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Production is officially underway on the thriller The Trip, which is coming from 87North, XYZ Films, and director Jorma Taccone (MacGruber and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping) – and Deadline reveals that Taccone has assembled a cool cast for the film. The line-up includes Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother), Samara Weaving (Ready or Not), Timothy Olyphant (Justified), Juliette Lewis (From Dusk Till Dawn), Paul Guilfoyle (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), and retired mixed martial artist Keith Jardine (Godless).

The Trip is based on director Tommy Wirkola’s 2021 Norwegian thriller, I Onde Dager, which starred Noomi Rapace and Aksel Hennie. The screenplay by Wirkola, John Niven, and Nick Ball has been reworked by Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney. The original film had the following synopsis: Eager to end their marriage by murdering each other, a husband and wife head to a remote cabin — but soon find themselves facing an even bigger threat.

87North and XYZ Films have begun production on thriller The Trip from director Jorma Taccone (MacGruber).

The film stars Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis, Paul Guilfoyle, and Keith Jardine.

Pic follows a dysfunctional couple (Segel and Weaving) who head to a remote cabin to “reconnect”, but each has secret intentions to kill the other.

XYZ is financing and producing alongside 87North’s Kelly McCormick (The Fall Guy), Lee Kim (Dual), and Guy Danella (Violent Night). Taccone and Tommy Wirkola are executive-producing with Karen Gillan co-producing.

The script was adapted by Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney from Wirkola’s Norwegian thriller, I Onde Dager, which starred Noomi Rapace and Aksel Hennie, and was written by Wirkola, John Niven, and Nick Ball. I Onde Dager was produced by Jørgen Storm Rosenberg and Kjetil Omberg for 74 Entertainment and financed by XYZ in conjunction with Ipr.Vc. Rosenberg and Omberg are...

Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, Timothy Olyphant and Juliette Lewis are taking “The Trip.” Jorma Taccone, a member of the Lonely Island comedy group and co-director of “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” is directing from a script by Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney (BriTANicK).

The film is a remake of Tommy Wirkola’s blood-soaked Norwegian action comedy from 2021 — “I onde dager,” starring Aksel Hennie and Noomi Rapace.

XYZ is financing the film and producing alongside 87North’s Kelly McCormick, Lee Kim and Guy Danella. Taccone and Wirkola are executive producing with Karen Gillan co-producing. Original producers Jørgen Storm Rosenberg and Kjetil Omberg will executive produce the new version of “The Trip.”

The film follows a dysfunctional married couple (Segel and Weaving), who head to a remote cabin in the hopes of reconnecting – but both secretly have plans to kill the other. The original film is total bonkers – oscillating between moments of...

If you’ve been following The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, you’ve known that one third of The Lonely Island, Jorma Taccone, has been absent for the last few weeks while shooting a movie in Finland. Details of that movie have finally been announced.

Taccone will direct “The Trip,” a thriller and comedy film that stars Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, Juliette Lewis, and Timothy Olyphant, it was announced on Tuesday, November 19. Filming is currently taking place in Tampere, Finland and has been ongoing since October 23. Paul Guilfoyle and Keith Jardine also co-star.

This is Taccone’s first feature behind the camera since 2016’s “Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping,” which he co-directed with Akiva Schaffer. For this one he’ll partner with the team behind “The Fall Guy,” David Leitch and Kelly McCormick’s 87North production banner, and XYZ Films.

No distributor is attached for the film.

“The Trip...

Saturday Night Live‘s golden year is reuniting cast members past for some new laughs.

This weekend, SNL alums and musical comedy trio The Lonely Island made a surprise appearance with their new song ‘Sushi Glory Hole’, the group’s first digital short on the sketch comedy show in six years.

A la 2006’s Emmy-winning “D— in a Box,” the song’s title is pretty self-explanatory, featuring Akiva Schaffer and Andy Samberg (Jorma Taccone is not featured but is credited as a writer) in their finest Wolf of Wall Street attire, pitching their new concept to a group of investors.

‘Sushi Glory Hole, imagine that / Instead of strange d—, you’ll be getting a snack,” raps Samberg during their pitch, complete with a tiny model.

James Austin Johnson, Andrew Dismukes, Devon Walker and Chloe Fineman then demonstrate how to use the Sushi Glory Hole,...

Saturday Night Live legend Andy Samberg’s had a heck of a career on the big screen, with him having more than a few cult classics under his belt. There’s Hot Rod, the criminally underrated Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, plus the more recent Palm Springs. However, he’s rarely gotten to tackle straight drama, but he’s getting his chance this week in Lee, a long-gestating biopic of famed war photographer Lee Miller, who began life as a model before becoming one of the most noted war photographers of her time, famous for chronicling WW2 in the pages of Vogue Magazine.

