seen before,” Ellison said in a previous statement about Ash.

Logical Pictures Group President Frédéric Fiore added that: “FlyLo is a highly talented and respected musician with such a unique creative universe,” and expressed his enthusiasm for the deal. The statement pretty much sums up who Steven Ellison is as an artist and we’ll look forward to the continued blossoming of his audiovisual universe.

Megan Thee Stallion Explains Why She Compares Herself To Horror Icon Jason Voorhees

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Megan Thee Stallion has made it clear, pretty much since Day 1 of her being a recognizable public figure, that she’s really into horror movies. In fact, she actually sees some of herself in one of the genre’s biggest faces (well, covered faces): Jason Voorhees of the Friday The 13th franchise.

In a new interview with CR Fashionbook, Meg was asked what famous horror villain she would be if she had to pick, and she responded, “I would be Jason, because no matter how hard my haters try to take me out, I keep coming back harder!”

She also noted of American Horror Story, “Oh my God, I love American Horror Story. I watched each episode as they came out weekly on FX. I loved the first season, Murder House. It had to be my favorite season.”

Elsewhere during the conversation, she pulled back the curtain a bit on her upcoming album, saying, “This album has been the most emotional to make. I’m finally opening up about things I’ve never publicly spoken about. I’m nervous and excited for my fans to hear this side of my personality. ”

Check out the interview here.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Jack Harlow Will Make His Acting Debut In The ‘White Men Can’t Jump’ Reboot

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Jack Harlow 2022 Super Bowl Party
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Last month, rapper Jack Harlow showed off his basketball skills at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game with teammates Kane Brown, Anuel AA, and Myles Garrett. This preceded news regarding his first ever on-screen role. In his acting debut, Harlow will star in 20th Century’s reboot of White Men Can’t Jump, according to Deadline.

Harlow’s debut role comes following a slew of hits over the past two years, including his own viral TikTok single “What’s Poppin’?” and his verse on Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby.” Kanye West even called Harlow one of today’s five best rappers and featured him on his album Donda 2.

While we know Harlow is skilled on the court, he reportedly wowed the filmmakers and producers during his first ever audition. The “Nail Tech” rapper will play a version of the role originally played by Woody Harrelson. In Ron Shelton’s 1992 original, Harrelson stars alongside Wesley Snipes. The two play basketball players who try to outplay each other, but ultimately decide to team up.

Black-ish creator Kenya Barris will produce the film through his company Khalabo Ink Society. Blake Griffin, Ryan Kalil, and Noah Weinstein will executive producer this adaptation through their label Mortal Media. Doug Hall, who wrote the script alongside Barris will also executive produce with E. Brian Dobbins.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A James Brown Documentary Produced By Mick Jagger And Questlove Is Coming In 2023

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A new four-part documentary series about James Brown is coming in 2023, according to A&E network. Titled James Brown: Say It Loud, it’ll be produced by the Rolling Stones‘ Mick Jagger and the Roots’ Questlove and Black Thought. It’ll feature tons of interviews with people from Brown’s life such as friends and collaborators, while also including exclusive archival footage.

“He was a brilliant performer who inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement,” Jagger said in a statement, also stating that he’s “thrilled” to help produce it. “I have always admired James and learned so much from him.”

“The life of James Brown is significant not only to understand his immense musical impact, which inspires us and other artists to this day, but also for the deep and lasting impression he has had on American culture,” Questlove and Black Thought added. “Brown’s life is a crucial and timely story of struggle, redemption, and self-identity and we are honored to have the chance to share it.”

James Brown: Say It Loud will be directed by Deborah Riley Draper. It follows the 2014 biopic Get On Up, in which Chadwick Boseman played Brown. That was also produced by Jagger.

