Less than 24 hours after unveiling exclusive Wicked footage in Las Vegas, filmmaker Jon M. Chu found his way into the spotlight of another CinemaCon stage inside Caesars Palace, this time for a special luncheon in his honor at which he revealed secrets about filming the two-part epic musical.
“It was pretty magical last night,” Chu told The Hollywood Reporter’s co-editor-in-chief Nekesa Mumbi Moody, who moderated a fireside chat with the filmmaker after he was presented a trophy for cultural impact in filmmaking (by his In the Heights star Ariana Greenblatt). Chu has been in the editing room while managing a full household of four young children, so he said that being in Las Vegas where he could sleep and hang out with others, “I’m, like, ‘Let’s go.’”
Chu, fresh from the Colosseum stage where he appeared during Universal Pictures’ slate presentation, opened up on the 30-minute Wicked...
“It was pretty magical last night,” Chu told The Hollywood Reporter’s co-editor-in-chief Nekesa Mumbi Moody, who moderated a fireside chat with the filmmaker after he was presented a trophy for cultural impact in filmmaking (by his In the Heights star Ariana Greenblatt). Chu has been in the editing room while managing a full household of four young children, so he said that being in Las Vegas where he could sleep and hang out with others, “I’m, like, ‘Let’s go.’”
Chu, fresh from the Colosseum stage where he appeared during Universal Pictures’ slate presentation, opened up on the 30-minute Wicked...
- 4/11/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Based on the book by Gregory Maguire, the hit Broadway stage musical "Wicked" opened on October 30, 2003, at the Gershwin Theatre, and has been running there ever since. It recently surpassed "Cats" to become the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history, although it has a long way to go to supplant "The Lion King" as the third-longest. The musical is a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz," depicting the Wicked Witch of the West as a young green-skinned woman named Elphaba whose reputation has been wildly misunderstood. The show won three Tonys upon its release, and the accompanying soundtrack album won an Emmy. One might say that "Wicked" is very ... Popular.
The musical only runs about two hours and 30 minutes (with intermission), but that runtime hasn't stopped director Jon M. Chu from adapting "Wicked" into a massive, two-film epic. "Wicked: Part One" is due in theaters on November 27, 2024, while "Wicked: Part Two...
The musical only runs about two hours and 30 minutes (with intermission), but that runtime hasn't stopped director Jon M. Chu from adapting "Wicked" into a massive, two-film epic. "Wicked: Part One" is due in theaters on November 27, 2024, while "Wicked: Part Two...
- 4/11/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
One year after Universal Pictures debuted the first look at footage from his upcoming two-part musical Wicked at CinemaCon, Jon M. Chu is heading back to Las Vegas for the National Association of Theater Owners’ official convention.
Chu will be the guest of honor at an annual filmmaker luncheon during which he will receive a cultural impact in filmmaking award for a “visionary approach to storytelling and his commitment to representing diverse voices and perspectives.” The Fathom-sponsored event, scheduled for April 11 in the Octavius Ballroom, will also feature a sit-down conversation with Chu.
The filmmaker luncheon will follow hot on the heels of Universal and Focus Features’ studio presentation on Wednesday at which the companies will present their upcoming slates. With Chu confirmed for the luncheon, it would not be a surprise to see him make a mark on the Colosseum main stage by presenting additional footage from Wicked ahead...
Chu will be the guest of honor at an annual filmmaker luncheon during which he will receive a cultural impact in filmmaking award for a “visionary approach to storytelling and his commitment to representing diverse voices and perspectives.” The Fathom-sponsored event, scheduled for April 11 in the Octavius Ballroom, will also feature a sit-down conversation with Chu.
The filmmaker luncheon will follow hot on the heels of Universal and Focus Features’ studio presentation on Wednesday at which the companies will present their upcoming slates. With Chu confirmed for the luncheon, it would not be a surprise to see him make a mark on the Colosseum main stage by presenting additional footage from Wicked ahead...
- 4/6/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Wicked" began its life as a playful, lore-rich 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, which imagined deep backstories and complex relationships between the characters from "The Wizard of Oz." By Maguire's imagining, the green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West was merely misunderstood and marginalized. In 2003, lyricist Stephen Schwartz and dramatist Winnie Holzman adapted Maguire's novel into a Broadway musical that almost instantly became a runaway hit. "Wicked" won three Tonys, and had since set up camp on Broadway, becoming one of the longest-running shows in the history of the Great White Way. As of this writing, "Wicked" has surpassed "Cats" in number of performances.
Due in theaters on November 27, 2024, is the first part of a massive two-film adaptation of "Wicked" directed by the venerable Jon M. Chu. Although the stage version of "Wicked" only runs about two and a half hours, Chu has elected to expand it into a "Dune"-sized event,...
Due in theaters on November 27, 2024, is the first part of a massive two-film adaptation of "Wicked" directed by the venerable Jon M. Chu. Although the stage version of "Wicked" only runs about two and a half hours, Chu has elected to expand it into a "Dune"-sized event,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The summer staple So You Think You Can Dance has delighted viewers since its debut on Fox in 2005. Many talented young dancers have jumpstarted their careers on the reality TV show.
Seeing the winner who takes it all home is the most anticipated event of every season. Over the years, it’s been interesting to see what the winners accomplished. So, let’s talk about the So You Think You Can Dance winners and see who outdanced the rest and what they won.
‘So You Think You Can Dance’ winners
So, who won each season of the popular dance show? Here is a breakdown of all the So You Think You Can Dance winners:
Season 1: Nick Lazzarini Season 2: Benji Schwimmer Season 3: Sabra Johnson Season 4: Joshua Allen Season 5: Jeanine Mason Season 6: Russell Ferguson Season 7: Lauren Froderman Season 8: Melanie Moore Season 9: Eliana Girard...
Seeing the winner who takes it all home is the most anticipated event of every season. Over the years, it’s been interesting to see what the winners accomplished. So, let’s talk about the So You Think You Can Dance winners and see who outdanced the rest and what they won.
‘So You Think You Can Dance’ winners
So, who won each season of the popular dance show? Here is a breakdown of all the So You Think You Can Dance winners:
Season 1: Nick Lazzarini Season 2: Benji Schwimmer Season 3: Sabra Johnson Season 4: Joshua Allen Season 5: Jeanine Mason Season 6: Russell Ferguson Season 7: Lauren Froderman Season 8: Melanie Moore Season 9: Eliana Girard...
- 8/31/2023
- by Suse Forrest
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
As confirmed by Deadline today, Jon M. Chu, one of cinema's premiere makers of cinematic musicals, will be adapting the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice operetta "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" for Amazon Studios. In addition to directing, Chu will produce the film alongside Scott Sanders, who worked on Chu's adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's and Quiara Alegría Hudes' stage musical "In the Heights," released in 2021.