In Lee, Samberg plays David Scherman, who was one of Miller’s contemporaries at Vogue and shot a famous photograph of Miller in Adolf Hitler’s bathtub in his Munich apartment. We also chatted with the great Andrea Riseborough, who was Oscar-nominated recently for To Leslie but...

Tim Meadows is set to star in the CBS comedy pilot “Dmv,” Variety has learned.

The single-camera comedy pilot was originally announced at the broadcaster in August. The show is based on a short story by Katherine Heiny. The official logline states that the show is “set at the place everyone dreads going most: the Dmv. Our quirky and lovable characters are making minimum wage, doing a thankless job where customers are annoyed before they even walk in the door. Good thing they have each other.”

Meadows will appear in the role of Gregg. Gregg is described as “a former high school English teacher. Gregg is the examiner who likes to get through the driving tests, and the day, as quickly as possible. An uncanny ability to make dead-on observations of those around him, Gregg is sardonic, defeated and would love nothing more than to retire.”

Meadows is best known...

Tim Meadows has been cast in CBS’s upcoming pilot “Dmv.”

The former “SNL” cast member is the first to join the cast of “Dmv,” which was ordered to pilot by the network in August. The single-cam workplace comedy, which hails from CBS Studios, is written by Dana Klein, who executive produces alongside Aaron Kaplan, Wendi Trilling, Robyn Meisinger.

The official logline for “Dmv” is as follows: Based on award winning author Katherine Heiny’s short story, a single camera workplace comedy set at the place everyone dreads going most: the Dmv. Our quirky and lovable characters are making minimum wage, doing a thankless job where customers are annoyed before they even walk in the door. Good thing they have each other.

Meadows will play Gregg, a former high school English teacher, who likes to get through the driving tests, and the day, as quickly as possible, per the official character description.

"They really changed the game." "That is what rock n' roll is about!" Big hair? Paramount has revealed an official trailer for a documentary series called Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal, which almost sounds like a title for a fake documentary like Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. The 3-part doc is a look back at the all-out hair metal era of the 1980s from Jackass director Jeff Tremaine. Follow the wild, excessive '80s hard rock scene's insanity & ambition that enthralled generations. Uncensored behind-the-scenes look at an iconic musical era's influence on culture through candid insights from renowned rock journalists. Featuring Bret Michaels, Stephen Pearcy, Nuno Bettencourt, Dave "Snake" Sabo and Riki Rachtman, along with Corey Taylor and Steve-o, among many others. Bands mentioned also include...

If you happened to open up Twitter (only Thanos calls it "X") on the evening of Saturday, July 27, 2024, you may have noticed the social media platform blowing up with posts about Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic-Con panel. Taking to the stage in Hall H, Marvel boss Kevin Feige revealed that Robert Downey Jr. would be making his much-ballyhooed return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as rumored, though not as the late Tony Stark. Instead, the actor will be celebrating his recent Oscar win for "Oppenheimer" by playing an alternate universe version of the fabled "Fantastic Four" villain Victor von "Doctor" Doom.

This announcement was swiftly met with what Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) in "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" might charitably refer to as "mixed reviews." A Reddit user was quick to publish a message on the r/CharacterRant subreddit with the self-explanatory title, "I unironically think Robert Downey Jr as...

"Saturday Night Live" is a comedy institution that has been on the air for nearly a half-century. Soon, the series will be celebrating its milestone 50th season, which will include a star-studded anniversary celebration coming to NBC in February 2025. Even if you're one of those people who (wrongly) tells people that "SNL" isn't funny anymore, you can't deny that the late night sketch comedy series has cultivated some of the most brilliant comedic minds in modern Hollywood history -- whether it's the rough edges of live TV comedy innovation that came with the likes of Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Bill Murray, and Gilda Radner in the 1970s or the off-kilter shenanigans of Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Chris Farley, and Adam Sandler in the '90s. (Even the troublesome 1980s years under the supervision of producer Dick Ebersol gave us Eddie Murphy and Martin Short.) 

The late '90s into the...

“Pimp My Ride” is back … sort of. Actor and comedian Chris Redd is set to host Netflix’s new motor makeover series “Resurrected Rides,” which will premiere on July 24. The series will feature eight 40-minute episodes.

Rick Hurvitz, who co-created “Pimp My Ride,” which aired on MTV from 2004 to 2007, serves as an executive producer on the series, along with Brandon Killion, Ari Shofet and Mike Odair.

Per the official logline, “Resurrected Rides” is “an entirely new motor makeover series for the modern age,” with Redd and his team of mechanics helping “deserving owners transform their beloved beaters into roadworthy masterpieces.”

“We took the spirit and knowledge from the original and reimagined it with a hilarious host, brand new cast, plus the eye-popping technology and culture of today,” says Hurvitz. Shofet adds, “This is an aspirational and wish-fulfillment show with a comedic lens, and we’re excited to give deserving folks a mind-blowing automotive makeover.

