Welcome to B.H.’s Screen Time, where every week, we’ll give you the cliff notes on what’s happening in the entertainment industry. From various stages of development chatter and our take on the newest releases, to a fun throwback worth revisiting, think of it as an insider’s digest meets movie club.
Coming Soon
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three (previously thought to be titled Dune: Messiah after the source material it’s adapting) has officially begun production in Budapest, Hungary.
Last month, it was reported that the threequel had cast Nakoa-Wolf Momoa (real-life son of returning franchise co-star Jason Momoa) and Ida Brooke of Silo fame; with Robert Pattinson in negotiations for a villain role opposite Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, and plenty more.
While this ongoing discussion is no doubt fascinating, the most consequential addition of personnel involves the film’s cinematographer: replacing Australian-born talent Greig Fraser (Zero Dark Thirty, The Batman, Project Hail Mary), who handled the first two instalments, will be the Academy Award-winning Linus Sandgren (La La Land, First Man, Babylon, No Time To Die).
Fraser has sadly bowed out due to his speculated commitment to The Batman: Part II. Though it’s interesting to note that Sandgren effectively marks the second Bond franchise cinematographer that Villeneuve will have collaborated with after Roger Deakins (Skyfall, Prisoners, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049).
Wonder who’ll be tapped for his hotly anticipated 007 reboot?
Over to the world of television, Larry David of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm fame is teaming up with director/producer Jeff Schaffer and former US President Barack Obama (via his and wife Michelle’s Higher Ground production company) for a limited half-hour sketch comedy series headed to HBO.
According to the official logline: “President and Mrs Obama wanted to honour America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion… but then Larry David called.”
“I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems,” Obama himself said in a statement. “Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”
Schaffer added, “The characters Larry is playing didn’t change history. In fact, they were largely ignored by history. And that’s a good thing.”
One can imagine what we’re in for with this.
And finally, we’ve received our first look at Karl Urban as Johnny Cage in the Mortal Kombat II trailer.
Unlike the baffling 2021 franchise instalment, which focused far too much on Lewis Tan’s Cole Young (a character conceived just for the film) instead of the fighters we actually know/love, this forthcoming sequel will focus on the fan-favourite actor turned tournament champion.
The cast also re-welcomes Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson “Jax” Briggs, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han / Noob Saibot, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi / Scorpion; and introduces Adeline Rudolph as Kitana.
Once again directed by Australia’s Simon McQuoid (and filmed right here in Australia), Mortal Kombat II has set a release date of October 24th, 2025. Hopefully, it’ll mark an improvement from the previous one.
Now Showing
Despite the incessant moaning of Snyderbos and faux controversy surrounding certain geopolitical stand-ins, James Gunn’s Superman starring the charming trio of David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult seems like an unstoppable train at the global box office.
At the time of this writing, it’s generated $217 million in the opening weekend alone against a $225 million production budget.
The B.H. perspective: as overstuffed and goofy as it may be at times, it delivers all the unflinching earnestness and optimism that the Superman character demands. Refreshingly cheery in an age of dimly lit and all-too-angsty comic book movies.
Yes, the exposition-heavy dialogue and childish plot points are bound to elicit an eyeroll or two (remember that it’s essentially made for kids).
Yes, we wish modern screenplays would stop forcing everyone to verbalise precisely what they’re thinking/feeling (nobody needs Superman to monologue about why he’s more human than human).
But it’s a step in the right direction for DC’s cinematic universe after a decade of squandering its talent by trying to play the MCU’s game.
PS: We hate how much we loved Krypto the CGI superdog.
PPS: It’s hilariously clear what fetish sites James Gunn frequents based on what we can only assume was his specific costuming direction for some of the women.
They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To…
In the same way that we’ve lost the swashbuckling likes of Mask of Zorro, we just don’t do old-fashioned, gunslinging revenge movies anymore. At least not the kind with a masterful build-up and where violence doesn’t lose all meaning after the fourth or fifth goon bites the dust.
That’s why George P. Cosmatos’ Tombstone stands the test of time.
Loosely based on the real-life gunfight at the O.K. Corral, it follows Kurt Russell as legendary lawman Wyatt Earp, who settles down for a peaceful life in Tucson, Arizona, alongside his brothers Virgil (Sam Elliot) and Morgan (Bill Paxton).
But when the outlaw gang known as the Cowboys roll into town, the brothers and the hard-living “lunger” Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) are forced to draw their smoke wagons to seek justice the only way they know how.
Insanely quotable. Insanely memorable. The late great Kilmer, in our opinion, has never shone brighter; and the escalation to his eventual showdown with Michael Biehn’s Johnny Ringo is a thing of true beauty.
You can now stream Tombstone (1993) here in Australia via Disney+.
