Laia Costa will also star in Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, the Atomic Monster/Blumhouse production for New Line that just started shooting in Ireland. Cronin’s Doppelgängers banner is also producing. Costa joins Jack Reynor, who was recently announced, in the film.
The film, which is still keeping its logline under wraps, is written and directed by Cronin, and marks the first collaboration for the recently combined companies, helmed by James Wan and Jason Blum, with Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group. The film will be released on April 17, 2026.
Laia Costa starred in the critically-acclaimed, single-take film, Victoria, for which she won the LOLA (Germany’s equivalent of the Oscar®) for “Best Actress” and was nominated for a European Film Award for “Best European Actress” and the prestigious BAFTA EE Rising Star Award. Film credits include Only You with Josh O’Connor, Newness with Nicholas Hoult, Miguel Arteta’s Duck Butter, Nicolas Pesce’s Piercing, and Dan Fogelman’s Life Itself. Currently starring in Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time, additional TV credits include Devils for Sky Atlantic, AMC’s Soulmates and HBO Spain’s limited series Foodie Love from creator Isabel Coixet. Costa won the Goya Award for “Best Lead Actress” for Lullaby (aka Cinco Lobitos), which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. She was nominated the following year for another Goya Award for “Best Lead Actress” for Un Amor.
Costa is represented by Gersh, Anonymous Content and Hamilton Hodell.
Lee Cronin first garnered attention with his debut feature film, The Hole in the Ground, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019 to critical acclaim. His sophomore feature, Evil Dead Rise, was theatrically released through New Line Cinema in April 2023. The movie made a significant impact, debuting at SXSW and grossing $147 million worldwide, showcasing Cronin’s talent for creating intense and captivating horror films.
Atomic Monster and Blumhouse are co-financing the film. James Wan, Jason Blum and John Keville are producers on the film. Michael Clear and Judson Scott are executive producers. Alayna Glasthal is the executive overseeing the project for Atomic Monster.
This past Wednesday Marvel Studios made a very special casting announcement via their social media platforms. It was a gift much sweeter and tasty than any Valentine’s Day candy sampler. And it’s been in the works for nearly five years. That’s when Disney officially purchased Fox Studios, which finally brought one of the most celebrated Marvel Comics (hey, they started the “line”) into the “fold”. In the years before the 2008 launch of Marvel Studios, some of their characters were licensed out to several different studios. Sony still has Spidey, while Daredevil, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four were then at Fox. DD was brought back in with the Netflix series (and a new Disney+ Maxi-series soon), and DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE will rule this July, all the while fans were clamoring for a “new take” on the “first family” of Marvel. Studio head Kevin Feige has teased it at a couple of Comicon appearances, while many filmmakers have been linked to directing the project. Oh, and the casting speculations have filled the internet. Ah, but now this “holiday greeting” makes the acting line-up official.
So let’s dive into the sketch and see what we can glean from the many visual “clues”. Aside from the actors themselves, we get some interesting “tidbits” in the background and the “props”. First, Ben Grimm AKA The Thing is holding a magazine which is a rendition of the LBJ cover of Life Magazine in 1964. And behind Benjy we see him in his “human form” all “suited up” in a big framed photo that resembles one of the official NASA portraits of their Mercury and Apollo crew. These two clues strongly suggest that some or part of the film (perhaps a big majority, much like the 1940s of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER) is set in the early to middle 1960s. Appropriate as their book was begun in 1961 (more about that a bit later). Perhaps a supervillain (and the FF has a superb rogues gallery) whisked them forward in time (could it be the Quantum Realm at work again). Or is the film set in one of the many alternative worlds, other than the “standard” 616 of the current MCU? Could the FF “cross over” to us to begin another “phase”? We’ve got another year to ponder the possibilities.
And what about their attire? Could this be the new “spin” on the famous blue and white jumpsuits comprised of “unstable molecules”? It’s certainly possible for Reed and Sue on the right side of the art. But there’s a more casual feel to the outfits worn by Ben and Johnny, which fits into the whole “lazy afternoon” vibe lounging on the retro-style furniture. Oh, and I’ve got to mention their “help”, as the robot that appears to be serving Ben a warm mug of coffee or cocoa certainly resembles H.E.R.B.I.E. the plucky droid created for the 1970s animated adaption (also more about that soon).