Closer in tone to the sharp adult series “BoJack Horseman” than to Illumination’s bland “Sing” franchise, Netflix’s “Thelma the Unicorn” avoids being rendered completely unoriginal by its overly familiar premise thanks to consistent splashes of acid humor and a plethora of wacky supporting characters. Reimagined from the popular 2015 children’s book by Aaron Blabey, this bright-colored fable concerns a female pony chasing musical stardom disguised as a horned magical creature. But by changing her identity to chase those ambitions, Thelma betrays herself and those who truly know her.

The adaptation marks the animated feature debut for co-directors Jared Hess and Lynn Wang. Hess, still best known for co-writing and directing the 2004 indie hit “Napoleon Dynamite,” received an Oscar nomination earlier this year for the handcrafted animated short “Ninety-Five Senses” about a Death Row inmate. He shared the accolade with his wife and careerlong collaborator Jerusha Hess (also his...

The buzz has been building since last summer, when we learned Amy Adams will take the lead in the upcoming horror comedy, Nightbitch, a comedy horror production that is already sharpening its claws for our imaginations. This six-time Oscar nominee actress, 49, takes on the role of a woman who begins to transform into a dog (or believes she is the one… it remains to be seen).

Amy Adams in Arrival (Credit: Paramount Pictures)

The project, a ‘darkly comic horror’ film based on Rachel Yoder’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name, was acquired by Searchlight Pictures. As we wait for the trailer, in honor of Mother’s Day, we have the first official poster for the upcoming flick, which also stars Scoot McNairy.

And with the poster being so gloomy, we can’t deny the fact that anticipation is at fever pitch!

Poster Revealed: Amy Adams Takes on a...

Stars: Ashley Moore, Camren Bicondova, Gage Marsh, Shiloh O’Reilly, Andre Anthony, Christian Rose | Written by Miriam Lyapin, Helen Marsh | Directed by The Soska Sisters

Festival of the Living Dead is not only the latest Tubi Original, it’s the latest film from Jen and Sylvia Soska. That’s a bit of a come down for the sisters, who, after Dead Hooker in a Trunk and American Mary, were loudly proclaimed to be the future of horror. Dave Parker, who was in the same position some years back, recently used a Tubi Original, You Shouldn’t Have Let Me In to prove he can still make an entertaining film. Can the Soska Sisters do the same?

Ash and Iris are looking to do something to celebrate Ash’s birthday. Her boyfriend Kevin and some friends stop by with a birthday present, tickets to the titular Festival of the Living Dead.

The...

It was announced all the way back in 2022 that Paramount was going to be remaking "Naked Gun" with Liam Neeson as the star. There was little movement on the project in terms of additional cast members or a projected release window throughout all of 2023, leading many to believe the film had been scrapped or entered a new circle of Hollywood production hell. While many view the "Naked Gun" films as sacred comedy texts that dare not be remade, it's happening, and there's a pretty incredible team behind it. The "Naked Gun" films famously changed the trajectory of star Leslie Nielsen's career, so perhaps the new film could do the same for the gruff, action antics of Neeson. We're still quite a ways away from the release of the film, so here's everything you need to know about the upcoming remake.

Read more: The 15 Best Comedy Duos Of All Time...

It’s definite: there’s a new The Naked Gun film on the way, and Paramount has given it a summer 2025 release date. More here.

Well, this has been a long, long, long time coming. We’ve covered before Paramount Pictures’ attempt to get fourth The Naked Gun film moving. At first with the late Leslie Nielsen involved, and then after he passed, for a while it looked like Ed Helms was going to take on the lead role.

Now, it seems that Liam Neeson is to play the son of Nielsen’s Lieutenant Frank Drebin in whatever the new The Naked Gun movie ends up being called.

I’m one of many who’s not been won over yet by the idea of a new The Naked Gun film, but on the flip side, there are some positives. Notably the personnel behind the camera: Akiva Schaffer has previously directed...

How far would you go for the chance to win a million dollars? Tommy (Jake Johnson) and Maddy (Anna Kendrick) find out in Hulu‘s Self Reliance trailer, featuring a star-studded cast of comedic greats.

Jake Johnson is getting behind the camera for his feature directorial debut with Self Reliance. This film finds the main character, Tommy, playing a dangerous game for a lofty sum of cash, but at what price? Hulu acquired the U.S. rights to Self Reliance after a competitive bid with MRC and Paramount Global Content. In addition to directing and writing the feature, Johnson also stars alongside Anna Kendrick, Natalie Morales, Andy Samberg, GaTa (Dave), Emily Hampshire, Mary Holland, Boban Marjanović, Christopher Lloyd and Wayne Brady.