"Joseph" is an outsize, rock-forward, expressionistic rendition of the Book of Genesis, telling the story of the Coat of Many Colors. In Genesis, Joseph was given said garment by his father, much to the chagrin of his jealous brothers, who began to plot against him. Joseph was thrown into a pit, with one of his more benevolent brothers planning to rescue him later. He was eventually dragged out and sold into slavery. In the Webber/Rice musical, Joseph eventually gets out of bondage...
"Joseph" is an outsize, rock-forward, expressionistic rendition of the Book of Genesis, telling the story of the Coat of Many Colors. In Genesis, Joseph was given said garment by his father, much to the chagrin of his jealous brothers, who began to plot against him. Joseph was thrown into a pit, with one of his more benevolent brothers planning to rescue him later. He was eventually dragged out and sold into slavery. In the Webber/Rice musical, Joseph eventually gets out of bondage...
- 4/12/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Ellen DeGeneres continued to mourn her late friend and collaborator Stephen “Twitch” Boss in an emotional video post published on her social media platforms. Holding back tears, DeGeneres reflected on how fans of Twitch can honor him this holiday weekend. Boss, who died by suicide at age 40, began DJing on “Ellen” in 2014 and remained on the daytime talk series until it ended in 2022. In 2020, DeGeneres named him an executive producer on the series.
“I just wanted to say that the past 11 days have been very tough for everyone,” Degeneres said. “Everyone is in pain and trying to make sense of it. We’ll never make sense of it. The holidays are hard I think anyway, but to honor Twitch the best thing we can do is to laugh and to hug each other and to play games and dance and sing. That’s the way we honor him. We do...
“I just wanted to say that the past 11 days have been very tough for everyone,” Degeneres said. “Everyone is in pain and trying to make sense of it. We’ll never make sense of it. The holidays are hard I think anyway, but to honor Twitch the best thing we can do is to laugh and to hug each other and to play games and dance and sing. That’s the way we honor him. We do...
- 12/23/2022
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Have you ever wanted to watch the Step Up movies in order but didn’t know where to start? Well, look no further! This blog will give you a complete guide to watching the Step Up movies in chronological order.
From the original film that started it all to the latest installment in the franchise, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about watching these movies in the correct order.
The “Step Up” series is one of the most successful Dance Movie series created by Duane Adler. The movies follow a group of talented dance students as they strive to achieve their dreams.
The first movie in the series was released in 2006 to a massive box office success, with a total of five films in the franchise. The series features impressive choreography and breathtaking performances. Whether you’re a diehard fan of the franchise or a newcomer looking to get caught up,...
From the original film that started it all to the latest installment in the franchise, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about watching these movies in the correct order.
The “Step Up” series is one of the most successful Dance Movie series created by Duane Adler. The movies follow a group of talented dance students as they strive to achieve their dreams.
The first movie in the series was released in 2006 to a massive box office success, with a total of five films in the franchise. The series features impressive choreography and breathtaking performances. Whether you’re a diehard fan of the franchise or a newcomer looking to get caught up,...
- 8/18/2022
- by Israr
- buddytv.com
Exclusive: Duane Adler has signed with Buchwald for representation.
Adler is best known as the creator of the beloved Step Up dance film franchise, which launched in 2006. The franchise now includes five films—Step Up, Step Up 2: The Streets (2008), Step Up 3D (2010), Step Up Revolution (2012) and Step Up: All In (2014)—as well as a TV series of the same name, which ran for two season on YouTube Red before moving over to Starz for a third.
The writer is also known for other successful dance and music-driven projects, including Save the Last Dance, Make It Happen, Make Your Move, and Heartbeats.
On the television side, he has developed multiple projects, including a multi-generational dance series for Fox with Marc Platt producing. His most recent project set up for the small screen is House of the Rising Sun, a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, set in New Orleans, which...
Adler is best known as the creator of the beloved Step Up dance film franchise, which launched in 2006. The franchise now includes five films—Step Up, Step Up 2: The Streets (2008), Step Up 3D (2010), Step Up Revolution (2012) and Step Up: All In (2014)—as well as a TV series of the same name, which ran for two season on YouTube Red before moving over to Starz for a third.
The writer is also known for other successful dance and music-driven projects, including Save the Last Dance, Make It Happen, Make Your Move, and Heartbeats.
On the television side, he has developed multiple projects, including a multi-generational dance series for Fox with Marc Platt producing. His most recent project set up for the small screen is House of the Rising Sun, a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, set in New Orleans, which...
- 8/5/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
It seems like a visual effect, a piece of gravity defying wizardry created in a computer. But it’s not.
Nina (Leslie Grace) and Benny (Corey Hawkins), in a quiet moment between two young lovers about be apart, dance up the side of a Washington Heights apartment building in the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers-inspired musical number “When the Sun Goes Down.”
“In the Heights” director Jon M. Chu was recently a guest on the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast to discuss the scene (and others). Below is a thorough oral history of “When the Sun Goes Down” with Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and choreographer Christopher Scott, who for the first time were permitted to go into full detail of the behind-the-scenes details of how they created the magical scene.
Chu, Brooks, and Scott have been collaborating on creating onscreen musical dance for over a decade, dating back to the “Step Up...
Nina (Leslie Grace) and Benny (Corey Hawkins), in a quiet moment between two young lovers about be apart, dance up the side of a Washington Heights apartment building in the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers-inspired musical number “When the Sun Goes Down.”
“In the Heights” director Jon M. Chu was recently a guest on the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast to discuss the scene (and others). Below is a thorough oral history of “When the Sun Goes Down” with Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and choreographer Christopher Scott, who for the first time were permitted to go into full detail of the behind-the-scenes details of how they created the magical scene.
Chu, Brooks, and Scott have been collaborating on creating onscreen musical dance for over a decade, dating back to the “Step Up...
- 6/18/2021
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
It’s been a long road to the June 10 release of “In the Heights” in theaters and on HBO Max, and not just because the Broadway musical it’s based on opened back in 2008. It was originally scheduled for release in June 2020, but was delayed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But it doesn’t seem that the delay has dampened enthusiasm for it, at least not among critics.
As of this writing the film has a MetaCritic score of 83 based on 38 reviews counted as of this writing: 37 of them are positive, one is somewhat mixed, and none are negative. Those sentiments are echoed on Rotten Tomatoes, where the film is rated 97% fresh based on 129 reviews thus far, only four of which are classified as negative. The Rt critics’ consensus says, “Lights up for ‘In the Heights,’ a joyous celebration of heritage and community fueled by dazzling direction and singalong songs.
As of this writing the film has a MetaCritic score of 83 based on 38 reviews counted as of this writing: 37 of them are positive, one is somewhat mixed, and none are negative. Those sentiments are echoed on Rotten Tomatoes, where the film is rated 97% fresh based on 129 reviews thus far, only four of which are classified as negative. The Rt critics’ consensus says, “Lights up for ‘In the Heights,’ a joyous celebration of heritage and community fueled by dazzling direction and singalong songs.
