Film News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Game developer Fallen Leaf recently partnered with Studios Extraordinaires to develop film and TV adaptations of their 2023 sci-fi shooter-thriller Fort Solis.

This feature on Ridley Scott’s Alien and the franchise it launched was originally published as part of a package on the most beloved villains in science fiction . It has been updated and republished to celebrate Alien returning to movie theaters for an anniversary run.

The most crucial thing to know going into the action-thriller Boy Kills World is that it eventually features a phenomenally bloody fight scene — a brutal extended throwdown where faces are smashed, fingers purposefully dig into open wounds, and combatants slowly drag a sharp object through each other’s bodies, ripping through skin and muscle with a tactile squelch. It’s a fight so grueling and brutal that even seasoned action-movie veterans might clench their teeth and mutter in reflexive empathy.

Hollywood is filled with actors looking to make it big. Not all of them do. Most will never reach the heights of success reserved for the few. It’s a special privilege to make it in Hollywood. Sometimes, the road to the top is more challenging for black actors who battled discrimination and a lack of opportunity. In celebration of Hollywood’s many excellent black actors, here is a list of some of the best male actors in the business.

Netflix has released a trailer for its upcoming Jennifer Lopez starring sci-fi film Atlas and fans of the Titanfall video game franchise are noticing a lot of similarities between the two.

Sonic 3's producer, Toby Ascher, has confirmed that the movie will "take a lot" from Sonic Adventure 2, something that has been hinted at several times since it was announced.

Bumi: Next Stop, Earth! is a new game by Blamorama Games that dropped right on Earth Day. It’s a game but it’s also about getting eco-conscious and giving a little love to our planet. This is the first game by Blamorama Games. Apparently, the devs have plans for more games, comics and even films in the pipeline.

2019's movie has been imagined as an open-world game. Considering the award-winning movie took a different approach to comic book movies, following the likes of and in its story and tone rather than following more classic comic book movie fare like the DC movies that came before it, it's the last movie anyone would expect to be adapted into a game, and yet it looks visually impressive.

Queer cinema has always been in a state of continual evolution, but the evolution of trans depiction has come slower, even during agreed-upon golden eras of queer cinema. But in 2024, we are in the midst of a potentially new movement in which three trans-authored films are reshaping the possibilities of what a trans film looks like, and how transness can be expressed in cinema.

Apple CEO Tim Cook while introducing the iPhone 15 Pro Max last year had mentioned that the cameras are meant for professional filmmaking. In fact, Apple did shoot one of its launch events with the iPhone 15 Pro series. Now, five filmmakers took up this challenge and actually filmed five short films using the iPhone 15 Pro Max. These short films are available for free on MAMI YouTube channel and if you happen to watch them then you may start believing that in the right hands, it is not about the megapixels but about the perspective and art of storytelling.

Hollywood has really begun flexing its video game adaptation muscle in the wake of the spectacular success of the FalloutTV show and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Even indie publishers are getting some of those sweet, sweet development contracts. Case in point? The hit third-person shooter El Paso, Elsewhere is being adapted into a feature length film, as reported by Deadline.

Daisy Ridley has shared some new insight into her upcoming Star Wars movie, featuring Rey's return to the big screen. 

El Paso, Elsewhere, one of Digital Trends’ favorite indie games of 2023, now has a film adaptation in the works.

Fictional detective and crossmedia goliath Nancy Drew is back after a five-year hiatus with her 34th game since 2000.

Private Division has announced its Hobbit life simulator Tales of the Shire will release for PS5 later this year. Confirmed in an all-new reveal trailer viewable above, it matches stylised visuals with simulation mechanics like home decoration, friendship making, and exploration.

Jesse Plemons is a brilliant actor. He’s also one of our most memeable stars. It’s not that he’s super expressive — quite the opposite, in fact. He’s usually quite placid, and almost hesitant in his line deliveries. He takes his time. But, whether he’s playing a timid everyman in The Power of the Dog or season 2 of Fargo or a stout lawman in Judas and the Black Messiah orGame Night, there’s always something going on behind his narrowed, watchful eyes. His stillness, his pauses, and his plain, unvarnished way of speaking act as a gravitational force, drawing the camera and other actors into his orbit. He’s also, in a low-key way, extremely funny.

As expected following the glowing reception, Amazon has renewed the Fallout TV series for a second season.

The Acolyte is the latest in a long line of Star Wars shows set to hit Disney Plus. but it's shaping up to be very different to the likes of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. 

Greetings, Polygon readers!

Furiosa may be one of this year's most hotly anticipated releases, but the wheels started turning on the Mad Max prequel long before even action classic Fury Road roared into cinemas.