Here’s the official synopsis for Self Reliance courtesy of Hulu:

When a middle-aged man is invited into a limo by famous actor Andy Samberg, his dull life takes a thrilling turn.

Liam Neeson’s Frank Drebin may have found his foil in the upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun, as reports have come out that former Bond villain Mads Mikkelsen may be close to signing on.

As reported by Daniel Richtman, “Mads Mikkelsen is in talks to play the villain Cane.” While no details have come out about Cane and Mikkelsen has not officially inked a deal for the upcoming Naked Gun installment, I would personally love to see him take on the role.

If confirmed, Mads Mikkelsen will join Ricardo Montalbán’s Victor Ludwig from the first Naked Gun, Robert Goulet’s Quentin Hapsburg from The Smell of Fear and Fred Ward’s Rocco Dillon from The Final Insult. Considering that lineup, we would absolutely welcome Mads Mikkelsen to the list of heels trying to outsmart (well…) Frank Drebin. And hey, let’s keep tradition and get “Weird Al” Yankovic...

Sketch comedy is inherently hit-or-miss. When you watch any given episode of the comic staple "Saturday Night Live," it's hard to imagine a single installment over its nearly 50-year run that is wall-to-wall perfection; some sketches and running gags and characters are just stronger than others. The same can be true for movies either inspired by famous sketches or created by sketch-comedy writers and performers. The latest example is the straight-to-Peacock feature film "Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain," in which the three guys of Please Don't Destroy, best known for their sketches on recent seasons of "SNL," team up to save their friendship and locate a multi-million-dollar treasure before anyone else does. Portions of this film are clever or funny (though not often to the level of laugh-out-loud hilarious), but even clocking in at 90 minutes, it wears out its welcome.

John Higgins, Martin Herlihy, and Ben Marshall play (unsurprisingly) John,...

What if Nicolas Cage was Freddy Krueger, minus the fondness for murdering people, the burn-induced scarring, and the razor-bladed glove? Cage's character, the unsuspecting middle-aged professor Paul Matthews, even shares Freddy's predilection for cozy knitted sweaters in "Dream Scenario," the latest eccentric exercise in metamodern storytelling from contemporary indie powerhouse A24.

Much like Paul becomes an overnight celebrity when he inexplicably begins popping up in people's dreams around the world, "Dream Scenario" has suddenly found itself in the spotlight following its positive reception on the film festival circuit. With Cage essentially portraying two characters in the film (the real Paul and the one who keeps intruding into people's nighttime fantasies), his performances in "Dream Scenario" are already being compared to his acclaimed work playing radically different twins in director Spike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman's surreal dramedy "Adaptation." In his own review for /Film, Matt Donato declared the...

Emma Seligman's "Bottoms" isn't just the funniest film of the year. I'd argue it's the funniest film to hit the big screen since The Lonely Island's "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" back in 2016. Though indebted to so many high school comedies that came before it, "Bottoms" operates on its own absurd tonal wavelength that I can't really compare to much else. Every joke hits, even on a repeat viewing, and that kind of comedic stamina is so hard to maintain, but they do it beautifully. Comedy is my favorite, which in turn makes it the genre I scrutinize most closely, and "Bottoms" wildly succeeds.

This shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering Seligman's previous film "Shiva Baby," which also starred Rachel Sennott (who stars in and co-wrote "Bottoms" with Seligman). That film is as funny as it is anxiety-inducing. We know that partnership bears fruit and is a...

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping should have been a hit movie. It came out when Andy Samberg was riding high on Saturday Night Live, thanks to the innovative, viral shorts he made with his crew, The Lonely Island. Their “Lazy Sunday” and “D*ck in a Box” shorts were early YouTube smash hits. This movie featured Samberg as Conor4Real, a pop star who split with his former boy band Style Boyz to go solo. It was a loving send-up of the music industry, with Conor having some similarities to Samberg’s pal Justin Timberlake and his split from Nsync. Always one to appreciate a good joke, Timberlake had an extended cameo in the film as Conor4Real’s chef.

Timberlake wasn’t the only one to contribute a cameo, with the cast list a who’s who of SNL vets including Tim Meadows, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, and Sarah Silverman,...

Jake Johnson is getting behind the camera for his feature directorial debut with Self Reliance. This film finds the main character playing a dangerous game for a lofty sum of cash, but at what price? Hulu acquired the U.S. rights to Self Reliance after a competitive bid with MRC and Paramount Global Content. In addition to directing the feature, Johnson also stars alongside Anna Kendrick, Natalie Morales, Andy Samberg, GaTa (Dave), Emily Hampshire, Mary Holland, Boban Marjanović, Christopher Lloyd and Wayne Brady.

Self Reliance revolves around Tommy, a man who is offered a million dollars to participate in a game in which hunters try to kill him. The catch? They can only attack him when he’s alone. Thinking he’s found a loophole, the man attempts to bring his friends and family into the deal. However, problems arise when no one in his party thinks the game is real.

