- 5 weeks ago
These wild casting announcements caught everyone off-guard.
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00:00Casting might just be the single most underappreciated discipline in the filmmaking process, because
00:06what is a script, a director, or all the amazing audiovisual gubbins in the world without great
00:14actors doing a great job?
00:17We've come to expect great work from certain performers, but there are those casting choices
00:22which came totally out of nowhere, enough that just about nobody could have possibly
00:27predicted them, as is the case with these upcoming films, which range from the, huh, to the,
00:34oh, actually, I can see that.
00:36I'm Ewan, this is WhatCulture, and here are just a few recent casting choices nobody expected.
00:44First up, Eddie Murphy, The Pink Panther.
00:47Eddie Murphy hasn't exactly been keeping himself super busy in recent years, largely sticking
00:53to his bread and butter franchises, with sequels to Coming to America, Beverly Hills Cop, and,
01:00of course, Shrek, which I still can't believe is actually happening, but we'll get to that
01:05later in the list.
01:06Either way, the legendary footy man dropped quite the bombshell recently when he revealed
01:12that he will be playing Inspector Clouseau in a new Pig Panther movie.
01:18Now, obviously, Murphy's comedic chops are absolutely undeniable, and he obviously has
01:24experience playing a police detective of dubious competence, no offense to Axel Foley, but yeah,
01:32it's kind of tough to picture this one.
01:34Sure, Murphy can probably do an intentionally awful French accent with the best of them,
01:41which I'm including myself in, but playing a part that was made so iconic by Peter Sellers,
01:46and then reinterpreted with middling results by Steve Martin more recently, Murphy's comedic
01:52style definitely seems like a totally different vibe.
01:56We don't know many other details about this new Pink Panther yet, other than Murphy himself
02:01hinting that he may have Haitian origins, but it'll certainly be interesting to see his
02:06rendition of such an iconic character.
02:10Next on the list, Matthew Lillard, Scream 7.
02:14Scream fans were left positively shook when it was announced that Matthew Lillard would
02:18be reprising the role of original Ghostface killer Stu Macker in the upcoming 7th movie.
02:25After all, Stu had a giant CRT TV pushed onto his head by Nev Campbell Sidney at the end of
02:32the first film, and appeared to be, well, you know, just look for yourself, that bro is dead,
02:38he's absolutely in the bin, down under, he's doing stairs, okay, there's no coming back from that.
02:45But this is the horror genre, so I digress.
02:48And yeah, how the hell will Stu figure into Scream 7?
02:52It's a question that's had the fanbase working overtime over the last, like, 8 to 10 months,
02:57and there are some pretty compelling theories out there.
03:01One obvious possibility is that Stu somehow survived the original Scream,
03:06and given that one scrapped concept for Scream 3 was to indeed have Stu acting as a puppet master
03:13behind the scenes, it's not entirely out of the question.
03:17But that also risks stretching the series' already thinning plausibility to breaking point,
03:24and it's probably far more likely that Stu will be appearing as some sort of AI slash deepfake being
03:30used by the new killer to antagonize Sidney, especially with several other dead characters,
03:36namely Roman and Dewey, also confirmed to return.
03:40And yeah, out of all the theories options so far, this one definitely feels the most compelling to me.
03:45It fits Scream down to a T in regards to its history of satirizing Hollywood filmmaking trends,
03:51and also speaking to real-life traumas.
03:54This is a whole terrifying tech Pandora's box that's been opened here,
03:59and I think this would be a really, really interesting way of updating Ghostface
04:04that isn't just another reveal that, hey, we want revenge,
04:08because we've seen that done a few times now, and it hasn't landed particularly well.
04:14Otherwise, Stu could appear in a potential flashback sequence,
04:18possibly one that depicts the murder of Sidney's mother Maureen,
04:21but again, I kind of think the whole AI deepfake thing here is definitely the most likely option.
04:27As ever, we'll just have to wait and see, but it's certainly an unexpected casting announcement
04:32that's whipped the entire fanbase into a frenzy.
04:35On the way, Ariana Grande, fucker in lore.
04:39Now, in fairness, few expected a fourth Meet the Parents movie to ever get made,
04:46and yet, here we are with fucker in lore.
04:50Boy G. Golly.
04:52In addition to the likes of Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Terry Polo,
04:57Blythe Danner, and Owen Wilson all reprising their roles in this long belated sequel,
05:03it was recently announced that Ariana Grande has also joined the ensemble cast.