Famous Arthur Lookalike John Legend Could Actually Star In An ‘Arthur’ Movie

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An era came to an end recently when after 25 years on the air, the series finale of beloved children’s show Arthur aired last week. The long-running cartoon has been a major part of meme culture in recent years, including the idea that John Legend bears a striking resemblance to the animated titular aardvark. Now, that situation could actually come full circle: In a new interview, Marc Brown, who created the Arthur show and wrote the books it’s based on, noted an Arthur movie “might” be the in the works, and furthermore, it seems he’d really like Legend to be involved.

Brown said:

“My son Tolon has been a producer on the show almost since it started, and he’s working with me, as Peter Hirsch is, on this new show Hop. But he had this idea several years ago about wouldn’t it be interesting to do a live-action version of Arthur. I couldn’t wrap my head around it completely, but it’s an intriguing thought. There might be a feature film in the works soon, too, about Arthur. I’m so excited [laughs]. There was one maybe 15 years ago, and the right people weren’t coming together, so I pulled the plug on it. But now, we’ve got a great idea. I think it’s going to be intriguing for kids. It’s going to be helpful to kids. The subject matter is very timely, and maybe there is even a really interesting person involved… I mean, if I could pick one person I would love to be a part of this project, it might be John Legend.”

He also referenced Legend earlier in the interview when answering a question about the series finale being for both kids today and the now-adults who grew up with Arthur, saying, “I was really happy because I mean, I see myself as Arthur a lot. Sorry, John Legend. We’re going to have to share him here [laughs]. You know, he’s a lot of me when I was in third grade. And I think if I were in third grade now and I was thinking about a career, a graphic novelist made sense. It put my loves together: telling stories, being an artist, and using pictures. So I was really happy that Peter [Hirsch, a writer on Arthur] came up with that idea. It felt right to me.”

Legend hasn’t shied away from the Arthur comparisons and has in fact embraced them, like in a 2018 Google ad when he donned a full Arthur outfit and even re-created the Arthur’s fist meme.

Check out the full interview here.

Mitski, Andre 3000, And Others Will Appear On The Massive ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Soundtrack

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A24 has revealed the massive 49-song tracklist for its upcoming science fiction film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Experimental trio Son Lux, who scored the film, enlisted the likes of Andre 3000, playing flute under his birth name Andre Benjamin (as Consequence notes), along with Mitski, Moses Sumney, and Randy Newman for the star-studded soundtrack.

Everything Everywhere All At Once will premiere at SXSW on March 11th, before receiving a wide theatrical release on April 8th. The soundtrack will be released on the same day as the film’s wide release.

“Even though we knew from the moment Daniels [directorial duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert] asked us to score this film that it would push us in new and unexpected directions, we couldn’t have predicted how much we’d learn from the project,” said Son Lux in a statement. “What emerged was our most ambitious undertaking to date, over two years in the making, resulting in two hours of new music. It was an opportunity for us to play, to infuse humor into our work, and to experiment from and beyond our various musical backgrounds.”

Check out the tracklist below.