It was confirmed a little over a month ago that Scarlet Spider would be appearing in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," but his voice had been kept a secret until now. The character was first introduced in 1975 but was prominently featured during the Clone Saga of Spider-Man comics in the mid-1990s. This might sound radical on paper but received mixed-results in execution. The clone of Peter Parker went by the name Ben Reilly, donning a shredded Spidey hoodie over his super-suit while on the case.

As if Ben couldn't get any more painfully '90s, he also bleached his hair and had plenty of gnar-bro fashion accessories to try and capture the look of the time. Unfortunately, the storyline led to the reveal that Ben Reilly was the "original" Peter Parker, and I'm sure you can guess how fans reacted to the news. Spoiler Alert: they hated it. To be fair,...

Buckle your seat belts and hold onto your habits. The Peacock original sci-fi action series “Mrs. Davis” is set to debut on April 20. And in true 21st-century fashion, a nun named Simone (played Betty Gilpin) faces off in an epic global battle against a powerful Artificial Intelligence. Created by Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof, the series is one of the biggest swings in terms of original productions. The series will feature Jake McDorman, Andy McQueen, David Arquette, Margo Martindale, Elizabeth Marvel, Chris Diamantopoulos, and more.

Watch the “Mrs. Davis” trailer:

Talk about getting your affairs in order. “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning” gives people a chance to organize their homes and lives before they shuffle off this mortal coil. Actress Amy Poehler is executive producing the series, coming April 27, that enlists critical help to make that final exit easier. De-clutter before you die.

Also coming to the NBCUniversal...

Hey, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" fans. We are back to let you guys know that another new episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live is coming your way tonight, March 16, 2023. That's right, guys. ABC's got you covered again tonight with a new round of late night entertainment, and we've got a preview of tonight's new show for you. In tonight's new episode, you guys are going to see two more actors come through along with a brand new musical performance. So, let's dive into this. The first description for tonight's new, March 16, 2023 edition reveals that 44 year old American comedian, actor, musician, writer and producer Andy Samberg is going to show up to talk with Jimmy at some point. Andy has been involved with productions like: Brooklyn Nine-Nine TV show, Hotel Transylvania movies, Bob's Burgers TV show, Saturday Night Live, The Lonely Island music videos, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping movie, Neighbors movie, That's My Boy,...

Everyone's favorite globe-trotting, brown jacket-wearing, and ethically dubious archaeologist is returning to the spotlight. That's right: 12 years after being fired by the Smithsonian, Rip Digman is coming out of retirement and eager to prove he's still got what it takes to be a world-class "Archie." To quote the man, the myth, the legend himself in the newly-unveiled "Digman!" trailer, "The only dating I'm interested in ... is carbon dating."

"Digman!," which is set to drop on Comedy Central a few months before that so-called world-renowned professor of archeology, Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr., heads out for his final adventure in "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," is an adult animated comedy series created by Andy Samberg and Neil Campbell. The duo previously worked together on the Samberg-led "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (where Campbell served as both a supervising producer and staff writer), and seem to have carried the beloved sitcom's irreverent, progressive...

A number of great movies are leaving HBO Max at the end of March, so it’s time to prioritize these titles in your queue. Filmmaker James Gunn’s sequel/soft reboot “The Suicide Squad” will depart the streaming service on March 22 after first hitting HBO Max the same day it was released in theaters back in 2021. Similarly, “Space Jam: A New Legacy” was whisked away on March 1 after also getting a day-and-date release in 2021 (sorry/not sorry if you missed it).

You also only have until March 7 to stream “Just a Boy From Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen,” a short documentary on the making of the Oscar-nominated biopic “Elvis.”

Other noteworthy films leaving HBO Max this month include “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “Contagion,” the extended version of “Dances with Wolves,” “Ghostbusters,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Love & Basketball” and “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

Despite preparing to play Deadpool again, shooting lots of ads for the companies he owns and watching Wrexham play footie Ryan Reynolds is still busy developing other movies. He's set up a new comedy called Boy Band at Paramount.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Reynolds is attached to star and produce the project, which he also co-wrote with Me And Earl And The Dying Girl's Jesse Andrews. Reynolds came up with the concept, which is being kept quiet for now, but would focus on a boy band getting back together.

Director/producer Shawn Levy, who has become a frequent collaborator of Reynolds after Free Guy, The Adam Project and Deadpool 3, which is scheduled to kick off shooting in London this spring.

Levy may end up directing Boy Band, but it'll more depend on his schedule, which will be filled with Deadpool duty for now.

Whatever it turns out to be,...

