John Rambo, the highly anticipated origin story to the legendary franchise, has commenced production in Bangkok, Thailand, starring Noah Centineo (the upcoming Street Fighter) as the one-man fighting force, under the direction of the acclaimed, visceral Jalmari Helander(Sisu, Sisu: Road to Revengeand Rare Exports).
The film’s screenplay is by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani (Black Adam, The Mauritanian), and the film is produced by Kevin King Templeton and Les Weldon (Rambo & Expendables franchises), Jonathan Yunger (Rambo: Last Blood, Expend4bles) for Millennium Media, Michael Disco (San Andreas, Rampage) and Angela Russo-Otstot (Extraction, The Gray Man) for AGBO, Executive Producers include Anthony & Joe Russo (Avengers, Captain America), Trevor Short (Expendables franchise) for Millennium Media, Dallas Sonnier (Bone Tomahawk, The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin) and Amanda Presmyk (Dragged Across Concrete, Run Hide Fight) for Bonfire Legend. The film will be distributed by Lionsgate.
John Rambo takes audiences back, years before the events of First Blood, diving deep into the roots and experiences that forged one of the big screen’s most enduring and complex characters.
Centineo will be joined by an exciting ensemble cast including yao (Sinners), Jason Tobin (“A Thousand Blows”), Quincy Isaiah (“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”), Jefferson White (“Yellowstone”), and Tayme Thapthimthong(“The White Lotus”).
Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland (Civil War, 28 Days Later), WARFARE embeds audiences with a platoon of American Navy SEALs in the home of an Iraqi family, overwatching the movement of US forces through insurgent territory. A visceral, boots-on-the-ground story of modern warfare, told like never before: in real time and based on the memory of the people who lived it.
Starring D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Taylor John Smith, Michael Gandolfini, Adain Bradley, Noah Centineo, Evan Holtzman, Henrique Zaga, , with Joesph Quinn, and Charles Melton, watch the trailer below.
Garland’s CIVIL WAR, also from A24 Films, was released in early 2024. At the time he said, “It is exceptionally difficult, to make a war movie that is, in fact, anti-war. War movies find it very, very difficult to not sensationalize violence,” he says. “Most of the anti-war movies in a way are not really anti-war movies. They have so much to do with camaraderie and courage. It’s not that they are trying to be romantic, but they just become romantic. They sort of can’t help it because courage is romantic and tragedy in a way is romantic.”
You can be the destroyer of this world…or you can be its Savior
Black Adam is finally out, and if you haven’t seen it, do. While the first thing that separates the character from a lot of the other superhero movies in the genre, is that, for starters, he’s not a hero. He’s an antihero in its near purest form. Dwayne Johnson, master of shameless self promotion has been touting the greatness of this film for a while now, and this time, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he’s right. And what Black Adam believes is right comes from a place of ultimate struggle… and sacrifice.
Born Teth Adam, the character’s origin story is a tragic one. As penned by Adam Sztykiel and Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani, the film reveals the twist of fate that not only gifted this champion of ancient Kahndaq with his powers, but also left him alone and embittered, wreaking havoc throughout the realm. The Wizards, realizing what has happened, imprison Teth Adam deep within the Rock of Eternity. This is where the black-hearted Black Adam has been entombed for 5,000 years. However, the suspension of time has not weakened him, physically or emotionally; the moment he is freed, he is clearly still imbued with god-like powers, still an invulnerable powerhouse possessing unbelievable strength and lightning-fast speed…and anger. Back with a vengeance and unleashing his own brand of justice amongst those around But forever comes to an end when Teth Adam is suddenly summoned by one word…SHAZAM!
Now, with the same mindset that got him buried 5,000 years earlier, Black Adam’s modern day journey begins. Black Adam’s return is quickly noted by Carter Hall – a.k.a. Hawkman, portrayed by Aldis Hodge – who immediately puts out the call to his friend Kent Nelson, a.k.a. Doctor Fate, played by Pierce Brosnan; Al Rothstein/Atom Smasher, played by Noah Centineo; and Maxine Hunkel/Cyclone, played by Quintessa Swindell.