Last December’s Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Firewas a paint-by-numbers space opera filled in with Zack Snyder’s maximalist colors. Pitched as “Seven Samurai but make it Star Wars” (literally, to Lucasfilm), the finished product was at best a violent B-movie mashup and at worst an expensive Asylum-esque mockbuster. Not a great movie, but a little promising? Its most glaring omission: an ending. After two hours of hero Kora (Sofia Boutella) wrangling a crew to defend a farming planet from Imperium forces, the showdown didn’t actually go down; Snyder held on to the payoff for Part Two: The Scargiver.

Earth Day is April 22, and to commemorate the occasion, you can currently save on a variety of documentaries from the BBC’s Planet Earth collection in 4K UHD format at Amazon. Even if you’ve already seen some of these films, streaming service resolution can’t compare to the visuals on a physical disc. While this isn’t a comprehensive collection of nature documentaries produced by the BBC, it is an excellent opportunity to explore the majesty of our little blue marble without leaving the safety of your living room.

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Henry Cavill has seemingly addressed his Superman exit with a tongue-in-cheek comment about post-credits scenes.  While introducing a screening of Guy Ritchie's latest movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Cavill mentioned his previous roles in the director's films, including 2015's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and an appearance in the post-credits scene of 2017's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. 

Two years after debuting in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, it seems a Hollywood leading man of sufficient talent has finally been found to portray the edgy Shadow the Hedgehog. Keanu Reeves, who needs no introduction but will get one anyway, is the star of film franchises like The Matrix and John Wick, and, of course, Cyberpunk 2077, has been confirmed to play the part.

Martin Scorsese wants to make a Frank Sinatra biopic starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the famous crooner.

Fallout has been a smash hit for both Amazon and Bethesda, renewing interest in the games itself and turning the series into a widespread cultural phenomenon. Despite all of that success, and the general expectation from fans that the show will be coming back, it hadn't actually been renewed for a second season. Until now, that is.

The first trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's Trap is here – and it looks like a wild ride.

Netflix announced today that Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri will return for a fifth season of The Witcher — and that the show’s fifth season will be its last. Season 5 will be filmed back-to-back with season 4, which has just started production.

The Fallout TV series is very popular, and people are hungry to enjoy the games that inspired it. Four Fallout games were in the top ten on Steam in Europe following the show’s debut. So it’s fantastic news that the next game is probably still a decade out.

The Movie Critic will no longer be Quentin Tarantino's tenth and final movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with the director returning to the drawing board for his last feature film.

A new movie spin-off in popular anime series Spy x Family is wowing critics ahead of its release, earning a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. The reviews, of which there are 12 at the time of writing, are calling it a "captivating", "wall-to-wall fun" film, full of "unique whimsy". 

Lately, there seems to be a common theme that Hollywood is taking ginger characters from comics worldwide and casting Black actors. Of course, representation is always fabulous, but why is it happening with all the redheads? While some might find the choice to replace all the ginger comic characters and change their ethnicity entirely strange, I went and did some research and found a very interesting through-line with many of the actors that have been chosen to replace these characters. Interested? Keep reading!

Lionsgate Television announced on Wednesday that the studio is set to produce an English-language television adaptation of Park-chan Wook’s 2003 thriller Oldboy. The movie, one of the most mesmerizing, memorable dark action movies of the 2000s, started a new wave of Korean action cinema when it was first released. It’s since spawned endless copycats and homages — particularly its grim, bloody single-take hammer-in-a-hallway fight sequence, which filmmakers still frequently cite as an inspiration for their own battle scenes in constricted spaces. A 4K restoration was released in American theaters in 2023, and came in second at the box office in its first week, beaten only by Barbie. Spike Lee remade the movie as an English-language thriller in 2013, but it’s never been adapted for television before.

My Favorite Anime is a column dedicated to collecting the stories of the biggest celebrity anime fans in the world, charting a path from their earliest introductions to Japanese animation to the series and films they love today with two questions: What was your first favorite anime, and what’s your favorite anime now?

Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon has found a home on Netflix as a two part sci-fi epic – but the story seems far from over, with sprawling mythology and massive worldbuilding leaving the way wide open for more stories. Without spoiling any specifics, Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver certainly leaves the door open for another chapter in the tale, too. 

If you’ve been following indie publisher Annapurna Interactive over the last two years, you might be familiar with Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. The new project from Sayonara Wild Hearts developer Simogo has gotten a spotlight at a handful of live-stream showcases since 2022, with trailers teasing its eerie tone and puzzling world. While we’ve known those details for a while, there’s still one burning question that remains: What the hell is it?

Given that they worked together on two Scream movies beforehand, it's impossible not to compare Melissa Barrera's newest horror collaboration with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett to the Ghostface-fronted franchise. Abigail, the trio's latest, is similar in tone, too, as its characters try to make sense of the bonkers situation they've found themselves in through vampire pop culture.