- 6/11/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
As the musical visionary behind “In the Heights” and “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda has emerged as one of the biggest cultural figures of the past decade, and played a major role in the popularization of Latino storytelling. Or is that Latinx storytelling?
In recent years, debates have festered around the best term to describe people from Spanish-speaking countries and territories — including Miranda, the child of Puerto Rican parents and a Mexican grandparent. But even this wordsmith hasn’t settled on a specific term to describe his background.
“What you run up against are the limits of defining 32 different fucking countries with one world,” Miranda said in a recent interview with IndieWire. “Literally, no word is going to make everyone happy.”
In conversation, Miranda often defaults to describing himself and others as Latinos, the most natural term for native Spanish speakers. However, Miranda noted that the debate over “Latino” predates the existence of “Latinx” and variants thereof.
In recent years, debates have festered around the best term to describe people from Spanish-speaking countries and territories — including Miranda, the child of Puerto Rican parents and a Mexican grandparent. But even this wordsmith hasn’t settled on a specific term to describe his background.
“What you run up against are the limits of defining 32 different fucking countries with one world,” Miranda said in a recent interview with IndieWire. “Literally, no word is going to make everyone happy.”
In conversation, Miranda often defaults to describing himself and others as Latinos, the most natural term for native Spanish speakers. However, Miranda noted that the debate over “Latino” predates the existence of “Latinx” and variants thereof.
- 5/29/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
In Broadway history, there have been only a handful of musicals that center on U.S. Latinos, and only a fraction of those shows were written by people from the communities they were portraying on stage. That’s part of the reason why Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” made waves when it opened on Broadway back in 2008 (after a successful Off Broadway run). More than a decade later, and after a slight pandemic delay, Jon M. Chu’s cinematic adaptation of Miranda’s first musical promises to make an even bigger splash with its celebration of family, love, and the idea of home.
The main voice of “In the Heights” belongs to Usnavi, who is on a beach telling a group of kids about his memories of New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood. He introduces Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz), who’s not really his abuela but assumed a...
The main voice of “In the Heights” belongs to Usnavi, who is on a beach telling a group of kids about his memories of New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood. He introduces Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz), who’s not really his abuela but assumed a...
- 5/21/2021
- by Monica Castillo
- The Wrap
Though Marvel has decided to consolidate all of its cinematic universe offerings onto Disney+, some outliers still live on for other streaming services. In May 2021, Hulu is set to premiere the latest non-canon Marvel series.
The animated comedy Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is set to premiere on May 21 and stars Patton Oswalt as the titular Marvel villain. Oswalt’s Modok is every bit the devious floating head that he’s depicted as in the comics. He’s also your every day family man and the show will take on the format of a workplace sitcom. Sounds kinda fun! It’s no wonder that M.O.D.O.K. is the last Hulu Marvel show standing.
In non-Marvel offerings this month, Shrill will debut its third and final season on May 7. This comedy based on Lindy West’s memoir and starring SNL‘s Aidy Bryant has been a consistently bright presence on the streaming scene since...
The animated comedy Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is set to premiere on May 21 and stars Patton Oswalt as the titular Marvel villain. Oswalt’s Modok is every bit the devious floating head that he’s depicted as in the comics. He’s also your every day family man and the show will take on the format of a workplace sitcom. Sounds kinda fun! It’s no wonder that M.O.D.O.K. is the last Hulu Marvel show standing.
In non-Marvel offerings this month, Shrill will debut its third and final season on May 7. This comedy based on Lindy West’s memoir and starring SNL‘s Aidy Bryant has been a consistently bright presence on the streaming scene since...
- 5/1/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Jon M. Chu has only recently begun to accept the success of his groundbreaking 2018 rom-com “Crazy Rich Asians” — although he still can’t enjoy it. The hang-up, he reveals on Variety’s “#Represent: Success Stories,” comes from enduring brutal critical reception for his previous features, including “Jem and the Holograms” in 2015.
“I got torn a new one. Plus, all my movies, I feel like they always get ripped on, from ‘Step Up 2,’ to ‘Step Up 3’ to the [Justin Bieber documentary] — they all get s— on,” the filmmaker says candidly.
The criticism, Chu says, led him to compartmentalize his emotions about box office numbers, critical reception and how he felt about his work as a filmmaker — hence why he still can’t fully relish in the success of “Crazy Rich Asians,” regarded as both a critical and box office win (it’s the highest-grossing romantic comedy since 2009 and was...
“I got torn a new one. Plus, all my movies, I feel like they always get ripped on, from ‘Step Up 2,’ to ‘Step Up 3’ to the [Justin Bieber documentary] — they all get s— on,” the filmmaker says candidly.
The criticism, Chu says, led him to compartmentalize his emotions about box office numbers, critical reception and how he felt about his work as a filmmaker — hence why he still can’t fully relish in the success of “Crazy Rich Asians,” regarded as both a critical and box office win (it’s the highest-grossing romantic comedy since 2009 and was...
- 5/26/2020
- by Audrey Cleo Yap
- Variety Film + TV
Director Jon M. Chu promises “In the Heights” will make its theatrical debut. Exactly when, of course, is another question as the coronavirus pandemic prompted Warner Bros. to hit the “pause” button on the film’s scheduled June 26 release indefinitely. Screenings of early cuts of the film had already begun when the pandemic broke.
“I hate the word ‘indefinitely’ because it’s sort of open-ended. We’re gonna have a date. It’s just about if we choose a date now, we’d probably have to shift it later. So, we’re not going to commit to one now,” Chu said on the “Variety After-Show.”
The film — starring Anthony Ramos — centers on the largely Hispanic neighborhood of Washington Heights in Manhattan and is based on a hit musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and book by Quiara Alegría Hudes.
“What we are committed to is, it’s going to be in a theater.
“I hate the word ‘indefinitely’ because it’s sort of open-ended. We’re gonna have a date. It’s just about if we choose a date now, we’d probably have to shift it later. So, we’re not going to commit to one now,” Chu said on the “Variety After-Show.”
The film — starring Anthony Ramos — centers on the largely Hispanic neighborhood of Washington Heights in Manhattan and is based on a hit musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and book by Quiara Alegría Hudes.
“What we are committed to is, it’s going to be in a theater.
- 4/4/2020
- by Audrey Cleo Yap
- Variety Film + TV
Director Jon M. Chu has built his career making mostly bright, poppy entertainment like Step Up 3D, Jem and the Holograms, Crazy Rich Asians, and the upcoming In the Heights. But he’s dipping into darker territory in Home Before Dark, a new AppleTV+ drama which hails from creators/showrunners Dana Fox (New Girl) and Dara Resnik […]
The post ‘Home Before Dark’ Showrunner Dana Fox and Director Jon M. Chu on Making Dark Subject Matter Accessible [Interview] appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Home Before Dark’ Showrunner Dana Fox and Director Jon M. Chu on Making Dark Subject Matter Accessible [Interview] appeared first on /Film.
