American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis will make his feature directorial debut with the elevated horror movie Relapse starring Joseph Quinn. Stranger Things fans best know Joseph Quinn for playing Eddie Munson on season four.
According to Variety, Joseph Quinn will play “Matt Cullen, who checks into rehab after witnessing a horrific death during a drugged-up party. Three months later, he is set to get his life back together, staying at his parents' mansion in the hills of Los Angeles. But things have changed around Matt and everything seems off-balance.”
The official Relapse synopsis continues, “Fueled by his unstable personality and the invading power of social media, Matt’s paranoia grows, messing up with his rehabilitation program. As he starts using again, a mysterious presence starts growing around Matt [Joseph Quinn], and a monster that has been haunting him since he was a teenager reveals itself. His therapist tries to help, convinced that the monster is actually in Matt’s head.”
“I grew up watching the iconic horror movies of the 1970s,” said Bret Easton Ellis. “I’ve written Lunar Park, a horror novel, as an homage to Stephen King. It seems appropriate that my first feature would be a horror film. There is a simplicity to Relapse that seems like the perfect form for my directing debut: something direct and impactful.”
Many of Bret Easton Ellis' books — including American Psycho, Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction, and The Informers — were adapted into movies. Bret Easton Ellis also wrote the screenplay for the 2013 movie The Canyons starring Lindsay Lohan.
In addition to his role as Eddie Munson on Stranger Things, English actor Joseph Quinn also appeared on the television dramas Dickensian, Howards End, Les Misérables, and Catherine the Great. Given Eddie Munson's fate on season four of Stranger Things, Joseph Quinn is not expected to return for the show's fifth and final season.
Meet the New Fantastic Four: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn
Marvel has assembled its new Fantastic Four: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn. The Fantastic Four is scheduled to premiere in theaters on July 25, 2025.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Pascal was previously reported to star as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, while the others had been heavily rumored in recent months. Kirby will star as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, while Joseph Quinn will play her brother, Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Moss-Bachrach will star as Ben Grimm/The Thing.” Fans of Stranger Things actor Joseph Quinn are having a Valentine's Day to remember since the actor was also announced as the lead in Bret Easton Ellis' directorial debut.
The Marvel cinematic multiverse has seen several incarnations of the Fantastic Four on-screen. 2005's Fantastic Four and 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surferstarred Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis as the superheroes. A poorly received 2015 reboot starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell failed on every level. In 2022, John Krasinski played a version of Reed Richards who was quickly killed off in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Here's hoping the cast of the new The Fantastic Four leaves the multiverse in the rearview mirror and sticks around in this universe for a hot minute or two, especially with Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn on board.
Scarlett Johansson Takes First Major Television Role on Cord Jefferson’s ‘Just Cause’
American Fiction director Cord Jefferson will write and executive produce a TV adaptation of John Katzenbach’s 1992 novel Just Causefor Prime Video. Scarlett Johansson takes her first major TV role as the lead in Just Cause. In the 1995 movie Just Cause, a 10-year-old Johansson played the daughter of Sean Connery's character.
According to IndieWire, “The novel Just Cause centers on Miami reporter Matt Cowart who investigates a presumably closed case after receiving a letter from an inmate on death row who swears they are innocent. As Matt gets closer to the truth, a larger conspiracy is uncovered.” In the upcoming Prime Video adaptation, Johansson will play a female version of the Matt Cowart character named Madison “Madi” Cowart.
Cord Jefferson‘s American Fiction is nominated for four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright), and Best Supporting Actor (Sterling K. Brown). The Academy nominated Scarlett Johansson twice for Oscars in 2020: for Best Actress for Marriage Story and for Best Supporting Actress in Jojo Rabbit.