Now, on to the cast themselves. We’ll begin (ladies first, of course) with Vanessa Kirby a celebrated British actress perhaps best known for her roles in the Netflix series “The Crown” as Princess Margaret and as the “White Widow” in the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE franchise (she’s also in the FAST & FURIOUS franchise via the Hobbs & Shaw spinoff). She was recently in Ridley Scott’s NAPOLEON as Josephine. Ms. Kirby (nice last name) plays Susan Storm/Richards AKA the Invisible Girl/Woman.
One of our busiest actors, Pedro Pascal, is the leader of the team, Reed Richards AKA Mister Fantastic (nicknamed “Stretch-o”). This is his latest role in a film and TV career that goes back to 1997 (he was on an episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”). His “breakout” work may be in the Netflix series “Narcos” which led to parts in several action “franchises”. He was the villain in WONDER WOMAN 1984, a “cowboy” in KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, and is the man and voice behind the helmet in several seasons of “The Mandalorian” for Disney+. Most recently Pascal has been earning raves and award noms for playing the lead in HBO’s series based on the video game “The Last of Us”.
Another twenty-plus TV and veteran plays comics fan favorite Ben Grimm AKA the Thing (affectionately known as “Benji blue eyes”). Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s first notable role may be on HBO’s “Girls” which lead to roles in two big franchises, STAR WARS with the “Andor” Disney+ series and in the MCU (well TV really) with the Netflix series “The Punisher”. Recently he won his first Primetime Emmy as Richie in the FX series “The Bear”.
Finally, London-born actor Joseph Quinn takes on the role of Johnny Storm AKA the Human Torch (Ben calls him “Match-head”). His most prominent TV work (in addition to some independent films) includes “Game of Thrones”, “Catherine the Great” and his lauded breakout role as Eddie Munson in “Stranger Things” on Netflix.
In the director’s chair is Matt Shakman in his triumphant return to the MCU after helming the acclaimed Disney+ series “WandaVision”. He’s also helmed episodes of “The Boys”, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”, “Game of Thrones” and most prolifically (43 shows) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”.
Hmm, could the super quartet of comics meet up with the super quartet of music in 1964?
So what’s the history of this fantastical foursome? Well, part of their origin was instigated by the success of, as they were later called. “Brand Echhh’, or the Distinguished Competition. Legend, now somewhat debunked, is that Atlas, formerly Timely, publisher Martin Goodman asked some DC execs, while they were out golfing, just what was selling. They supposedly bragged about the sales of the Justice League of America. And so, Mr. Goodman, eager to jump on any “fad” instructed his editor Stan Lee to come up with a superhero team. Later Mr. Lee stated in interviews that he wanted out of the “funnybook” biz. His wife Joan advised him that if he was going to quit anyway he may as well write something that he’d find entertaining. He enlisted comic art icon Jack Kirby (who did a similar team book at DC, the Challengers of the Unknown) to do the pencil and character designs for the book. The first issue of The Fantastic Four in 1061 told the story of a quartet who decided to “get the jump” on our Cold War-era enemies by taking their untested rocket into space. But as they entered orbit mysterious cosmic rays penetrated the ship and sent it crashing back to Earth, The crew was unharmed, though each member acquired unique superpowers. Their investor/leader Reed Richards was able to stretch his body almost like rubber (or the Golden Age Quality Comic hero Plastic Man) and called himself Mister Fantastic (maybe that ego stretched, too). His old army buddy, co-pilot Ben Grimm. morphed into an astoundingly strong rock-like behemoth and took the less flattering moniker, the Thing. Shy Susan Storm seemingly vanished and then was able to re-materialize, so naturally she was the Invisible Girl, later maturing to Invisible Woman and being able to generate “force fields”. Her hot-headed kid brother Johnny burst into flames, was able to fly, and could toss fireballs while controlling heat. His alias has a history as one of the first superheroes from Timely was the android called the Human Torch. Since he was introduced in Marvel Comics issue #1 back in 1939, the Atlas line soon was renamed Marvel.