- 4/3/2020
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
Mark Blum, a veteran character actor who starred in the films “Desperately Seeking Susan” and “Crocodile Dundee,” as well as the recent TV series “You,” has died due to complications from the coronavirus. He was 69.
The New York theater company Playwrights Horizons first announced the news, and SAG-aftra executive vice president Rebecca Damon confirmed that Blum passed away due to Covid-19. Representatives for Blum additionally confirmed the news to TheWrap.
As news of his death became public, his peers and friends in the entertainment industry, including his “Desperately Seeking Susan” costars Rosanna Arquette and Madonna, paid him tribute. Read more here.
Blum was also a fixture of the New York theater community, having won an Obie Award for his performance in the Playwrights Horizons production of a play from Albert Innaurato, “Gus and Al.” He’s also appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers,” Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man” and more.
The New York theater company Playwrights Horizons first announced the news, and SAG-aftra executive vice president Rebecca Damon confirmed that Blum passed away due to Covid-19. Representatives for Blum additionally confirmed the news to TheWrap.
As news of his death became public, his peers and friends in the entertainment industry, including his “Desperately Seeking Susan” costars Rosanna Arquette and Madonna, paid him tribute. Read more here.
Blum was also a fixture of the New York theater community, having won an Obie Award for his performance in the Playwrights Horizons production of a play from Albert Innaurato, “Gus and Al.” He’s also appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers,” Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man” and more.
- 3/26/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
There are two types of people in this world: People who love the “Step Up” movies, and people who haven’t seen them all. The franchise began as a straightforward teen romance in 2006 but quickly evolved into a series of lavish pop spectacles, propelled by cheesy melodrama and bolstered by elaborate dance choreography, performed by some of the greatest dancers in the world. As the films get crazier, so too does our love of the quirky cast and their over-the-top shenanigans; think “Fast & Furious,” if the franchise found its outlandish tone in the second film instead of the fifth. The sixth feature film in the series, “Step Up: Year of the Dance,” has just arrived on home video, so let’s take a look back at this whole, wonderful franchise:
6. “Step Up: Year of the Dance” (2019)
The sixth installment in the series, directed by Ron Yuan (“Unspoken: Diary of...
6. “Step Up: Year of the Dance” (2019)
The sixth installment in the series, directed by Ron Yuan (“Unspoken: Diary of...
- 1/24/2020
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Jon M. Chu we hear is set to produce a feature adaptation of Mary H.K. Choi’s bestselling Ya romance novel Permanent Record for Warner Bros. He is also in talks to direct.
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, the novel explores how social media influences relationships every day. Pablo Rind and Leanna Smart are opposites who attract in an unexpected romance. Pablo is a college dropout, working the graveyard shift at a 24-hour deli in Brooklyn, up to his eyeballs in credit card and student loan debt. Leanna has enough social media followers to populate whole continents. Her brand is unstoppable. She graduated from child stardom to become an international icon and her adult life is a queasy blur of private planes, step-and-repeats, aspirational hotel rooms, and strangers screaming for her just to notice them. Pablo and Leanna meet at 5 Am at the bodega in...
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, the novel explores how social media influences relationships every day. Pablo Rind and Leanna Smart are opposites who attract in an unexpected romance. Pablo is a college dropout, working the graveyard shift at a 24-hour deli in Brooklyn, up to his eyeballs in credit card and student loan debt. Leanna has enough social media followers to populate whole continents. Her brand is unstoppable. She graduated from child stardom to become an international icon and her adult life is a queasy blur of private planes, step-and-repeats, aspirational hotel rooms, and strangers screaming for her just to notice them. Pablo and Leanna meet at 5 Am at the bodega in...
- 12/16/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Before “Hamilton,” there was “In the Heights.” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s debut musical opened on Broadway in March 2008 to rapturous acclaim and 13 Tony Award nominations. The musical, set over three days in the largely Hispanic-American neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City, centers on a bodega owner who must decide whether or not to give up his store and leave his community behind after inheriting his grandmother’s fortune. “In the Heights” won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and now it’s a full blown movie musical from “Crazy Rich Asians” director John M. Chu.
Chu’s “In the Heights” adaptation is produced by Miranda, who also stars in a supporting role. The protagonist, Usnavi de la Vega, is being played by Anthony Ramos, who appeared on Broadway in Miranda’s blockbuster “Hamilton” and had a leading role in Spike Lee’s Netflix series “She’s Gotta Have It.” Miranda...
Chu’s “In the Heights” adaptation is produced by Miranda, who also stars in a supporting role. The protagonist, Usnavi de la Vega, is being played by Anthony Ramos, who appeared on Broadway in Miranda’s blockbuster “Hamilton” and had a leading role in Spike Lee’s Netflix series “She’s Gotta Have It.” Miranda...
- 12/12/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The stakes are high this week on “So You Think You Can Dance” as three contemporary contestants — Gino Cosculluela, Sophie Pittman and Mariah Russell — plus b-boy Bailey Munoz compete for viewer votes to become America’s favorite dancer.
Right now, Gold Derby-ites are picking Bailey aka Bailrok as the one to beat. Like last season’s champ Hannahlei Cabanilla, the Las Vegas native is Filipino-American. Even though he is just 19 (and admitted on air that he doesn’t have a driver’s license), the 5-foot-tall whirling dervish has already had plenty of experience of basking in the spotlight.
The dancing bug initially bit when Bailey was in the first grade. At age 9 in 2010, Bailey got a spot on the semi-finals of “America’s Got Talent” as part of a duo called Future Funk.
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Bailey has since toured with Bruno Mars,...
Right now, Gold Derby-ites are picking Bailey aka Bailrok as the one to beat. Like last season’s champ Hannahlei Cabanilla, the Las Vegas native is Filipino-American. Even though he is just 19 (and admitted on air that he doesn’t have a driver’s license), the 5-foot-tall whirling dervish has already had plenty of experience of basking in the spotlight.
The dancing bug initially bit when Bailey was in the first grade. At age 9 in 2010, Bailey got a spot on the semi-finals of “America’s Got Talent” as part of a duo called Future Funk.
Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Bailey has since toured with Bruno Mars,...
- 9/9/2019
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
That didn’t take long.
A sequel to the “Crazy Rich Asians” is already in development at Warner Bros., Variety has confirmed. Jon M. Chu will return to the follow-up, along with the creative team behind the acclaimed romantic comedy including screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and producers Nina Jacobson , Brad Simpson and John Penotti.
“Crazy Rich Asians” topped the domestic box office last weekend when it opened with a five-day total of $35 million. That’s a solid start, not just because the movie carries a modest $30 million price tag, but it’s the biggest launch for a rom-com in recent years. It holds an impressive 93% certified fresh rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, along with an A CinemaScore.