Re-forming the Justice Society, the team is swiftly galvanized into action to contain the antihero’s destruction halfway around the world. Black Adam has awakened to modern day Kahndaq, in his time a great kingdom but now a shadow of its former self. The once storied and wealthy country, the birthplace of ancient magic and the epicenter of the region’s most vital, priceless resource—Eternium—is being pillaged for that precious resource. Leading the charge is Intergang; a villainous organization simultaneously mining the last vestiges of Eternium and destroying Kahndaq’s citizens’ chance for a prosperous future.
Soon, like everything else around him, the Justice Society proves to be another nuisance. And, even as Black Adam gains a better understanding of this new version of his city and country, he remains conflicted; his anger still burns and his definitive moral code never wavers as he navigates what he’s meant to be for this version of Kahndaq. At the same time there is another, more dangerous adversary growing more powerful, and this triad of opposing foes—Black Adam, the Justice Society and the leader of Intergang— are destined to clash to determine the future of Kahndaq and, perhaps, the world. On a side note: credit is given to Jack Kirby who created the Fourth World. InterGang debuted in Kirby’s Fourth World saga. While it isn’t a straight adaptation of any previous material, nor does the screenplay pull from any of their storylines, it does reference elements readers of The New 52’s The Dark Age and the latest Hawkman comics will recognize.
Teth Adam, the titular hero of the movie, didn’t ASK to be brought back, he was safely and comfortably entombed in the capital city of the fictional country of Khondaq, until some tomb raiders, chasing the real hero of this story, caused his release. But once he’s unleashed, watch out!
He handles the bad guys in a way that we all wish a lot of the other heroes would, especially given this sets brutality. They do get what they have been doling out for apparently years.
From here the film goes into overdrive with an economy of storytelling that is efficient and useful: new characters are brought in without dragging us all through an unnecessarily lengthy and protracted period of exposition. We meet them, we get a few seconds that sets them up for their role in the story, and that’s it, move along, we have stuff to do.
There are returning characters from other DCEU properties, Amanda Waller (played to perfection by Viola Davis) and fellow government stooge from the Suicide Squad, Jennifer Holland as black ops agent Emilia Harcourt as well as some surprise cameos.
Director Collet-Serra’s singular vision is made more powerful by the cinematography of Lawrence Sher, the costume design team of Kurt and Bart, stunt coordinator Tommy Harper and special effects coordinator J.D. Schwalm. The epic score comes from composer Lorne Balfe who captures the essence of the DC comic book world’s antihero. The Black Adam Theme and The Justice Society Theme are highlights of the film.
BLACK ADAM doesn’t do what a LOT of other superhero movies have gotten into the habit of doing lately, which is bogging itself down with an overabundance of side stories and useless character clips. We meet Hawkman (Aldis Hodge, who makes this DC steadfast a real bad ass) and Doctor Fate, played by Pierce Brosnan with so much heart that he makes you forget about any other superhero wizarding types (ahem, sorry BC). Plus there’s great chemistry and team-bonding between Centineo and Swindell. We aren’t spoon-fed background about them, but rather we get to see, not hear, why they matter to the events unfolding.
There is a bit of social commentary in the movie, you aren’t force-fed, but led. It matters though. And there is action. A LOT of action. It’s beautiful, destructive, especially the standard comic book bit where two factions that should be working together meet, and have to fight it out to figure out what side things fall out on. And it is done well.
Dwayne Johnson flew in as DC Super Hero BLACK ADAM during Warner Bros. Pictures theatrical panel at Saturday’s Comic Con panel. This guy know how to make an entrance!
“Hall H, you have been warned. The DC universe will never be the same again,” boomed Johnson.
Johnson tackled an age-old question: who would win in a fight, Black Adam or Superman? Earlier in the week, rumors circulated that Man of Steel actor Henry Cavill might show up or send a video message for the panel, but that didn’t come to fruition.
Said the actor of a matchup between the DC characters: “Pound for pound, they are pretty close. I guess it probably all depends on who is playing Superman. I will just say that.”
Finally, Johnson left the 6,500 Hall H attendees with a gift. Each would receive a free ticket to an IMAX screening of Black Adam. It turns out a post card they received upon entrance was actually a ticket.