An imaginative Pokemon fan recently put together a fake commercial for the ever-helpful Poke Mart Potions. The Pokemon franchise is largely centered around elementally empowered creatures battling one another, and injuries and lowered health meters are just part of the job for any aspiring Pokemon Trainer. If a Pokemon’s health is depleted completely, it faints and can no longer be used to battle until it is restored at the local Pokemon Center, but there are luckily several portable Pokemon items players can use to keep their critters in top fighting condition.

Coming up with a list that englobes the “best actors of all time” is no easy undertaking. It might be a highly subjective endeavour, in fact, seeing as everyone has their own tastes and requirements to be called the “best.” That said, there have been some great actors who shine just a little bit brighter than your everyday Hollywood celebrity, and that’s a fact. Knowing full well that this list is as subjective as they come, we’ve come up with a listing of the 20 actors who we believe are among the best artists to ever grace the silver screen.

Borderlands star Ariana Greenblatt says her Tiny Tina was inspired by Margot Robbie portrayal of Harley Quinn.

Apparently, we've been missing out on a whole load of behind-the-scenes footage from the making of GTA 5, that the cast claim was all filmed but never actually used. Now, we just can't help but wonder what moments have been locked away, never to be released to the world.

Zack Snyder and director's cuts go hand in hand, though there's one film in particular that the director still feels he has unfinished business with. 

Pixar’s 2015 movie Inside Outextended the studio’s proven story formula to its logical end point by asking the question What if emotions had emotions? The result is a poignant, whimsical adventure that delves into the mind of an 11-year-old girl grappling with some big life changes. The sequel, Inside Out 2, picks up a year or so after the first movie — and introduces new emotions as characters, which has raised a lot of questions for Pixar fans. During a press visit to the Pixar campus, we got a first look atInside Out 2, and got to talk to the filmmakers about creating a teenager’s emotional landscape.

With Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again wrapping up production, one fuzzy unknown is the future of another character in the street-level saga’s orbit: Echo. Alaqua Cox tells Polygon she is in the dark, too; unlike some of her peers who got their start on Disney Plus shows, Marvel hasn’t mentioned to the 27-year-old actor when or if Maya Lopez will reappear in the MCU.

Keanu Reeves has reportedly joined the cast of the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, stepping into the slick sneakers of Shadow the Hedgehog. Sonic 3 is set to release in cinemas on 20th December 2024.

Apple has been reported on multiple occasions to bring various camera improvements to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, which includes bringing the tetraprism upgrade to the smaller version and an entirely new Sony sensor for the primary unit. The company also intends to address the lens flare problem on its upcoming premium models, with the latest rumor stating that a special ‘Atomic Layer Deposition’ (ALD) coating will be used to alleviate that effect while improving image quality. Let us take a look at the details.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is bringing Shadow into the cinematic fold, and contrary to some long-standing rumors, he's going to be voiced by none other than the breathtaking Keanu Reeves.

When Sega dubbed 2024 the year of Shadow the Hedgehog, the company really wasn’t kidding. Now, it’s looking like beloved actor Keanu Reeves may be the voice of Sonic’s rival in the Sonic 3 movie. The casting was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, citing multiple anonymous sources.

Horror master Mike Flanagan has high praise for The First Omen, the sixth installment in the cult classic franchise.

A release date for may finally be on its way. News surrounding the Metroidvania's DLC-turned-sequel had been scarce for over two years after footage was shown during Xbox and Bethesda's Summer Game Fest event in 2022, showcasing its new combat style, heroine, and more years after its initial announcement back in 2019. This even prompted its developers, Team Cherry, to reassure fans that the game was still in production after delays and an already lengthy development. Recently, things seem to be picking up speed, however, as a Microsoft Store page appeared for the game, and now, yet another country has rated the game.

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A sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is still on the way, says star Simu Liu. The actor took to Threads to respond to a fan about Marvel's lack of news on the sequel. 

Netflix’s new animated movie Thelma the Unicorn isn’t exactly about a unicorn. It’s actually about a barn pony masquerading as a unicorn, once she realizes that the pink glittery glitz could be her one chance at superstardom.

Well, it's official: Geena Davis is not in Tim Burton's eagerly anticipated Beetlejuice 2. The actor, who played Barbara Maitland in the 1988 movie, confirmed the news, which is likely to disappoint longtime fans, at CinemaCon 2024.

The director of Nicolas Cage’s new survival horror movie Arcadian has shockingly revealed that the movie’s distinctive monster is actually inspired by a very well-known and beloved animated character… Disney’s Goofy. 

A tweet from film critic Darren Lucas, asking what people would like to see adapted after the enormous success of Fallout, has been making the rounds, and former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider himself responded.

Gross-out humor reached its apex in 2010’s Jackass 3D, when the boys slingshotted a ripened port-a-potty 100 feet into the air, and a bungee-cord bounce sent fecal matter splattering all over Steve-O — in glorious 3D, no less! That was it. There was nowhere else to go. Or so I believed.