The book was an immediate smash hit (especially after getting their “hero uniforms” in issue #3 while bickering and clashing unlike any heroes in print), leading to a whole roster of superheroes. The FF was instrumental in promoting them as they appeared on the cover of the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man (he thought they’d pay him to be part of the team). The Human Torch got his own solo series in Strange Tales, while the Thing would get a solo book in the 1980s. New characters would be introduced in the book, like the Black Panther, the Inhumans, and the Silver Surfer. Oh, that rogues gallery I mentioned earlier included the Mole Man, Galactus, the Red Ghost, Diablo, Klaw, and the greatest Marvel supervillain of them all, Doctor Victor Von Doom. With each issue, the creator team of Lee and Kirby just produced one science fiction-inspired epic after another and truly lived up to the “hype” line at the top of the cover title, “World’s Greatest Comic Magazine”. After one hundred issues, the duo finally left the book, which led to memorable runs by writers Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway along with artists George Perez, John Buscema, and writer/artist John Byrne.
Oh, I was up extra early on that magical morning!
Of course, Hollywood would want the residents of NYC’s Baxter Building during the big mid-60s superhero craze on TV. The biggest animation studio for television, Hanna Barbera, scooped up the rights to produce a half-hour Saturday morning show for ABC in the Fall of 1967. It was a fairly faithful translation of the comics benefitting from the sleek, simplified design of Alex Toth and a stellar vocal cast headed by Gerald Mohr as Reed and Paul Frees as Ben (I can still hear them in my head when I read the stories). It helped that the show was followed by Spider-Man for that initial season.
Jack Kirby and Alex Toth, now that’s truly a dynamic duo!
There was a detour in syndicated radio in 1975, with Bill Murray voicing Johnny, before the FF returned to Saturday morning three years later. But this was a different lineup. As the Torch was part of a development package for Universal TV (which spawned the smash series of “The Incredible Hulk”) and supposed fears of immolating imitating kiddies, he was replaced by H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot (told ya’ I’d get back to him). It was produced by Depatie-Freling. HB would be back for a weird solo Thing show about a teenage Benjy Grimm (“Thing-ring, do your thing!”) before the full team was back in syndicated cartoons that ran from 1996 to 1996. In addition to guest spots on various Marvel animated shows, they’d get one more series in 2006, “Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes”.
Dig the jazzy opening title music from Ted Nichols!
Finally, a live-action film was produced…and shelved in 1994. In order to retain the rights, Constantin Film enlisted Roger Corman to produce a feature that played overseas but was pulled before it could screen in the States. The campy finished flick has become a bootleg video staple at comics conventions and inspired a terrific documentary, DOOMED: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ROGER CORMAN’S FANTASTIC FOUR, which can be streamed on several apps. BTW, I saw the movie Thing suit on display at the San Diego Comicon, which impressed me more than seeing it later in a grainy, blurry VHS dupe.
This paved the way for a big studio, 20th Century Fox via producer Chris Columbus, to step in. 2005 saw the release of FANTASTIC FOUR from director Tim Story, who also helmed its 2007 follow-up FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER. Both featured a pre-Captain America Chris Evans as Johnny Storm. And they’d be back in a much darker version in the critically lambasted FANT4STIC (the “funky” title didn’t help) directed by Josh Trank who engaged in a nasty public “smackdown” with the studio just days before its dismal release. Of course, I should mention the terrific cameo by (it’s been a couple of years, but I’ll slap a SPOILER ALERT on it anyway) John Krasinski as Reed in DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS.
And now, we’ve got more than a year to await the return of the original Marvel Comic superteam to return to the big screen. Yes, it’s due on July 25, 2025, but that could change. If so, this will give us more time to speculate about the plot. Perhaps the next big reveal will be the villain. My bet is on Doctor Doom as he was part of all the previous movies. Of course, there are rumblings of Galactus or even the Frightful Four. So, I’ll leave you with the first bit of FF merchandising, the T-shirt that was sold through the ’60s comics (oh, if only the superhero craze had lasted another year we would have gotten an Aurora model kit set…*sigh*). If my repro print still fits I’ll be wearing it adorned with my original M.M.M.S. pin to the multiplex for the premiere. See you there, True Believer! Excelsior! Or should I say, “Flame on! It’s Clobberin’ Time!”?
(Original Caption) 3/2/1940- Los Angeles, CA: Actress Hattie Mc Daniel is shown with the statuette she received for her portrayal in “Gone With The Wind.” The award was for Best Supporting Role by an Actress, and was made at the 12th annual Academy Awards ceremony.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced today the Academy will gift to the Howard University Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts a replacement of actor Hattie McDaniel’s Best Supporting Actress Academy Award® . Howard University will host a ceremony titled “Hattie’s Come Home” at its Ira Aldridge Theater in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2023.