Andrew Lincoln Says ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ Is a Love Story
Love Actually and The Walking Dead actor Andrew Lincoln describes the upcoming spin-off series The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live as a love story. The post-zombie apocalypse AMC series reunites Lincoln's Rick Grimes withDanai Gurira's Michonne. The walker-slaying couple were separated back in season nine of The Walking Dead.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Lincoln's fellow executive producers Gurira and Scott M. Gimple came up with the idea of making The Ones Who Live a romance. “We had been trying to find a way and were like ‘What is the story we want to tell?’” said Lincoln. “And then it was Dania and Scott that really talked me into it. They just said, ‘Look, why don't we just tell a love story? Why don't we see if we can reconnect these two lovers from these weirdly disparate time zones and tell a bigger story about what the grown-ups have been doing while we've been scrambling around in the main series, and shade in a bit of that.’”
Lincoln responded to the suggestion, “’Okay, let's do it. Let's tell a love story.’ And I suppose that's the story that we keyed into: Can their love survive the time and distance apart?”
“I was the biggest advocate around making sure that we stayed on that track, so I had opinions on how love stories work and how they don't,” added Gurira. “That was a big important part of it for me as I'm probably the one who's also watched more love stories than my two cocreators.”
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premieres February 25 on AMC. Click here to watch the trailer.
Eminem To Coproduce ‘Stans’ Documentary About Superfans
Rapper and 8 Mile actor Eminem will coproduce a documentary titled Stans about superfans. Eminem's 2000 song “Stan” established the name for crazed, sometimes delusional superfans. Stans, directed by Steven Leckart, will premiere later this year.
According to the official synopsis published by Variety, Stans is “a revealing, edgy, and disarmingly personal journey into the world of super fandom, told through the lens of one of the world’s most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him.” Shady Films will produce Stans along with DIGA Studios and Hill District Media.
Tony DiSanto, DIGA CEO, said, “Paul Rosenberg [Eminem's manager] and I have known each other since my days on MTV’s TRL, a show that was driven by the power of fandom, bringing artists and their fans together. So when he told me about the idea for this film, it felt like we had come full circle. Stans will explore the complex relationship between fame and super fandom, told through the lens of one of the world’s most Iconic artists, Eminem, his music, and, especially, his most extreme fans.”
New ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' Trailer Drops
As we wait to find out if another Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One, wins an Oscar this year, the second trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has dropped. The movie is a sequel to 2021'sGodzilla vs. Kong, which pitted the Titans against each other.
The official description ofGodzilla x Kong reads: “The epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown ofGodzilla vs. Kongwith an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own.Godzilla x Kong: The New Empiredelves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.”
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire roars into theaters on March 29, 2024. Click here to watch the new trailer.
Director Mike Leigh and Marianne Jean-Baptiste Reunite for ‘Hard Truths’
Secrets & Lies director and star Mike Leigh and Marianne Jean-Baptiste will reunite for Leigh's 23rd feature, Hard Truths.
As reported by IndieWire, Jean-Baptiste earned an Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance in 1996's Secrets & Lies. Another Year director Leigh, who last directed the historical dramas Mr. Turner and Peterloo, returns to modern times for Hard Truths. Little else is known about the film except that it was filmed in London late last year and is described as “a tough but compassionate and intimate study of family life.” Another frequent Leigh collaborator, Michele Austin, appears in Hard Truths alongside Jean-Baptiste.
Bleecker Street will release Hard Truths in U.S. theaters later this year.
Kate Hudson Still Gets 10-Cent Residual Checks for Her Small Role in ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'
Kate Hudson still receives 10-cent residual checks for appearing as part of the choir in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Hudson's uncredited role in the 1992 sequel was one of her first on-screen appearances. If you can spot Hudson in the picture above, congratulations for having eagle eyes!
Entertainment Weekly reported that Kate Hudson talked about her Home Alone 2 residuals on her podcast, Sibling Revelry.“I still get residuals from Home Alone 2 because I sang in the chorus,” said Hudson. “I'm in that chorus, and then I get 10 cents every once in a while.”
Joey Lawrence, who appeared as a guest on the same podcast, added, “Sometimes I'll get, like, two cents and I'm like, ‘Wait. Doesn't the envelope and paper cost more?'”