The groundbreaking film arrives as Hollywood is being pressured to feature greater diversity on screen. “Crazy Rich Asians” has been lauded as the first studio film in over 25 years...
A sequel to the “Crazy Rich Asians” is already in development at Warner Bros., Variety has confirmed. Jon M. Chu will return to the follow-up, along with the creative team behind the acclaimed romantic comedy including screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and producers Nina Jacobson , Brad Simpson and John Penotti.
“Crazy Rich Asians” topped the domestic box office last weekend when it opened with a five-day total of $35 million. That’s a solid start, not just because the movie carries a modest $30 million price tag, but it’s the biggest launch for a rom-com in recent years. It holds an impressive 93% certified fresh rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, along with an A CinemaScore.
The groundbreaking film arrives as Hollywood is being pressured to feature greater diversity on screen. “Crazy Rich Asians” has been lauded as the first studio film in over 25 years...
- 8/22/2018
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
When fakes are more real than the real…— A Confucian ConfusionIn 1991, the playwright Frank Chin wrote this of Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club: “[It writes] to the specifications of the […] stereotype of Asia being as opposite morally from the West as it is geographically. [...] We expect Asian-American writers, portraying Asia and Asians, to have a knowledge of the difference between the real and the fake. This is a knowledge they have admitted they not only do not possess but also have no interest in possessing. [...] They talk about the agony of the stereotype, but when pressed, have no idea how to describe it.”1Two years later, filmmaker Wayne Wang’s adaptation of Joy Luck Club was a box-office hit that earned nearly three-times its budget in theaters. Frank Chin was labelled a contrarian cynic, and Joy Luck Club continued to rise above all criticism—“It is not deep,” declared the Washington Post...
- 8/18/2018
- MUBI
In today’s film news roundup, the City of Los Angeles sets Buster Keaton Day and deals are made for “The Life, Blood and Rhythm of Randy Castillo” and dance drama “All Styles.”
Honor
The City of Los Angeles has declared that June 16 will be Buster Keaton Day in honor of the pioneering comedian and filmmaker.
A bronze plaque commemorating the location of a movie studio where both Keaton and Charlie Chaplin created their timeless comedies in the early part of the 20th Century will be dedicated at 4 p.m. on June 16 at 1021 Lillian Ave., near the intersection of Eleanor Avenue and Lillian Way in Los Angeles. The dedication and and several other events have been organized by the International Buster Keaton Society to remedy the incorrect placement of a similar plaque in 1988.
Scheduled guests include Los Angeles councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, film historian Leonard Maltin, and members of Keaton’s family,...
Honor
The City of Los Angeles has declared that June 16 will be Buster Keaton Day in honor of the pioneering comedian and filmmaker.
A bronze plaque commemorating the location of a movie studio where both Keaton and Charlie Chaplin created their timeless comedies in the early part of the 20th Century will be dedicated at 4 p.m. on June 16 at 1021 Lillian Ave., near the intersection of Eleanor Avenue and Lillian Way in Los Angeles. The dedication and and several other events have been organized by the International Buster Keaton Society to remedy the incorrect placement of a similar plaque in 1988.
Scheduled guests include Los Angeles councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, film historian Leonard Maltin, and members of Keaton’s family,...
- 5/22/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
"These people aren't just rich, they're Crazy rich." Warner Bros has unveiled the first official trailer for a new comedy titled Crazy Rich Asians, the latest film directed by Jon M. Chu, which is actually more of a romantic comedy. The film features an international cast, led by Constance Wu and Henry Golding - making his feature film debut; along with Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, Harry Shum Jr., Ken Jeong, Michelle Yeoh, Sonoya Mizuno, Chris Pang, Jimmy O. Yang, Ronny Chieng, Remi Hii, Nico Santos, and Jing Lusi. The story follows a not-so-rich woman from New York who accompanies her boyfriend to a friend's wedding in Singapore, only to discover his family is extremely wealthy and his mom doesn't like her. This doesn't look as great as I was hoping, but at least it looks entertaining and way smarter than most comedies. Here's the ...
- 4/23/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Throughout the history of film, dance on screen has helped foster some of cinema’s most interesting works. In the earliest days of film you have works like Annabelle Serpentine Dance, which is still some of the most erotically alluring film making the medium has ever known, and up through today film has given us Gene Kelly musicals, their modern off-shoots like Step Up 3D (maybe the greatest 3D film ever produced), and even art films like those from Nathan Kroll or Carlos Saura.
However, they’re becoming more and more rare as its counterpart, the musical, goes by the wayside. So when a new film focusing on the art of the human body through the medium of dance crops up, it’s worthy of one’s intrigue. And thankfully, Polina is worthy of one’s hard earned money.
From director Valerie Muller and world renowned choreographer Angelin Preljocaj (who...
However, they’re becoming more and more rare as its counterpart, the musical, goes by the wayside. So when a new film focusing on the art of the human body through the medium of dance crops up, it’s worthy of one’s intrigue. And thankfully, Polina is worthy of one’s hard earned money.
From director Valerie Muller and world renowned choreographer Angelin Preljocaj (who...
- 8/24/2017
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Now You See Me 2 brings back the Four Horsemen, not the Biblical figures of Armageddon but the four magician/illusionists from the first film, who used magic to reveal corporate misbehaviorand redistribute a little wealth.
The magicians from the first film, who call themselves the Four Horseman, return, again played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, but joined by a new magician played by Lizzy Caplan. Last time the magicians used their skill as illusionists in a Robin Hood-type heists to expose corporate bad guys, which put them on the run from the FBI. A year later, the Horsemen must re-emerge to thwart an evil tech wizard, Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), who seeks to control the world through a chip to control the world’s computers. That mission takes them to Macau, China, and the oldest magic shop in the world. To accomplish their goal, the Horseman have...
The magicians from the first film, who call themselves the Four Horseman, return, again played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, but joined by a new magician played by Lizzy Caplan. Last time the magicians used their skill as illusionists in a Robin Hood-type heists to expose corporate bad guys, which put them on the run from the FBI. A year later, the Horsemen must re-emerge to thwart an evil tech wizard, Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), who seeks to control the world through a chip to control the world’s computers. That mission takes them to Macau, China, and the oldest magic shop in the world. To accomplish their goal, the Horseman have...
- 6/10/2016
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
If you watch Freeform's Shadowhunters, odds are you're already obsessed with Harry Shum Jr. While the actor makes for one incredibly good-looking warlock, he's actually been causing hearts to swoon way before playing Magnus Bane. Aside from his starring role on the hit show Glee, he was also in Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D - because on top of those good looks, he's also got some serious moves. Swoon! Keep scrolling for some of his hottest red carpet pictures to date, then check out 16 times Glee's Rachel Berry gave you life.