The ceremony will celebrate the life and legacy of McDaniel, her historic Academy Award win, and reunite her Academy Award with Howard University as she originally intended. The event will include opening remarks by Phylicia Rashad, Dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University, the performance of a medley of songs from current students and faculty of the College, and an excerpt of “Boulevard of Bold Dreams,” a play by LaDarrion Williams. Representatives of the Academy and the Academy Museum will be at the ceremony, including Jacqueline Stewart, Ph.D., Director and President of the Academy Museum, and Executive Vice President of Oscars Strategy Teni Melidonian, who will present the plaque to the university. Stewart will host a moderated conversation about McDaniel’s career with Greg Carr, Ph.D., Howard University Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies; Rhea Combs, Ph.D., Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery; Kevin John Goff, filmmaker, actor and Hattie McDaniel’s great-grandnephew; Khalid Long, Ph.D., Howard University Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, author, director and dramaturg; and Rashad. The plaque’s new home will be in the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.
Reproduction of the Award Presented to Hattie McDaniel in Recognition of her Performance in Gone With The Wind of Merit for Outstanding Achievement, Presented to Howard University by The Academy, Photographed on Tuesday September 19, 2023 at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles, California
“Hattie McDaniel was a groundbreaking artist who changed the course of cinema and impacted generations of performers who followed her. We are thrilled to present a replacement of Hattie McDaniel’s Academy Award to Howard University,” said Stewart and Academy CEO Bill Kramer. “This momentous occasion will celebrate Hattie McDaniel’s remarkable craft and historic win.”
“When I was a student in the College of Fine Arts at Howard University, in what was then called the Department of Drama, I would often sit and gaze in wonder at the Academy Award that had been presented to Ms. Hattie McDaniel, which she had gifted to the College of Fine Arts,” said Rashad. “I am overjoyed that this Academy Award is returning to what is now the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University. This immense piece of history will be back in the College of Fine Arts for our students to draw inspiration from. Ms. Hattie is coming home!”
The Academy Museum has honored and contextualized McDaniel’s legacy in both the Academy Awards History Gallery and its temporary exhibition Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971. A performer on stage, radio and screen, McDaniel appeared in some 300 films throughout her career. In 1940, McDaniel made history as the first Black person to be nominated for and to win a competitive Academy Award for her supporting performance as “Mammy” in Gone with the Wind (1939). At the 12th Academy Awards c eremony at the segregated Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel, McDaniel and her guest were seated separately from the film’s other nominees.
McDaniel received not a statuette but a plaque, as was customary for supporting performance winners from 1936 to 1942. Though its whereabouts today are unknown, McDaniel’s award stands out in Academy history; it would be 51 years before another Black woman would win an acting Oscar®. McDaniel bequeathed her Academy Award to Howard University upon her death in 1952. The award was displayed at the university’s drama department until the late 1960s.
Reproduction of the Award Presented to Hattie McDaniel in Recognition of her Performance in Gone With The Wind of Merit for Outstanding Achievement, Presented to Howard University by The Academy, Photographed on Tuesday September 19, 2023 at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles, California
McDaniel’s acceptance speech can currently be viewed in full in the museum’s Academy Awards History Gallery, and, notably, her win is recognized in the Oscars Gallery of statuettes, but through a vitrine that stands empty. Her acceptance speech, as recorded for newsreel cameras at the time, is noted below:
“Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science[s], fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests. This is one of the happiest moments of my life, and I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of the awards for your kindness. It has made me feel very, very humble and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel. And may I say thank you and God bless you.”
Reproduction of the Award Presented to Hattie McDaniel in Recognition of her Performance in Gone With The Wind of Merit for Outstanding Achievement, Presented to Howard University by The Academy, Photographed on Tuesday September 19, 2023 at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles, California
Paperclip Ltd and Winterlight Pictures have announced the new feature “Biter,” a dark comedy about a young woman who fantasizes about biting one of her co-workers, based on the short story of the same name from Kristen Roupenian’s acclaimed debut book “You Know You Want This.” The film will star Zoë Kravitz, who will also produce on behalf of her production company This Is Important.
