A Horror Newbie Watches ‘The Exorcist’ For The First Time (Welcome toThe Final Girl, a regular feature from someone who has steered clear of horror and is ready to finally embrace the genre that goes bump in the night. Next on the list: William Friedkin’s seminal Oscar-nominated horror filmThe Exorcist.) I’ve passed by theExorciststaircase more than a dozen times. And every time, someone in my group excitedly whispers “That’s the stairs fromThe Exorcist,” and we stare up silently, daunted by its steep incline and the worn-out stones....

ABC Renews Big Sky, The Conners, The Wonder Years, A Million Little Things & More It’s that bittersweet time of year when networks assess their current slate of programming, and announcements regarding new greenlights, existing renewals, andcancellations. After the absolute bloodbaths over at CBS, The CW, and Netflix, we can at least provide some positive news as ABC has announced a flurry of renewals for some of their fan-favorite shows. First, three stand-out comedy series are set to return, with “The Conners” has been given a fifth season, “The Wonder Years” for a second, and “Home Economics” for a third....

Adam Sandler Casts Himself In ‘Pixels’; Kevin James And Josh Gad Also In Talks As a producer,Adam Sandlerhas a few actors that he likes to work with over and over. Chief among them is Adam Sandler, so it should come as no surprise that he’s cast himself in Happy Madison’s next big feature, theChris Columbus-directedPixels. Also in the mix for the film are Sandler’s buddy and frequent co-starKevin James, while Sandler’sJust Go With Itlove interestJennifer Anistonis being courted for another role....

Big Let Tom Hanks Take The Wheel With Some Wild Improv Improvisation is a skill often reserved for the great comedians of our time. This applies toTom Hanks, as his performance in the 1988 comedy “Big” proves. While “Big” didn’t put Tom Hanks on the map, it was his biggest commercial success of the 1980s and marked his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. It is arguably his first “classic” film, with apologies to the"Splash"fans in the room....

Daniel Radcliffe To Lead Yakuza Thriller ‘Tokyo Vice’ Daniel Radcliffe’s faced some pretty formidable figures in his time on screen, including Voldemort and the Woman in Black, but his next project might see him dealing with even more terrifying. Radcliffe has signed on to star inTokyo Vice, as an intrepid reporter locking horns with a yakuza boss. (Not to be confused with PTA’s upcomingInherent Vice.) The fact-based thriller marks the feature film debut of music video and commercials directorAnthony Mandler....

Director Darren Aronofsky Tries To Explain What ‘Mother!’ Is All About Darren Aronofsky’s new film,mother!comes out in a month’s time. After two trailers, we know very little about the plot – a nice feeling when approaching a release date – but the mood inthe trailershas spelled raw doom. The marketing has communicated a strong, tangible feeling of terror, which is howmother!all began. Aronofsky had an indescribable emotion he wanted to capture on Super 16mm with this film....

Early Buzz Report: Oliver Stone’s W. The reviews forOliver Stone’sW.have begun to show up online, and aside fromJosh Brolin’s “magnificent” performance, the buzz is pretty mild: Jeff Wellswrites: “Josh Brolin’s performance as George W. Bush being dead perfect but — and this, I believe, is a crucial distinction — appropriately hollow. Which means that on some level the performance, like the film itself, leaves you feeling a wee bit flat and wanting more....

Effects House Rhythm & Hues Files For Bankruptcy Despite Winning Multiple Awards For ‘Life Of Pi’ Last night the effects houseRhythm & Huesearned a BAFTA for work onLife of Pi. Today, the company confirmed that it is moving into bankruptcy. It’s not an easy business, Hollywood. The company was previously the object of possible acquisition by Prime Focus, but that deal did not happen, which contributed directly to today’s filing....

Ethan Hawke Imagines A Fourth ‘Before’ Movie Set During The Coronavirus Pandemic “Think of this as time travel.” The greatest pick-up line in cinematic history or a prophecy of the swooning trilogy of films that would follow? WhenEthan HawkeandJulie Delpyfirst crossed paths inRichard Linklater’s 1995 dramaBefore Sunrise, no one expected that we would follow the story of Jesse and Celine for 18 more years. But now, as we come up on 9 years after the supposed final filmBefore Midnight(the magic number that spans the gap between each film), someone had to ask Hawke: will there be a fourthBeforefilm?...

Exclusive Clip From ‘The Dead Lands,’ A James Cameron And Peter Jackson-Approved Action Film Both James Cameron and Peter Jackson loveThe Dead Lands. That’s a pretty amazing endorsement. Written byGlenn Standringand directed byToa Fraser, the raw action movie is about a young warrior who must avenge his father’s death by traveling across the treacherous dead lands to forge an alliance with an stranger. This small, New Zealand-based action film is currently in select theaters and on VOD....

Final Draft 9 Review: An Improvement But Still Stuck In The 90s Note from Editor Peter Sciretta:While I was once an aspiring screenwriter, its been many years since I’ve stared at that blank white page with the cursor blinking next to “FADE IN:”. So when Final Draft offered us the chance to review their latest software release, I asked my friendZach Lipovskyif he would be interested putting it through a couple laps....

HBO’s ‘The Nevers’ Gets A New Showrunner As Philippa Goslett Replaces Joss Whedon Joss Whedon(The Avengers,Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was poised to make his big return to television withThe Nevers, a fantasy series he created for HBO that is set to premiere later this year. But Whedon walked away from the series in late 2020, and since the show must go on, HBO has hired his replacement. British writerPhilippa Gosletthas been tapped to oversee the series, and you may learn more about both her and the show below....

Interview: ‘Rush Hour’ Producers Bill Lawrence, Blake McCormick And Steve Franks There may be an unprecedented number of television shows based on movies on the air simultaneously:Limitless, Fargo, Bates Motel, Damienand the just endedMinority ReportandHannibalwith the upcomingUncle Buckand shows likeLethal Weapon, RamboandThe Expendablesin development. Add to thatRush Hour, based on the Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker series. CBS’sRush Hourstars John Foo and Justin Hires as Detectives Lee and Carter. The pilot tells how Lee comes to Los Angeles and works with Carter at first grudgingly, but ultimately agrees to stay as partners....