1. “This Is A Life (Extended)” Feat. Mitski and David Byrne
2. “Wang Family Portrait”
3. “Very Busy”
4. “Vvvery Busy”
5. “What Are You Thinking About?”
6. “What A Fast Elevator!”
7. “Switch Shoes To The Wrong Feet”
8. “Nothing Could Possibly Matter More”
9. “A Choice”
10. “Chapstick”
11. “The Fanny Pack”
12. “Jobu Tupaki”
13. “The Alphaverse”
14. “The Mission” Feat. Nina Moffitt
15. “Deirdre Fight”
16. “Waymond Cries”
17. “I Love You Kung Fu”
18. “My Life Without You” Feat. André Benjamin
19. “The Story Of Jobu” Feat. Nina Moffitt
20. “Rendezvous At The Premiere”
21. “It’s You… Juju Toobootie” Feat. Chris Pattishall and Nina Moffitt
22. “Everything Bagel”
23. “You’re Living Your Worst You”
24. “The Boxcutter” Feat. André Benjamin
25. “Send Every Available Jumper”
26. “Opera Fight” Feat. Surrija and yMusic
27. “Dog Fight” Feat. André Benjamin
28. “Drummer Fight”
29. “Plug Fight”
30. “Pinky Fight” Feat. André Benjamin
31. “I Have Been Watching” Feat. Rob Moose and Nina Moffitt
32. “Somewhere Out There In All That Noise”
33. “Jobu Sees All”
34. “The Temple”
35. “Evelyn Everywhere”
36. “Evelyn All At Once”
37. “This Is How I Fight”
38. “In Another Life”
39. “It All Just Goes Away”
40. “Clair de Lune (Pied au Piano)” Feat. Chris Pattishall
41. “Come Recover (Empathy Fight)”
42. “Your Day Will Come (Empathy Fight)”
43. “Let Me Go”
44. “Specks Of Time”
45. “This Is A Life” Feat. Mitski and David Byrne
46. “Fence” Feat. Moses Sumney
47. “Now We’re Cookin’” Feat. Randy Newman
48. “Sucked Into A Bagel” Feat. Stephanie Hsu
49. “I Love You”

Lizzo Wanted To ‘Make Ursula A Thot, Shaking Ass’ When She Auditioned For ‘The Little Mermaid’

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In recent years, Disney has gotten into making live-action remakes of some of their classic animated movies. One such film is the upcoming The Little Mermaid, which has a cast that includes Daveed Diggs and Halle Bailey. The film could have had even more musical firepower than that: While Melissa McCarthy ultimately landed the role of Ursula, Lizzo auditioned for the part but did not get it. Lizzo discussed that in a new Variety interview, sharing her vision for the character.

She said, “Everyone knows I auditioned for Ursula in The Little Mermaid and I didn’t get it. But you know, I’m fine as hell. That has nothing to do with Ursula, but I was down to make Ursula a THOT, shaking ass.”

Lizzo also noted that she actually spoke with McCarthy about the movie, saying:

“You know what’s crazy? At the Adele show, I ran into Melissa McCarthy, because she [got cast as] Ursula. She was like, ‘Hi, I’m Melissa.’ And I was like, ‘Hi, I’m Melissa. And I also auditioned for Ursula.’ And she was like, ‘Well, why the hell did I get the part,’ which is a classic Melissa McCarthy thing to say. And then I was like, ‘Girl, because my audition was terrible.’ And I say that as Tyler Perry walks by. And I was like — ruined my chances there. And then she goes, ‘This is my daughter Vivian.’ And I’m like, ‘Get out of here, because my name is Melissa Viviane.’ We were looking at each other like, ‘What the hell is going on?’”

She then clarified her audition actually wasn’t bad at all, saying, “My audition wasn’t terrible. Sometimes I like to make jokes. My audition was good. You can ask Disney. I don’t want to talk too much about it. The singing was great. I’ll just say that.”

Check out the full interview here.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Megan Thee Stallion Will Star In The Film ‘F*cking Identical Twins’ Alongside Bowen Yang And Others

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Like a good handful of her music peers, Megan Thee Stallion is giving acting a shot: Variety reports today that she has been cast in F*cking Identical Twins, alongside Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, and Saturday Night Live‘s Bowen Yang.

The A24 film is an R-rated musical comedy from comedians Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp, who are adapting it from their two-man stage show, which they premiered at Manhattan’s Upright Citizens Brigade in 2014. They’re writing the script as well as playing the two lead roles.

This one has been in the works for a while, as 20th Century originally acquired the rights to adapt the stage musical in 2016. Larry Charles, director of Borat and a Seinfeld staff writer, is directing the movie, which is currently in production.

Variety notes of the movie, “F*cking Identical Twins takes inspiration from Hallie and Annie’s mischievous exploits in The Parent Trap and follows two business adversaries who realize they’re identical twin brothers. They decide to switch places in order to reunite their divorced parents and become a family again.”