Rodney Rothman, the Oscar-winning writer and director behind “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” has entered into a broadcast direct deal with Fox Entertainment to develop animated programming along with producing partner Adam Rosenberg, Fox Entertainment president of entertainment Michael Thorn announced.

The duo’s recently launched media company Modern Magic will develop and produce a new wave of half-hour and hour-long animated series for Fox. Content created under the overall agreement will be fully owned and distributed by Fox Entertainment and produced by its Emmy-winning animation studio, Bento Box Entertainment. Modern Magic will also look to partner on a variety of projects with additional animation production studios under its deal with Fox and Bento Box as the studio.

Also Read:

Allison Wallach Promoted to Fox Entertainment President of Unscripted

“What I love about Rodney is there are no limits to his creative, comedic genius, whether it’s reimagining iconic franchises, shaping instant cult classics,...

Fox has entered into a broadcast animation overall deal with Modern Magic, the company founded by Rodney Rothman and Adam Rosenberg.

Under the deal, Modern Magic will develop both half-hour and hour-long animated series for Fox. Fox will fully own and distribute all shows produced under the deal, with Fox’s in-house animation studio, Bento Box Entertainment, producing. Modern Magic will also partner with outside animation production companies under the deal with Fox and Bento Box as the studio.

“What I love about Rodney is there are no limits to his creative, comedic genius, whether it’s reimagining iconic franchises, shaping instant cult classics, or writing laughs for Letterman,” said Michael Thorn, president of entertainment for Fox Entertainment. “This direct deal with Rodney and Adam greatly expands our fast-growing Animation Domination slate, which is a key pillar to our growth strategy here in the U.S. and abroad.”

Rothman got...

Dir: Eric Appel. Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, Jack Black, Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss, Julianne Nicholson, Quinta Brunson. 108 minutes.

I’ve often heard it said that 2007’s Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story ruined the music biopic for good. Jake Kasdan’s parodic riff on the genre’s conventions – the troubled childhood, the meteoric rise to fame, the parade of famous faces, the inevitable seduction to the dark side of drink and drugs – felt devastatingly precise. And it can be hard now to watch a scene of any bright young thing nervously ingesting their first narcotic without thinking of Tim Meadows’ Sam and his repeated refrain: “Get out of here, Dewey. You don’t want no part of this s***!”

But I’d disagree with the notion that Walk Hard, as brilliant as it is, marks some be-all and end-all of stories about musicians. The music biopics released since...

When the now disbanded Zaz trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker were on their spoof game, they belonged to a very exclusive club that, to this day, includes only Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Monty Python. Their parody run of "Kentucky Fried Movie," "Airplane!," "Top Secret!" and "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" remains unmatched. And while they were likely too talented to miss the mark in their heyday, it's difficult to imagine them drilling the bullseye so emphatically without the deadpan genius of Leslie Nielsen.

When Nielsen was cast as the unflappable Dr. Rumack in "Airplane!," he was best known for his stolid performances in films like "Forbidden Planet," "The Swamp Fox" and "The Poseidon Adventure." He provided instant, deathly serious gravity to every scene he entered. He was no one's idea of a comedic dynamo, which is why he was perfect for the part of Rumack.

Nobody could possibly top the late comedy legend Leslie Nielsen and his performance in the classic 1988 film "The Naked Gun," but when has a little thing like that ever stopped this industry from trying anyway? With several recent legacy sequels and reboots proving successful at the box office in the post-pandemic landscape, Paramount is moving forward with yet another one of their own. Renowned among viewers of a certain vintage for its slapstick, laugh-a-minute joys that rival the likes of "Airplane!" or "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," the original "The Naked Gun" is now being brought back with with actor Liam Neeson negotiating to star.

This news comes courtesy of Deadline, which reports that "The Lonely Island" veteran Akiva Schaffer is on board to direct the project alongside screenwriters Dan Gregor and Doug Mand ("Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers"), both of whom are taking over for previous draft writers Mark Hentemann and Alec Sulkin.

Click here to read the full article.

Naked Gun is getting a reboot.

Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer is set to direct a reboot of the classic slapstick movie for Paramount, with Liam Neeson in early talks to star.

The famed Zucker Abrahams and Zucker franchise follows the happenings and mishaps of officer Frank Drebin, made famous by Leslie Nielsen. The trio of movies became known for sight gags, celebrity cameos, and Nielsen’s masterful physical comedy.

Plot details for the reboot are being kept under wraps.

Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, who worked with Schaffer on the recent Disney movie Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers, wrote the screenplay. Mark Hentemann and Alec Sulkin penned a previous draft.

Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are set to produce via Fuzzy Door. Schaffer will executive produce.

Neeson is repped by CAA and Artist Rights Group. Schaffer, whose other credits include Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,...