Kate Hudson's first credited film appearance is in 1998's Desert Blue. The Oscar-nominated actress and daughter of Goldie Hawn also appeared in Almost Famous, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 200 Cigarettes, Mother's Day, The Skeleton Key, and Glass Onion.
Ethan Hawke, Jessica Biel, and Daniel Radcliffe Star as Real-Life Climbers Who Scaled El Capitan in ‘Batso'
Ethan Hawke, Jessica Biel, and Daniel Radcliffe will portray a trio of climbers who, in the 1970s, scaled El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in the movie Batso. Kyle Marvin will direct the movie based on a true story with a script by Eamon O’Sullivan.
According to Deadline, Hawke plays Warren “Batso” Harding, Biel plays Beryl Knauth, and Radcliffe plays Dean Caldwell. The official synopsis reads: “In 1970, ‘The Wall of Early Morning Light’ was an unthinkable climb. For larger-than-life climbing legends Warren ‘Batso’ Harding and Dean Caldwell, it represented a near-impossible physical and mental challenge. For iconoclast Batso, it also offered one last chance to stick it to the naysayers who thought him too old, too out of touch, and too crazy. For novice Dean, it was a way to see beyond his nine-to-five existence and unlock the awesome potential of the human spirit.
“What began as an almost farcical exercise became one of the great underdog stories in the history of the sport. The estimated 10-day climb stretched into a 28-day marathon of grit and determination that sparked a media sensation.”
“The people who live in the world of professional climbing may seem to be doing something extreme, but in reality, their actions are a mirror of our lives,” said director Kyle Marvin. “We all have a Dawn Wall we are destined to summit, or die trying.”
Will Smith Cast as Iraq War Vet in Action-Thriller ‘Sugar Bandits'
Oscar winner — and Chris Rock slapper — Will Smith will play an Iraq War veteran in the upcoming action-thriller Sugar Bandits.Written by Chuck Hogan, Sugar Bandits is based on his bookDevils in Exile.
According to Variety, Sugar Bandits “centers on an Iraq War veteran who teams up with a crew of fellow vets to target the drug trade in Boston.” Variety continues, “Sugar Bandits marks the latest film for Smith, whose last major feature — and the first since his infamous Oscars slap — was Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation, which sold to Apple TV+ in Cannes for a market record deal of $120 million, but failed to make a significant impact on launch. He also has the untitled fourth Bad Boys film, which is still in production, alongside the upcoming sequel to zombie hit I Am Legend, which is set to costar Michael B. Jordan and see Smith reprise his role from the 2007 original (but use the alternate ending scene on the DVD in which he character lives).”
Chuck Hogan's 2004 novel Prince of Thieves was adapted into Ben Affleck's Oscar-nominated movie The Town. Hogan also wrote The Strain trilogy, which he adapted along with Guillermo del Toro into the TV series of the same name.
Molly Shannon Joins ‘Only Murders in the Building' for Season Four
Saturday Night Live alum Molly Shannon will join Hulu's Only Murders in the Building for season four as a recurring character. The comedy-mystery series stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez.
Although season four plot details are under wraps, Variety reports that “Shannon will play a high-powered Los Angeles businesswoman who finds herself drawn into the world of the investigation in New York.”
The official Only Murders in the Building synopsis reads: “From the minds of Steve Martin, Dan Fogelman, and John Hoffman comes a comedic murder-mystery series for the ages. Only Murders in the Building follows there strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. As they record a podcast of their own to document the case, the three unravel the complex secrets of the building that stretch back years. Perhaps even more explosive are the lies they tell one another. Soon the endangered trio comes to realize a killer might be living amongst them as they race to decipher the mounting clues before it's too late.”
Shannon joins a growing list of Only Murders in the Building guest stars that includes Tina Fey, Jane Lynch, Meryl Steep, and Nathan Lane. In addition to her stint on SNL from 1995 to 2001, Shannon is known for her movie roles in Other People — for which she won a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress — Happiness, Wet Hot American Summer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Never Been Kissed, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. She also had the small role of Kitty Patton on the first season of The White Lotus.