- 4/28/2016
- by Kelsie Gibson
- Popsugar.com
Exclusive: Actor-dancer-choreographer Beau “Casper” Smart (Step Up 3D) has been cast as Billy Kotsecki in Dirty Dancing, ABC's three-hour remake of the hit Patrick Swayze-Jennifer Grey movie. The role was played by Neal Jones in the original film. In addition, J. Quinton Johnson has signed on as Marco, the lead singer and guitarist in Tito Suarez’s band and one of the stars at Kellerman’s. Like the 1987 feature, ABC's Dirty Dancing movie centers on Baby (Abigail Breslin)…...
- 3/16/2016
- Deadline TV
How would you program this year's newest, most interesting films into double features with movies of the past you saw in 2015?Looking back over the year at what films moved and impressed us, it is clear that watching old films is a crucial part of making new films meaningful. Thus, the annual tradition of our end of year poll, which calls upon our writers to pick both a new and an old film: they were challenged to choose a new film they saw in 2015—in theatres or at a festival—and creatively pair it with an old film they also saw in 2015 to create a unique double feature.All the contributors were given the option to write some text explaining their 2015 fantasy double feature. What's more, each writer was given the option to list more pairings, with or without explanation, as further imaginative film programming we'd be lucky to catch...
- 1/4/2016
- by Notebook
- MUBI
It couldn't have been easy for Jon Chu to get up in front of an audience to deliver the Film Independent Forum keynote address the day after his film "Jem and the Holograms" opened, and quickly tanked, at the box office. But not only did Chu face the crowd on Saturday, October 24, he manage to inspire them. "So this is a bit awkward," Chu, a 2002 Project Involve Fellow, began as he stepped on to the podium and immediately addressed the elephant in the room. The director of "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and "Step Up 3D" told the audience that he had been working with producer Jason Blum on developing "Jem" into a feature film for the past decade. But, unfortunately, fans of the 1980s cartoon series weren't supportive of the film version. "I get fans sending me hate mail, I get death threats, I get racist remarks — it's a really fun business,...
- 10/25/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Read More: 11th Annual Film Independent Forum Announces Lineup, Including Jason Blum Film Independent has announced that the 11th Annual Film Independent Forum will open with Jay Roach's "Trumbo," starring Bryan Cranston, Louis C.K., Elle Fanning, John Goodman, Diane Lane, Michael Stuhlbarg and Helen Mirren. The film, which tells the story of blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, will kick off the three-day event on Friday, October 23 and be followed by a Q&A with Roach. The organization has also announced filmmaker Jon M. Chu ("Step Up 3D," "Jem and the Holograms") will give the Filmmaker Keynote on Saturday, October 24, while director Lynn Shelton ("Your Sister’s Sister," "Laggies") will close out the festival in a conversation with Illeana Douglas ("Easy to Assemble," "Ghost World"). "I couldn’t think of a better film to kick off the event than Jay Roach’s 'Trumbo.' It fits...
- 10/6/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Earlier this year, teen-and-tween-focused digital media company AwesomenessTV and YouTube announced a partnership through which they would produce a slate of films led by online video stars. Now, the first movie born from that pact has been revealed: It’s called Dance Camp, and it stars YouTube personality Meg DeAngelis and actor Nadji Jeter.
As its title implies, Dance Camp will focus on a group of characters who “discover the power of dance.” In order to ensure a dance flick filled with top-notch moves, AwesomenessFilms (the moviemaking wing of AwesomenessTV) and YouTube are working with producer Jon M. Chu, the director of Hollywood dance film Step Up 3D.
Dance Camp be a vehicle for DeAngelis, who is a rising star in the YouTube community and one of the most prominent figures within AwesomenessTV’s multi-channel network on YouTube. Other digital video stars, such as Jake Paul and Josh Leyva, will also appear in the film.
As its title implies, Dance Camp will focus on a group of characters who “discover the power of dance.” In order to ensure a dance flick filled with top-notch moves, AwesomenessFilms (the moviemaking wing of AwesomenessTV) and YouTube are working with producer Jon M. Chu, the director of Hollywood dance film Step Up 3D.
Dance Camp be a vehicle for DeAngelis, who is a rising star in the YouTube community and one of the most prominent figures within AwesomenessTV’s multi-channel network on YouTube. Other digital video stars, such as Jake Paul and Josh Leyva, will also appear in the film.
- 9/9/2015
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
The 80s saw a lot of cartoons and animated shows gain a loyal following among individuals, even as they outgrew the series’ intended demographic. Among these shows was Jem and the Holograms, whose three-season run garnered it a fair amount of commercial acclaim, both for the show and for creator and writer Christy Marx.
Fans of the series were thus intrigued to learn that a feature film adaptation of the series was in development, as announced by Jon M. Chu. Onboard as a producer, Chu takes on directorial duties for the film as well, having previously directed Step Up 3D and GI Joe: Retaliation. Ryan Landels takes on screenwriting duties for the feature, which shares a name with the show it’s adapted from, and the cast includes Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis, with Nashville‘s Aubrey Peeples taking on the titular role of Jem. The movie synopsis is as follows.
Fans of the series were thus intrigued to learn that a feature film adaptation of the series was in development, as announced by Jon M. Chu. Onboard as a producer, Chu takes on directorial duties for the film as well, having previously directed Step Up 3D and GI Joe: Retaliation. Ryan Landels takes on screenwriting duties for the feature, which shares a name with the show it’s adapted from, and the cast includes Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis, with Nashville‘s Aubrey Peeples taking on the titular role of Jem. The movie synopsis is as follows.
- 5/13/2015
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
Seeking the Monkey KingIt is all too fitting that a film series focusing on “3D in the 21st Century” should feature the work of Ken Jacobs. More than any other single avant-garde filmmaker, Jacobs has explored the pulsating, tremulous frontier where images hit the eyes, and a great deal of his exploration over the last 30+ years—beginning with his experiments with the Pulfrich filter and his development of the dual projection “Nervous System”—has involved three-dimensional illusionism, that ambiguous perceptual space where flatness and depth wrestle in the optical mind. Historically, aesthetically, and technologically, it would make no sense to consider cinema in three dimensions without including Jacobs’ contributions.But there’s more at stake in Jacobs’ presence in the Bam’s 3D series. No mere formalist, Jacobs has been a tireless artistic whistleblower, documenting and cataloging the ugliest aspects of American culture. From blackface and animal torture in Star Spangled to Death,...