Meg has a bit of acting experience, as she popped up in a 2020 episode of Good Girls.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There Was Almost A World Where ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Starred Rihanna, Eminem, And Margot Robbie

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I’m not afraid to say it: Mad Max: Fury Road? Good movie. Maybe even the best movie of the 2010s (and now I’m sore about it losing Best Picture to Spotlight all over again). The action rules, the direction rules, the score rules, and the guy playing the flamethrower guitar obviously rules. In case I didn’t make myself clear, Mad Max: Fury Road rules, and a big reason for that is the casting. There’s Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, of course, but also Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, and as the Five Wives, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Abbey Lee (she knew the assignment, as they say, in Old), and Courtney Eaton (Lottie from Yellowjackets!).

It’s hard to imagine Fury Road without them, Hardy especially, but as revealed in author Kyle Buchanan’s Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, the movie could have starred Rihanna, Eminem, and Margot Robbie.

[Director George] Miller and his casting director, Ronna Kress, began meeting with actors in 2009, and their casting search was expensive and extensive: To cast the five Wives that Furiosa escapes with in her War Rig, Miller and Kress saw hundreds of women, including future superstars like Margot Robbie and Jennifer Lawrence. Near the end of that process, Miller even set up a meeting with a pop icon.

That would be Rihanna, who “looked spectacular when she walked in,” Miller said. “I’m not sure she was even aware of the content of the movie, so she dressed up as Rihanna, which was the right thing to do.” It’s unclear why she didn’t get the job, as she’s the best (and only) reason to watch Ocean’s 8 and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. But she wasn’t the only Grammy winner to be considered for a role.

“This is something I don’t hear about very much and that George never admits, but I have a very, very, very strong memory of George talking about Eminem for Max,” lead storyboard artist Mark Sexton said. Miller confirmed the memory: “He’d done 8 Mile, and I found that really interesting — I thought, He’s got that quality. We’d done the first Happy Feet with the late Brittany Murphy, and she had done 8 Mile, so I asked her what he was like and would this be something really interesting for him? She had no reservations about saying what a wonderful talent he is.” That’s as far as things got (“We were going to shoot it in Australia at that point, and he simply didn’t want to leave home,” Miller explained), which is probably for the best, but just remember: rapper Eminem almost played Mad Max because of the dancing penguins movie.

You can read the rest of the excerpt over on Vulture, and buy the book here.

(Via Vulture)

Steven Spielberg Thought John Williams’ Two-Chord Jaws Theme Was A Joke When He First Played It For Him

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Universal Pictures

duuuunnnn duun… duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn.

John Williams‘ musical score for Jaws might be one of the most familiar pieces of film music in the history of cinema. And while it’s brilliant in its simplicity, it’s hard to deny that it is indeed a relatively simple tune. Essentially, it’s just two chords played back to back at varying tempos. And while it’s hard to imagine a visitor to Amity Island getting swallowed up by a great white shark without that ditty playing in the background, the truth is that Jaws director Steven Spielberg thought the tune was a joke when Williams first presented it to him.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Spielberg was interviewed in a previously released making-of DVD feature in which he admitted that he was momentarily taken aback by the theme. “I expected to hear something kind of weird and melodic, something tonal, but eerie; something of another world, almost like outer space under the water,” Spielberg explained. “And what he played me instead, with two fingers on the lower keys, was ‘dun dun, dun dun, dun dun.’ And at first, I began to laugh. He had a great sense of humor, and I thought he was putting me on.”

When Williams, who celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this week, made it clear that he was as serious as a shark attack with his composition, Spielberg gave it another listen—this time without giggling. “It suddenly seemed right,” Spielberg said. “And John found the signature for the entire movie.”

That streamlined, and definitely-not-a-joke, score earned Williams his second of five Oscars for Best Score. “I think the score was responsible for half of the success of that movie,” Spielberg said.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)