Greetings, Polygon readers!

Greetings, Polygon readers! Each week, we round up the most notable new releases to streaming and VOD, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.

A version of this review ran in March 2024 in conjunction with the movie’s original coverage embargo. It has been updated and republished for the theatrical release.

Inside all of us are two wolves. This is true for everyone except Nicolas Cage. Inside Nicolas Cage are two Nicolas Cages: the somber, dialed-down Nic Cage of Pig and Leaving Las Vegas, and the screaming, manic Nic Cage of Vampire’s Kiss, The Wicker Man, and Mom and Dad. Which one wins? The one he decides fits a given role, sometimes regardless of the movie around him. (I will never stop wondering why calm, internal, straight-faced Nicolas Cage showed up for the otherwise nutballs supernatural action movie Drive Angry.)

It's a big day for those of us who used to making our Transformers and G.I. Joe action figures fight. After Transformers: Rise of the Beasts teased a potential G.I. Joe crossover in a quick post-credits scene, Paramount says the film is officially happening.

The Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie got a new teaser at CinemaCon, revealing a new look for the returning villain, Eggman. While the clip hasn't been made public yet, multiple attendees report that Eggman has put on some weight, putting him more in line with his appearance in the games.

One of the biggest annual trade shows for the movie industry, CinemaCon is an event that has become more and more of a mainstay in the annual pop culture sphere. Specifically dedicated to both movies as well as the craft of physical movie theaters, there was no better stage for Crunchyroll to announce a large slate of theatrical film releases for the North American market and beyond.

Baldur's Gate 3 cast members Neil Newbon and Amelia Tyler want to return for more Dungeons & Dragons games or even a sequel to the Honor Among Thieves film.

Margot Robbie’s production company LuckyChap, fresh off multiple Academy Award nominations for its blockbuster hit, Barbie, is taking on a new challenge — a film based on the board game Monopoly. The announcement was made Wednesday at CinemaCon. But unlike Barbie, where the climax centered around the toy’s original female creator as embodied by the diminutive Rhea Perlman, the circumstances behind the creation of Monopoly are fraught for an entirely different reason. Will LuckyChap rise to the occasion with another feel-good hit that opens the door to forgotten history, or will it work to further obscure the game’s origins?

Mixing style, action, and fearsome monsters is a familiar formula for success in action games. However, with its first PlayStation title, Stellar Blade, developer Shift Up is adding a lot of unique flair to the equation. A large point of this distinction comes from its creature design, which quickly became a focal element of the upcoming action-adventure experience.

Players of wacky co-op horror game Content Warning are being asked by publisher Landfall if their wildest recordings can be used for a lost footage project which would see it hidden in-game for other players to find.

For as long as video games have existed, film producers have adapted them for the big screen. The rationale behind these decisions is clear, as big-name video game properties have the potential to bring a lot of fans into the theater. But they have seen limited success over the years.

Alex Garland keeps getting asked the same question about his new movie, Civil War. It’s an obvious question. Garland, known best for Ex Machina, Annihilation, and Men, wrote and directed a movie set in near-future America, centering on a civil war that’s fractured the United States — and yet he reveals very little about how that war came about, or what the warring sides represent. Instead, he tells an almost clinically procedural action story about photojournalists crossing the country to cover that war, without ever digging into the details. Why make a seemingly apolitical movie about an American civil war in an era where so many pundits are worried that we’re on the brink of real civil war?

The Joker 2 trailer is here, and it's packed full of Easter eggs and callbacks. 

Arcane season 2 is still a long way off yet, but according to star Ella Purnell, fans had better start gearing themselves up for its "devastating" finale. 

New movie Civil War may be an action-packed war film, but its star Kirsten Dunst thinks it shares a surprising similarity with a much quieter flick: Paris, Texas. 

Fans of the Fallout games won’t be shocked to learn that Amazon’s new TV show based on the franchise is gruesomely violent. This is a franchise known for its Bloody Mess perk, and for the VATS system, which lets players target and blow off heads and limbs. But the violence of the Fallout TV series still has the power to shock; viewers can expect multiple severed heads and lopped-off extremities in this post-apocalyptic world where mutated monsters feed on human flesh.

Fallout, the new TV adaptation from Prime Video, ends with a bit of a bang. After a few episodes of exploring the Wasteland and the world of Fallout outside of the Fallout games, Fallout brings it all home with a lot of updates to the lore, and more than a couple cliffhangers.

Video game adaptations are on a hot streak. Films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 were massive box office hits, while series like The Last Of Us and Halo have made for stellar TV shows.

Margot Robbie's LuckyChap production company is set to produce a movie based on the beloved board game Monopoly – and we're here for it.

A new Blair Witch Project movie is in the works from horror mega studio Blumhouse.