- 5/11/2015
- by Michael Sicinski
- MUBI
Starting tomorrow, BAMcinématek in Brooklyn has curated a series celebrating the best of recent three dimensional cinema, "3D in the 21st Century":"The unprecedented resurgence of 3D in the last decade has expanded the visual and emotional possibilities of cinema in frequently wondrous—and sometimes divisive—new ways. At its best, the technology creates almost hallucinatory immersive landscapes and retina-dazzling surprises with an immediate visceral impact. From big-budget blockbusters to high-concept mind-benders by arthouse icons, this first-of-its-kind series surveys recent films that showcase the full range of stereoscopic cinema’s expressive potential."Running May 1 - 17, the series surveys an exciting and wide-ranging number of 3D films, from blockbusters like Avatar and Gravity, genre films like Step Up 3D and Resident Evil: Retribution, to such art-house hits as Goodbye to Language and Cave of Forgotten Dreams, as well experimental works by Jodie Mack, Ken Jacobs, Johann Lurf, and more. The...
- 5/5/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
by Seth Metoyer
MoreHorror.com
Hard Floor Entertainment has unleashed the first teaser trailer for the upcoming supernatural thriller The Church.
I'm always stoked when I hear actor Bill Moseley is in a film, then add Clint Howard and the beautiful Ashley C. Williams, well, I'm already sold.
We have the first look poster, a behind the scenes look and you can watch teaser below the official press release, which is certain to bring you to your knees.
The Church also stars Lisa Wilcox, Keith Stallworth and former WWE star Vito Lograsso.
From the Press Release:
Hard Floor Entertainment has released the first teaser for the Dom Frank written and directed supernatural thriller The Church. The movie stars horror icon Bill Moseley(Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 & 3 , The Devil’s Rejects), Lisa Wilcox(A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and 5), Ashley C. Williams(The Human Centipede, Julia), Keith Stallworth(Step Up 3D), Clint Howard(Halloween,...
MoreHorror.com
Hard Floor Entertainment has unleashed the first teaser trailer for the upcoming supernatural thriller The Church.
I'm always stoked when I hear actor Bill Moseley is in a film, then add Clint Howard and the beautiful Ashley C. Williams, well, I'm already sold.
We have the first look poster, a behind the scenes look and you can watch teaser below the official press release, which is certain to bring you to your knees.
The Church also stars Lisa Wilcox, Keith Stallworth and former WWE star Vito Lograsso.
From the Press Release:
Hard Floor Entertainment has released the first teaser for the Dom Frank written and directed supernatural thriller The Church. The movie stars horror icon Bill Moseley(Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 & 3 , The Devil’s Rejects), Lisa Wilcox(A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and 5), Ashley C. Williams(The Human Centipede, Julia), Keith Stallworth(Step Up 3D), Clint Howard(Halloween,...
- 2/24/2015
- by admin
- MoreHorror
We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today's feature includes release details for One Drop, a look at Evil Lurks in Innocence, a teaser trailer from The Church, a Q&A with Amanda Adrienne from the film Avenged, and much more:
Women in Horror Month and One Drop Release Details: "February is Women in Horror Month, and few women are working harder in the genre than Tricia Lee. The director of the award winning films Silent Retreat and Clean Break has been pounding the pavement to secure financing for her next film One Drop.
One Drop tells the story of Ellie, a drug addict who overdoses and wakes up in the basement of a medical facility. Everyone around her is dead, and she is suddenly nine months pregnant.
With a strong creative team including long time partner in crime,...
Women in Horror Month and One Drop Release Details: "February is Women in Horror Month, and few women are working harder in the genre than Tricia Lee. The director of the award winning films Silent Retreat and Clean Break has been pounding the pavement to secure financing for her next film One Drop.
One Drop tells the story of Ellie, a drug addict who overdoses and wakes up in the basement of a medical facility. Everyone around her is dead, and she is suddenly nine months pregnant.
With a strong creative team including long time partner in crime,...
- 2/16/2015
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Director Jon M. Chu has already helped successfully usher the Step Up films into the realm of true franchise greatness — the filmmaker directed both Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D, ensuring a long life for the world’s most beloved dance franchise and don’t you dare argue that point with me — and now he looks to be turning his attention to a generation desperate for still more popping and locking. Deadline reports that Chu is now producing Can’t Touch This, a new dance feature that is billed as “a high school dance comedy set in the golden era of the 1990s.” Although the film’s specific storyline has not yet be revealed, it seems safe to assume that the dulcet tones of M.C. Hammer will prove to be a large part of the feature’s plot and/or soundtrack. If nothing else, we can surely expect to see a bevy of parachute...
- 11/18/2014
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Can't Touch This
"Step Up 3D" and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" director Jon M. Chu and his producing partner Hieu Ho have sold the 1990s-set high school dance comedy "Can't Touch This" to Focus Features.
Annie Mebane and Steve Basilone ("Community," "Happy Endings") are penning the script, but plot details are under wraps. It's uncertain if Chu will direct the film himself. [Source: Deadline]
Shadow Run
Brad Anderson ("The Machinist," "The Call") is set to direct the action feature "Shadow Run" for Sony Pictures. Neal H. Moritz and Hernany Perla are producing.
Plot specifics are under wraps, but it has been described as "'Safe House' on a plane". Joe Gazzam penned the script. [Source: Variety]
Jackpot
Filmmaker Patty Jenkins ("Monster," "The Killing") has closed a deal to direct a remake of the 2011 Norwegian action comedy "Jackpot" at Focus Features. David Callaham ("Godzilla") is penning the script based on a story by "Headhunters" novelist Jo Nesbo.
"Step Up 3D" and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" director Jon M. Chu and his producing partner Hieu Ho have sold the 1990s-set high school dance comedy "Can't Touch This" to Focus Features.
Annie Mebane and Steve Basilone ("Community," "Happy Endings") are penning the script, but plot details are under wraps. It's uncertain if Chu will direct the film himself. [Source: Deadline]
Shadow Run
Brad Anderson ("The Machinist," "The Call") is set to direct the action feature "Shadow Run" for Sony Pictures. Neal H. Moritz and Hernany Perla are producing.
Plot specifics are under wraps, but it has been described as "'Safe House' on a plane". Joe Gazzam penned the script. [Source: Variety]
Jackpot
Filmmaker Patty Jenkins ("Monster," "The Killing") has closed a deal to direct a remake of the 2011 Norwegian action comedy "Jackpot" at Focus Features. David Callaham ("Godzilla") is penning the script based on a story by "Headhunters" novelist Jo Nesbo.
- 11/18/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Get your Hammer pants out. Focus Features and Jon M. Chu, the director of Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D, are teaming for a dance movie titled Can't Touch This. Chu and producing partner Hieu Ho have sold the 90s-set "high school dance comedy" to Focus Features, EW has confirmed. While Chu will not be directing Can't Touch This, he is on board to helm the sequel to Now You See Me. According to Deadline, who first reported the news, The Goldbergs producer Annie Mebane and Steve Basilone will write the script. Focus Features did not immediately return a request for comment.