“Biter” is co-produced by Paperclip Ltd. Founded in 2014 by Yeardley Smith and Ben Cornwell for the purpose of developing and producing projects with distinct points of view across all mediums, at their earliest stages, Paperclip’s expansive film portfolio includes thrillers “Possessions” and “Alone,” GLAAD Award-nominated “Gossamer Folds,” “Who Are You People,” and SXSW Audience Award-winner “All Square.”
Co-producer Winterlight Pictures brought the project to Kravitz and Paperclip Ltd. Founded by Chris Goldberg, Winterlight Pictures is also producing an adaptation of the #1 NY Times Bestseller “The Maid” by Nita Prose at Universal Pictures, as well as dozens of other IP-driven projects for film and TV. The company has collaborated with many authors on short story-based projects, including Duane Swierczynski whose story “Lush” is at Lionsgate, Christian Cantrell whose story is set up at MRC, and one of Goldberg’s own short stories which is in development as a feature at Netflix.
Said Chris Goldberg: “As an IP-driven company, short story-based projects have become a huge part of our slate. There is nobody who has broken out in the world of short stories quite like Kristen Roupenian. We are so proud to be working with such an exceptional talent and voice of her generation. We were also blown away by Zoë Kravitz in “Kimi” and “The Batman,” and could not be more excited to collaborate with someone so multi-talented and quickly emerging as one of the world’s biggest movie stars.”
Said Yeardley Smith and Ben Cornwell: “Our team at Paperclip Ltd is excited to work with incredible talents Zoë and Kristen in front of and behind the camera on this thrilling narrative, and Chris and the team at Winterlight are ideal creative partners.”
Zoë Kravitz recently wrapped her directorial debut with the original motion picture film, “Pussy Island” written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum, starring Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum. In a highly competitive situation, MGM landed global distribution rights. Kravitz most recently starred as Catwoman in Matt Reeves and Warner Bros.’ acclaimed blockbuster film “The Batman” as well as in the critically acclaimed New Line/HBO Max Original feature “Kimi,” Steven Soderbergh’s unnerving surveillance thriller, in addition to roles in celebrated TV series such as “Big Little Lies” and “High Fidelity.” Kravitz was named one of “The 100 Most Influential People of 2022” by TIME.
For those of us who grew up with comedian and actor Eddie Murphy, our first exposure to this gifted entertainer was on Saturday Night Live’s “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood“.
For decades now, Murphy has always been there, whether on TV or in the movies, and continues to have loyal, diehard fans who grew up in the 80’s to his hilarious standups “Delirious” and “Raw”, as well as his pop single “Party All The Time”.
Personally, while my siblings and I were in high school, after moving cross country from Connecticut to Idaho, Murphy saved us as we listened repeatedly to the cassette of Delirious in 1984. He had us laughing and made us forget our feelings of being the “new kids” in a new town at a new school.
This was true comedy gold!
In a career that has spanned five decades, Murphy’smulti-faceted and moving performances, such as his role as singer James Thunder in “Dreamgirls,” have earned him a Golden Globe Award, SAG Award, Emmy Award, and Academy Award nomination.
His latest film premieres on Friday titled YOU PEOPLE.
A new couple learns that opposites attract but some families don’t when they find themselves confronting their parent’s clashing views of their relationship in this comedy written by Jonah Hill and Kenya Barris. You People starring Jonah Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, and Nia Long with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Eddie Murphy comes to Netflix on January 27. https://www.netflix.com/title/81194505
In case you missed it on Wednesday, Murphy joined Jimmy Kimmel for a fun and light-hearted interview.
The actor talked about the recent earthquake in LA, receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes, sending texts back and forth with Tracy Morgan quoting Planet of the Apes, the reason he turned down a Star Trek movie, watching Cocoon at Sammy Davis Jr’s house, his friendship with Michael Jackson, meeting Bubbles, making a documentary about his life, getting snowed in Rick James’ house for two weeks, his new movie You People with Jonah Hill.
Recently Murphy was honored with the coveted Cecil B. deMille Award at the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
Star of films such as 48 Hours, Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, Dreamgirls, and others, Murphy accepted the honor at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.
Murphy was most recently seen starring in the Amazon streaming hit “Coming 2 America,” the long-awaited sequel to his 1988 box-office hit, as well as portraying legendary underground comic personality Rudy Ray Moore in the Netflix biopic “Dolemite Is My Name,” a performance that garnered him Golden Globes nominations for Best Picture Comedy/Musical and Lead Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
DOLEMITE IS MY NAME!, 2019
In 2020, he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his return to Saturday Night Live.