October is here, which means a bevy of new titles available to watch on HBO and HBO Max. First and foremost, however, we have the highly anticipated “The White Lotus” Season 2, which debuts on Oct. 30 on HBO and will be streaming on HBO Max at the same time. New location, new characters (save for Jennifer Coolidge from Season 1), same music.

Also new this month is the docuseries follow-up “The Vow: Part Two,” further exploring the inner sanctum of Nxivm, which debuts on Oct. 17 on HBO and is streaming on HBO Max the same night. There’s also “Avenue 5” Season 2 on Oct. 10 and the new Chip and Joanna Gaines series “Fixer Upper: The Castle” on Oct. 14 (that one will also debut on Magnolia Network and discovery at the same time).

Other noteworthy additions this month include library titles like “Nightcrawler,” “The Witch,” “Terms of Endearment” and the underseen comedy gem “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.

Things are going pretty, pretty well for HBO and HBO Max at the moment thanks to the smashing success of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. With its list of new releases for October 2022 though, HBO Max appears ready to up the ante even more.

The headlining title on HBO Max this month is undoubtedly The White Lotus season 2 on Oct. 30. Mike White’s freshly-Emmy-winning comedy looked to be a one-off after season 1. But cooler heads prevailed and the series is now returning in an anthology format. What will season 2 look like? Guess we’ll find out when the show checks in to Sicily later this month.

Aside from The White Lotus, HBO also has a few other TV shows of note this month. The torturously titled Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler debuts its third season on Oct. 6. That will be followed by Avenue 5 season 2 on Oct.

There have been a lot of shake-ups in the world of Saturday Night Live lately. According to Deadline, it was revealed this past summer that cast members such as audience favorite Kate McKinnon, along with Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson, are set to exit the show after the 47th season. And not too long ago, it was announced that three more cast members — Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat, and Aristotle Athari had also decided not to return this season.

It has now been announced that comedian, Chris Redd, is now vacating his position in the cast. In a statement he made on Monday, Redd comments after his decision,

Being a part of SNL has been the experience of a lifetime. Five years ago, I walked into 30 Rock, knowing that this was an amazing opportunity for growth. Now, with friends who have become family and memories I will cherish forever,...

Chris Redd is leaving “Saturday Night Live” after five seasons on the sketch comedy show, NBCUniversal announced Monday.

“SNL” is about to enter Season 48, and Redd’s departure comes in the wake of several other regulars exiting as well.

“Being a part of ‘SNL’ has been the experience of a lifetime,” Redd said in a statement. “Five years ago, I walked into 30 Rock knowing that this was an amazing opportunity for growth. Now, with friends who have become family and memories I will cherish forever, I’m grateful to Lorne Michaels and to the entire ‘SNL’ organization. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you all enough.”

Also Read:

‘SNL’ Adds 4 Featured Players from Comedy Central’s ‘Up Next,’ Netflix’s ‘Introducing’ for Season 48

Redd will next be seen in the comedy special “Chris Redd: Why Am I Like This?” premiering later this year on HBO Max. Also in the works,...

Justin Bieber just recovered from a scary bout of Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and is headed back on the road to finish his Justice tour, starting July 31st in Denmark. Before he had to postpone some of his U.S. arena dates, that run was fully sold out — a somewhat astonishing turnaround for an artist who only recently downscaled from stadiums to arenas after 2020’s Changes and its dire single “Yummy” failed to connect.

With hits including the undeniable track “Peaches,” Justice, released just over a year after its predecessor, is a streaming blockbuster,...

Although the feature film “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” was released on Disney and not in theaters, director Akiva Schaffer knows the importance of seeing a movie with an audience, as proven by the film’s tastemakers screening at the D23 conference and its L.A. world premiere.

“At home, it’s so easy to have a look at your phone,” he tells Variety. “You can miss half the things because they’re visual in the movie, but then again, as somebody who’s put out those movies and had nobody in the theaters, that’s not any good either.”

He’s referencing the poor box-office performance of his last feature, “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” (2016), which he directed and starred in along with the other two members of musical trio the Lonely Island: Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone. Since then, the film has garnered a cult following.

“When people...

Stars: Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, KiKi Layne, Will Arnett, Eric Bana, Flula Borg, Dennis Haysbert, Keegan-Michael Key, Tress MacNeille, Tim Robinson, Seth Rogen, J.K. Simmons, Da’Vone McDonald | Written by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand | Directed by Akiva Schaffer

The Disney “Afternoon Collection” has a special place in the hearts of a lot of Americans of a certain age. However here in the UK we didn’t get that specific block of animation, instead we got the likes of Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, Duck Tales and Talespin as part of various children’s TV blocks – be it early morning at the weekend and the after-school slots that every kid watched between 3.30-5.30pm. Which means you think that there isn’t that same sort of affinity with these shows. But you’d be wrong. Those shows, along with Darkwing Duck, hold a special place in the hearts of a Lot of...

"Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" is one of the most underrated comedies of the last 20 years. I am not the first person to say this, and I will not be the last. Almost every person I know who has seen the film absolutely adores it. The music mockumentary created by The Lonely Island is a packed 87 minutes of wall-to-wall hilarious absurdity. Rarely have I found myself laughing as hard I was in the theater watching this for the first time.

Actually, "underrated" might not be the right word to describe it, as its reception is...

The post The Lonely Island Think They Know Why Popstar Bombed At The Box Office appeared first on /Film.

H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" has been a source of terror ever since its debut in 1897. Orson Welles and The Mercury Theater On the Air's infamous 1938 radio adaptation caused near nation-wide panic when first broadcast, and director Byron Haskin's 1953 film version creeped out hundreds of Eisenhower-era kids with its special effects.

When director Steven Spielberg updated Wells' tale for a post-9/11 America in 2005, the scene where an alien tripod emerges from the ground and lets loose an ear-splitting klaxon before vaporizing entire swathes of unsuspecting humans with its death rays was just the tip of the scary iceberg...

The post Andy Samberg Needed A Favor From Steven Spielberg For One Of Popstar's Most Memorable Gags appeared first on /Film.

A staple of the 1990s Disney Afternoon lineup, the original Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers program ran for three seasons, in which Disney’s chipmunk duo got into a variety of crime-solving shenanigans. Formulaic but beloved by its pint-sized audience, it’s probably no surprise that Disney slated it for a streaming reboot.

But rather than a straight-to-series rehash, Disney enlisted writers Doug Mand and Dan Gregor, who cut their teeth on How I Met Your Mother and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Lonely Island alum and director Akiva Schaffer to apparently do whatever they wanted, resulting in one of the funniest and strangest movies currently available on Disney .

It takes less than two minutes for Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers to make the requisite Chippendales joke, and even less time to toss out a Thomas Chippendale reference, quickly establishing that this is something much more subversive and silly than the typical rehash.

Disney has dropped a teaser for its live-action/animated "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" movie, and I can honestly say it's not what I — or, I suspect, anyone else — was expecting. Sure, I hadn't forgotten that report from 2019 stating that "Rescue Rangers" director Akiva Schaffer ("Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping") was developing a "meta [and] self-referential" take on the classic Disney animated series, and I knew to expect something wild from two of the Lonely Island guys. But a reboot where Dale gets...

The post The Chip 'n Dale Movie Looks Like a Love Letter and a Cease-and-Desist to Robert Zemeckis appeared first on /Film.

Dave Franco’s character Xavier plummets to his death within the first minute of “The Afterparty.” But there’s plenty more to learn about the dweeb-turned-pop-superstar, whose origins and motivations unravel across eight episodes of Chris Miller and Phil Lord’s whodunnit, which premiered on Apple TV Plus on Jan. 28.

While the series only gives viewers a small taste of Xavier’s music, now fans of “The Afterparty” can enjoy four fully produced songs from the fictional artist on his brand new EP, “R.I.P. Xavier.”

On TikTok, users can join Franco in a duet on “Do Wet,” which features profound lyrics such as: “Champagne pouring (I like to do wet) / Hit it in the morning (I like to do wet).”

@appletvplus #DuetDoWet – Fill in the gaps with what you like to do wet #RIPXavier #TheAfterparty ♬ Do Wet – Xavier

The ironic “Imma Live Forever” features Xavier surviving death-defying acts...

It’s do-or-die time for the Oscars to recapture the glory days of the ceremony when more than 50 million people were watching emcees like Billy Crystal, Chris Rock and the foursome of 1983 that included Walter Matthau, Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore and Richard Pryor. With Will Packer producing the telecast for the first time, he’s said to have an exciting vision that can only be executed with a fresh, new host. So, who should the Academy tap?

Who?: Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short

Why?: Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” stars bridge all generations that the Academy needs to elevate its brand. You get the Gen Y and Z crowds and Latinos feeling seen with Gomez, and the Og die-hard fans of the Academy will have a past beloved host like Martin, who’s emceed three times. Short would be getting his first swing at the Oscar ball.

Heading into Tuesday primetime, Fox’s live coverage of the UCLA-nc State Holiday Bowl was set to be the primetime winner. Instead CBS and its repeat showings of the FBI franchise took that title.

In the 8 p.m. hour FBI was the night’s most-watched program of the evening, earning 4.88 million viewers and a 0.3 rating in the 18-49 demo, per fast affiliates. While repeats don’t typically get a lot of love especially when live sports are on, it’s worth noting that holiday showdown between the UCLA Bruins and Nc State’s Wolfpack fell through after the former pulled out of the San Diego game because of Covid-19-related issues. UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond announced the withdrawal just hours before kick off.

That said, Fox then opted for a repeat of The Masked Singer. FBI proper, FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted held a steady...