“To be here at Comic-Con, Hall H, representing a DC hero, an anti-hero, is a dream come true,” Johnson told the room. “When I started 20 years ago, many moons ago, I would bring movies here and hope people would love it.”
From New Line Cinema, Dwayne Johnson stars in the action adventure “Black Adam.” The first-ever feature film to explore the story of the DC Super Hero comes to the big screen under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (“Jungle Cruise”).
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Johnson stars alongside Aldis Hodge (“City on a Hill,” “One Night in Miami”) as Hawkman, Noah Centineo (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi (“Sex/Life,” “Rush Hour 3”), Marwan Kenzari (“Murder on the Orient Express,” “The Mummy”), Quintessa Swindell (“Voyagers,” “Trinkets”) as Cyclone, Mo Amer (“Mo,” “Ramy”), Bodhi Sabongui (“A Million Little Things”), and Pierce Brosnan (the “Mamma Mia!” and James Bond franchises) as Dr. Fate.
Collet-Serra directed from a screenplay written by Adam Sztykiel and Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani, based on characters from DC, based on characters created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. The film’s producers are Beau Flynn, Dwayne Johnson, Hiram Garcia and Dany Garcia, with Walter Hamada, Adam Schlagman, Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Chris Pan, Eric McLeod, Geoff Johns and Scott Sheldon executive producing.
The director’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Lawrence Sher (“Joker”), production designer Tom Meyer (“Real Steel”), editors Mike Sale (“Red Notice,” “Skyscraper”) and John Lee (“Anyone Home?”), costume designers Kurt and Bart (“Deadpool 2,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 & 2”), Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer (“Life of Pi,” “Wonder Woman”), and composer Lorne Balfe (“Black Widow”).
New Line Cinema Presents a Seven Bucks/Flynn Co. Production, A Jaume Collet-Serra Film, “Black Adam,” smashing into theaters and IMAX internationally beginning 19 October 2022, in North America on October 21, 2022. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
From New Line Cinema, Dwayne Johnson stars in the action adventure.
The first-ever feature film to explore the story of the DC Super Hero comes to the big screen under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (“Jungle Cruise”). Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam (Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Johnson stars alongside Aldis Hodge (“City on a Hill,” “One Night in Miami”) as Hawkman, Noah Centineo (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi (“Sex/Life,” “Rush Hour 3”) as Adrianna, Marwan Kenzari (“Murder on the Orient Express,” “The Mummy”) as Ishmael, Quintessa Swindell (“Voyagers,” “Trinkets”) as Cyclone, Bodhi Sabongui (“A Million Little Things”) as Amon, and Pierce Brosnan (the “Mamma Mia!” and James Bond franchises) as Dr. Fate.
The film marks the first big-screen, live-action appearance of the Justice Society of America, the legendary DC superhero team. Previously fans of the CW show “Smallville” saw the team in the episode “Absolute Justice”. Clark Kent/Superman met up with JSA members Doctor Fate, Stargirl and Hawkman.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Jaume Collet-Serra says of Hawkman.
Hodge’s Hawkman is one of the JSA’s high-flying heroes. The golden-winged warrior has long been a DC staple, and he’s popped up before in live-action TV series like Smallville and the Arrowverse shows. But Hodge’s version is the first to make it to live-action film, and Collet-Serra says he wanted to craft a Hawkman who felt both impossibly strong and agile. “He’s not just a man with wings,” the director explains. “He’s like a fighting beast.”
Collet-Serra adds that he and the costume design team worked to build an avian look that felt new but still honored the character’s decades-long history, and Hodge trained for months to prepare for the extensive wirework required to soar through the air.
Collet-Serra directed from a screenplay by Adam Sztykiel and Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani, screen story by Adam Sztykiel and Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani, based on characters from DC. Black Adam was created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. The film’s producers were Beau Flynn, Dwayne Johnson, Hiram Garcia and Dany Garcia, with Richard Brener, Walter Hamada, Dave Neustadter, Chris Pan, Eric McLeod, Geoff Johns and Scott Sheldon.
“Black Adam” smashes into theaters and IMAX internationally beginning 19 October 2022 and in North America on October 21, 2022. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