Murphy starred in the 1997 hit comedy The Nutty Professor in which he portrayed multiple characters and received Golden Globe and other award nominations. He also was the voice of Donkey in the Oscar-winning animated film Shrek and its sequel, Shrek 2, which is the top-grossing animated film of all time. Murphy won an Annie Award and earned BAFTA and MTV Movie Award nominations for his performance in the first Shrek, and he reprised the role of Donkey in the final installment of the hugely successful franchise, Shrek Goes Fourth. Murphy’s additional feature credits include Mulan, Dr. Dolittle, and Dr. Dolittle 2, Life, Bowfinger, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Daddy Day Care, Norbit, and the drama Mr. Church. Murphy’s upcoming projects include co-starring in the romantic comedy You People and producing and starring in Beverly Hills Cop 4.
In 2015, Murphy received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Award from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
(AP) — James Caan, the curly-haired tough guy known to movie fans as the hotheaded Sonny Corleone of “The Godfather” and to television audiences as both the dying football player in the classic weeper “Brian’s Song” and the casino boss in “Las Vegas,” has died. He was 82.
His manager Matt DelPiano said he died on Wednesday. No cause was given and Caan’s family, who requests privacy, said that no further details would be released at this time.
Adam Sandler, who acted with him in “Bulletproof” and “That’s My Boy” wrote that he, “Loved him very much. Always wanted to be like him. So happy I got to know him. Never ever stopped laughing when I was around that man. His movies were best of the best.”
A football player at Michigan State University and a practical joker on production sets, Caan was a grinning, handsome performer with an athlete’s swagger and muscular build. He managed a long career despite drug problems, outbursts of temper and minor brushes with the law.
Caan had been a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola since the 1960s, when Coppola cast him for the lead in “Rain People.” He was primed for a featured role in “The Godfather” as Sonny, the No. 1 enforcer and eldest son of Mafia boss Vito Corleone.
Sonny Corleone, a violent and reckless man who conducted many killings, met his own end in one of the most jarring movie scenes in history. Racing to find his sister’s husband, Corleone stops at a toll booth that he discovers is unnervingly empty of customers. Before he can escape he is cut down by a seemingly endless fusillade of machine-gun fire. For decades after, he once said, strangers would approach him on the street and jokingly warn him to stay clear of toll roads.
Caan bonded with Brando, Robert Duvall and other cast members and made it a point to get everyone laughing during an otherwise tense production, sometimes dropping his pants and “mooning” a fellow actor or crew member.
Despite Coppola’s fears he had made a flop, the 1972 release was an enormous critical and commercial success and brought supporting actor Oscar nominations for Caan, Duvall and Al Pacino.
Caan was already a star on television, breaking through in the 1971 TV movie “Brian’s Song,” an emotional drama about Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo, who had died of cancer the year before at age 26. It was among the most popular and wrenching TV movies in history and Caan and co-star Billy Dee Williams, who played Piccolo’s teammate and best friend Gale Sayers, were nominated for best actor Emmys.
After “Brian’s Song” and “The Godfather,” he was one of Hollywood’s busiest actors, appearing in “Hide in Plain Sight” (which he also directed), “Funny Lady” (opposite Barbra Streisand), “The Killer Elite” and Neil Simon’s “Chapter Two,” among others.
He also made a brief appearance in a flashback sequence in “The Godfather, Part II.”
But by the early 1980s he began to sour on films, though Michael Mann’s 1981 neo-noir heist film “Thief,” in which he played a professional safecracker looking for a way out, is among his most admired films.
“The fun of it was taken away,” he told an interviewer in 1981. “I’ve done pictures where I’d rather do time. I just walked out of a picture at Paramount. I said you haven’t got enough money to make me go to work every day with a director I don’t like.”
He had begun to struggle with drug use and was devastated by the 1981 leukemia death of his sister, Barbara, who until then had been a guiding force in his career. For much of the 1980s he made no films, telling people he preferred to coach his son Scott’s Little League games.
Short on cash, Caan was hired by Coppola for the leading role in the 1987 film “Gardens of Stone.” The movie, about life at Arlington National Cemetery, proved too grim for most audiences, but it renewed Caan’s acting career.