- 11/17/2014
- by Esther Zuckerman
- EW - Inside Movies
Right now, G.I. Joe Retaliation director Jon M. Chu is busy with Jem and the Holograms, a big screen adaptation of the musical animated series of the same name. And after that, he'll continue a run of nostalgia with Can't Touch This, a high school dance comedy set during the increasingly old decade that is the 90s. Deadline reports Chu and his producing partner Hieu Ho have set up the project at Focus Features, returning Chu to the world of dance that launched his career in the form of films like Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D. And this one has great talent with plenty of nostalgia experience working on the script. The script will come from Annie Mebane and Steve Basilone, who have written on "Community" and ""Happy Endings." But what makes them perfect for this project is their work as producers on "The Goldbergs," the...
- 11/17/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Jem and the Holograms and G.I. Joe: Retaliation helmer Jon M. Chu is going old school. He and producing partner Hieu Ho have sold to Focus Features new project Can’t Touch This, a high school dance comedy set in the golden era of the 1990s.
The teen dance milieu has been a fruitful one for Chu, who launched his career with fan favorite sequels Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D and has quickly become one of Hollywood’s in-demand studio directors. Storyline is being kept under wraps, although the title alone evokes a part of the decade that was too legit to quit. Chu and Ho originated the idea then tapped Happy Endings and Community writers Annie Mebane and Steve Basilone to script. Mebane and Basilone know their way around retro comedies; they’re producers on ABC’s ’80s-set The Goldbergs.
Chu and Ho will...
The teen dance milieu has been a fruitful one for Chu, who launched his career with fan favorite sequels Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D and has quickly become one of Hollywood’s in-demand studio directors. Storyline is being kept under wraps, although the title alone evokes a part of the decade that was too legit to quit. Chu and Ho originated the idea then tapped Happy Endings and Community writers Annie Mebane and Steve Basilone to script. Mebane and Basilone know their way around retro comedies; they’re producers on ABC’s ’80s-set The Goldbergs.
Chu and Ho will...
- 11/17/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
The “Step Up” franchise can be one of the most frustrating series in movies today — each film offers up transcendent moments featuring some truly electrifying dancing, but to get to those golden nuggets you have to sift through mounds of terrible writing and laughable acting. Even if you've resigned yourself to that trade-off, “Step Up All In,” the fifth chapter of this ongoing saga, doesn't rank among the best of these. The choreography falls short of the heights of “Step Up 2: The Streets” and “Step Up 3D,” and the plot isn't as goofily engaging as that of “Step...
- 8/8/2014
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
With Step Up: All In — a.k.a. the fifth Step Up movie in the popping-and-locking franchise — in theaters this weekend, we felt that it was time to relive the past four Step Ups. From Channing Tatum's Tyler to Adam Sevani's Moose (and all the various crew members in between), we've seen so many lifts, so many spins, and so many snakes. But bigger doesn't always mean better, and neither does seniority when it comes to these movies. That's why we're ranking all of the dance sequences in the Step Up movies, from worst to best. (If you're wondering why there are so few dances from the first Step Up, you should watch it again. They don't dance as much! Or, at least, they don't do as many longer sequences as the movies that follow.)22. Dance battle in Washington Square Park, Step Up 3D Moose's prompt "return...
- 8/8/2014
- by Lindsey Weber
- Vulture
Andie (Step Up 2: The Streets’ Briana Evigan) is back as the leader of yet another dance crew in this weekend’sStep Up All In. Sadly, Channing Tatum is not reprising his Step Up role for the fifth installment in the series, butStep Up regulars Ryan Guzman (Step Up Revolution) and Adam G. Sevani (Step Up 3D) are joining up with Andie and her crew and heading to Las Vegas.
To celebrate the return of the Step Up franchise, we threw together a supercut of all our favourite dance movies. Billy Elliot, Baby, and Tracy Turnblad pop, lock and jeté alongside Gene Kelly and The Full Monty in it, and we couldn’t be happier.
How many movies can you name? We'll start you out: West Side Story, Footloose, Hairspray…...
To celebrate the return of the Step Up franchise, we threw together a supercut of all our favourite dance movies. Billy Elliot, Baby, and Tracy Turnblad pop, lock and jeté alongside Gene Kelly and The Full Monty in it, and we couldn’t be happier.
How many movies can you name? We'll start you out: West Side Story, Footloose, Hairspray…...
- 8/7/2014
- by Sasha James
- Cineplex
TMZ is being slammed by an Asian American organization that's demanding an apology from the show for comments made about Asian drivers. The Media Action Network for Asian Americans (Manaa) is taking aim at the celebrity gossip show for a segment featuring “Step Up 3D” actor Joe Slaughter. During the segment, a TMZ reporter asked Slaughter about Korea creating larger parking stalls to make it easier for Korean women to park. Also read: Pat Sajak Calls Global Warming Advocates ‘Unpatriotic Racists,’ Sparks Twitter Backlash Quoth Slaughter, “I think America should do that for Asian people in general. Stereotypes aren't stereotypes because they're.
- 5/30/2014
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
Okay By Me Productions has completed shooting on Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs. This film, from director Tom Woodruff Jr. (Aliens), is set in an alternate world, where demons hide in human form. The film stars Harry Shum Jr. (Step Up 3D), Mary-Margaret Humes, Danielle Chuchran and Kristin Minter. Fans of exceptional make-up effects and dark settings can take a look at the first trailer for Fire City here. For more on the story, Atum is an ancient demon. Atum gathers her power from the misery of humanity. But, when the humans begin to find happiness, Atum and her cohort lose their strength. These demons will have to try harder to upset the locals, or be run out of Fire City forever. The trailer for Fire City shows some of Woodruff's background in special effects. Woodruff has participated in over fourty films, in a specials effects capacity. Some of...
- 5/3/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
If you were a child of the '80s, this news is for you! The "Jem and the Holograms" movie has been cast! According to The Hollywood Reporter, Aubrey Peeples ("Nashville") will play Jem while Stefanie Scott ("A.N.T. Farm") will star as Jem's sister, Kimber. Aurora Perrineau of "Pretty Little Liars" will jam as Shana and Hayley Kiyoko of "The Fosters" will play Aja.
Jon M. Chu ("Step Up 2," "Step Up 3D," "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," the two Justin Bieber documentaries) will direct the film which is based on a popular cartoon (with an equally popular theme song, see below) and toy collection.
Blumhouse Productions and Scooter Braun Productions are teaming up for this project which is supposed to be an updated look at the show complete with social media shenanigans.
Peeples went on her own social medium via Instagram and posted the "Jem" cast picture below where she wrote...
Jon M. Chu ("Step Up 2," "Step Up 3D," "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," the two Justin Bieber documentaries) will direct the film which is based on a popular cartoon (with an equally popular theme song, see below) and toy collection.
Blumhouse Productions and Scooter Braun Productions are teaming up for this project which is supposed to be an updated look at the show complete with social media shenanigans.
Peeples went on her own social medium via Instagram and posted the "Jem" cast picture below where she wrote...
- 4/24/2014
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
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