He returned to full-fledged stardom opposite Kathy Bates in “Misery” in 1990. In the film, based on Stephen King’s novel, Caan is an author taken captive by an obsessed fan who breaks his ankles to keep him from leaving. Bates won an Oscar for the role.
Once again in demand, Caan starred in “For the Boys” with Bette Midler in 1991 as part of a song-and-dance team entertaining U.S. soldiers during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. The following year he played a tongue-in-cheek version of Sonny Corleone in the comedy “Honeymoon in Vegas,” tricking Nicolas Cage into betting his girlfriend, Sarah Jessica Parker, in a high-stakes poker game so he can spirit her away and try to persuade her to marry him.
Other later films included “Flesh and Bone,” “Bottle Rocket” and “Mickey Blue Eyes.” He introduced himself to a new generation playing Walter, the workaholic, stone-faced father of Buddy’s Will Ferrell in “Elf.”
Caan didn’t take a starring role in a TV series until 2003 but his first effort, “Las Vegas,” was an immediate hit. When the series debuted, he was a casino surveillance chief dealing with cheaters and competitors of the fictional Montecito Resort and Casino.
His character rose to become boss of the Montecito but remained the tough guy who had learned judo in an undercover division of the U.S. government. Caan left the show during the fourth season and it was later canceled.
Born March 26, 1939, in New York City, Caan was the son of a kosher meat wholesaler. He was a star athlete and class president at Rhodes High School and, after attending Michigan State and Hofstra University, he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater under Sanford Meisner.
Following a brief stage career, he moved to Hollywood. He made his movie debut in a brief uncredited role in 1963 in Billy Wilder’s “Irma La Douce,” then landed a role as young thug who terrorizes Olivia de Havilland in “Lady in a Cage.” He also appeared opposite John Wayne and Robert Mitchum in the 1966 Western “El Dorado” and Harrison Ford in the 1968 Western “Journey to Shiloh.”
Married and divorced four times, Caan had a daughter, Tara, and sons Scott, Alexander, James and Jacob.
Searchlight Pictures announced today that Seth Rogen (This Is the End, Superbad, Pineapple Express) has joined the cast of Aziz Ansari’s feature directorial debut Being Mortal. The film stars Academy Award® Nominee Bill Murray (The French Dispatch, Lost in Translation) along with Ansari (“Master of None”), who also wrote the script and is producing with Youree Henley. Taylor Friedman and Cameron Chidsey are overseeing for Searchlight Pictures.
The film is based on Atul Gawande’s non-fiction book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. Principal photography will start this April, with Searchlight Pictures set to release the film theatrically in 2023.
Rogen can currently be seen in Hulu’s highly acclaimed “Pam & Tommy” starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan. He recently starred in HBO Max’s An American Pickle and in Long Shot alongside Charlize Theron for Lionsgate. Rogen was nominated for two Primetime Emmy awards for Outstanding Drama Series for Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” and for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program for “Da Ali G Show”. He will next be seen in Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans alongside Michelle Williams for Universal Pictures.
Rogen is represented by UTA and Principal Entertainment LA.
Searchlight Pictures recently set release dates for upcoming titles including Andrew Ahn’s Fire Island, set for June 3rd; Sophie Hyde’s Good Luck to you, Leo Grande for June 17th; and Quinn Shephard’s Not Okay for August 5th; all of which will stream exclusively on Hulu. Searchlight also recently dated Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin for a limited theatrical release on October 21st.
The star of CONSTANTINE, JOHN WICK, THE LAKE HOUSE and SPEED, among a multitude of others, loves movies. “When he’s home for a stretch and has a day with nothing to do, he sometimes goes to the movie theater and sees two, maybe three movies in a day. He loves, loves, loves movies. Even on an off day while he’s working—he went to see Dune the other night in Paris. (“Awesome.”)”
Watch the Q&A video with this delightful, funny actor.
Reeves stars in the highly anticipated and long awaited film reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous, Neo and Trinity.
The film also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (the “Aquaman” franchise) Jessica Henwick (TV’s “Iron Fist,” “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens”), Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton,” TV’s “Mindhunter”), Neil Patrick Harris (“Gone Girl”), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (TV’s “Quantico,”), Christina Ricci (TV’s “Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story,” “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles”), Telma Hopkins (TV’s “Dead to Me,”), Eréndira Ibarra (series “Sense8,” “Ingobernable”), Toby Onwumere (TV’s “Empire”), Max Riemelt (series “Sense8”), Brian J. Smith (series “Sense8,” “Treadstone”), and Jada Pinkett Smith (“Angel Has Fallen,” TV’s “Gotham”).
Lana Wachowski directed from a screenplay by Wachowski & David Mitchell & Aleksander Hemon, based on characters created by The Wachowskis. The film was produced by Grant Hill, James McTeigue and Lana Wachowski. The executive producers were Garrett Grant, Terry Needham, Michael Salven, Jesse Ehrman and Bruce Berman.
Wachowski’s creative team behind the scenes included “Sense8” collaborators: directors of photography Daniele Massaccesi and John Toll, production designers Hugh Bateup and Peter Walpole, editor Joseph Jett Sally, costume designer Lindsay Pugh, visual effects supervisor Dan Glass, and composers Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, In Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, In Association with Venus Castina Productions, “The Matrix Resurrections.” The film will be distributed by worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Evelyn (Emily Blunt) braves the unknown in “A Quiet Place Part II.”
If there is one film that will get people back in the theaters, it is without a doubt A QUIET PLACE II. Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path. The film opens in theaters May 28.
On Tuesday, Emily Blunt and Howard Stern discussed A QUIET PLACE as well as A QUIET PLACE PART II, but the biggest takeaway from the interview was the rumor about FANTASTIC FOUR casting.
Word on the street was they’d been cast to portray the superhero group’s romantically entwined characters: Sue Storm, a.k.a. the Invisible Woman, and Reed Richards, a.k.a. the ultra-stretchy Mr. Fantastic.
“That is fan-casting. No one has received a phone call,” Blunt told Howard. “That’s just people saying, ‘Wouldn’t that be great?’”
Considering A QUIET PLACE PART II features a world ravaged by an unexpected and difficult to understand menace, Howard thought his guest’s new film was perfect for the COVID-19 era.
“It’s sort of eerie how much the themes resonate with people much more now,” Emily agreed. “The world expands [in “Part II.”] The family’s home has been decimated, so they have to venture out, and it’s like which neighborhood will extend their hand to you? Who wants to help you and touch you and look out for you?”
The movie premiered in New York City last March just as the pandemic grabbed ahold of the world. As the public health situation worsened, Krasinski decided to pull the film from theaters just before its wide release. Now, over a year later, “A Quiet Place Part II” finally has its chance to shine.
“I feel like I’ve been sitting on my hands for a year, waiting for people to see it with my knees juggling. I just want people to see it so badly,” Emily said. “I never tell people to see my films, ever—this one is such an inspired sequel and I’m really proud of it.”
Before it went to Scarlett Johansson, Emily Blunt passed on the role of Black Widow. She explains the contract issue that forced the decision while talking with Howard Stern.
Lastly, the two discussed where the long-awaited sequel for EDGE OF TOMORROW stands along with Blunt’s thoughts on the original movie and working with Tom Cruise.
Master Luke Skywalker made a virtual visit from a galaxy far far away to some special kids.
Mark Hamill has jumped on board for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 6th Annual Make March Matter Campaign (which raises funds for life-saving services directly helping over 600,000 children each year).
Part of the campaign includes talent participating in a variety of ways from reading, visiting virtually, hosting fitness classes, and more.
Mark Hamill visited patients virtually and read a special book, Darth Vader and Son, by Jeffrey Brown, to young patients at the hospital. He also had some fun doing the voices of Yoda, Darth Vader, and Joker. He brought his new rescue puppy, Molly, onto screen to join the fun!
Hamill said, “Virtually visiting young patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles was a remarkable and touching experience. My favorite part was reading a special book with them, Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown. They know more about Star Wars than I do! I really look forward to the day I can visit all the kids in person again.”
Check out the videos now!
Make March Matter is an annual fundraising campaign where notable talent along with top businesses and organizations across fashion, fitness, food, and more rally together to support the hospital throughout the month of March. Over the last five years, they have raised more than$7 million, worked with 260 partners, and hosted 139 events.
Please visit www.makemarchmatter.org to learn more about Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Make March Matter campaign and for a complete list of participating partners. We hope you join us to shop, dine, workout, and more in the month of March and give back to the hospital that provides critical, life-saving services to over 600,000 young patients each year.