05:08The Hollywood Reporter subsequently confirmed that no, Grande won't be playing herself in a cheeky cameo,
05:15but will instead be playing a quote-unquote ball-busting woman
05:19who gets engaged for the son of Stiller and Polo's characters.
05:23It's certainly a left-field choice to cast Grande in a role that doesn't require any singing,
05:29and more to the point, seems polar opposite to her popular persona,
05:34but hey, that's where a lot of great comedies derive from.
05:38Playing against type can work wonders when done right,
05:41especially in a comedy where subverting expectations can generate uproarious laughs.
05:47Above all else though, Grande's presence certainly won't do the film's box office any harm,
05:51given, you know, her huge popularity as a singer,
05:54and obviously coming off the back of a two-parter home run with Wicked.
05:59Coming up next, Tom Reese Harris, Clayface.
06:04One of the major benefits of making a superhero movie with a more modest budget
06:09is that the studio is generally less concerned with casting a bona fide A-lister
06:14who they know can get butts in seats on name alone.
06:18And that's definitely true of the new DC film Clayface,
06:22where protagonist Matt Hagen will be played by rising Welsh actor Tom Reese Harris.
06:28Harris certainly isn't a slouch in the acting department, by the way,
06:32evidenced by his fine work on TV shows White Lines and Suspicion,
06:36but he just wasn't really on anyone's radar for a role of this size.
06:42It's nevertheless a really strong endorsement for Harris,
06:45all the more so given that he was apparently competing with the more high-profile likes of
06:50Jack O'Connell, George McKay, and Tom Blythe for the role,
06:54beating all three of them out, which is, that's no small feat.
06:59There's no doubt that Harris will make Clayface his own,
07:01and with the film's budget being set at a shockingly sensible $40 million,
07:07virtually unheard of for anything in the superhero genre these days,
07:11Wonder Brothers evidently weren't too bothered about his dimmer star wattage.
07:16Still though, I think it's kind of weird that this isn't just a full Batman movie.
07:20I don't really care for these solo supervillain films,
07:23and I think you're missing a lot of Batman's humanity and compassion when you do it this way too,
07:28but I don't know, let me know what you think in the comments below.
07:31Are you down with a solo Clayface movie,
07:34or as Joker once said,
07:36without Batman, does crime have no punchline?
07:39Let me know, I'm really curious, slight tangent, but had to get it off my chest.
07:43Next up,
07:43Your Brain Gets Smart and Your Shrek Gets Dumb
07:46Zendaya, Shrek 5
07:49Fan casting for any major movie franchise has a tendency to be incredibly unimaginative.
07:55To simply pick an of-the-moment young actor and just toss him in the mix,
08:00like in a big acting battle royale,
08:02and yeah, fight, yeah, get in there.
08:07That's how it totally works.
08:08But sometimes a glorified fan cast ends up being totally on the money,
08:13as is the case of Zendaya's role in Shrek 5.
08:17We recently learned that the singer and actress has been cast as Shrek's daughter Felicia in the sequel.
08:23And sure, like, why the hell not?
08:27This isn't the first time that Zendaya has lent her voice to an animated film,
08:32but few would have pegged her for this part regardless.
08:35With her release calendar filling up with hugely anticipated projects like The Odyssey,
08:40Spider-Man Brand New Day,
08:42Dune Part 3,
08:43and the new season of Euphoria,
08:46it's funny to see just Shrek 5 just slotted in among there.
08:51Definitely the most prestigious outing, I think we can all agree.
08:54If nothing else, it'll certainly be fun to hear Zendaya riff off the likes of Myers,
08:59Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy.
09:01Although, again, Shrek 5 after the last couple were?
09:06It's an interesting strategy, I gotta say.
09:10Next up, Michael Caine blows the bloody doors off his retirement.
09:14The Last Witch Hunter 2
09:16In October 2023, Michael Caine announced that he had retired from acting at the age of 90,
09:23mere weeks after the release of his acclaimed drama, The Great Escaper.
09:28There didn't seem to be any indication that Caine could be coaxed back in front of the camera,
09:33and even if he did return to act,
09:35most likely expected it to be for an author filmmaker like his regular collaborator, Christopher Nolan.
09:41So, what a shock it was to learn that Caine will be coming out of retirement to appear in The
09:47Last Witch Hunter 2,
09:49a sequel to the 2015 fantasy action film starring Vin Diesel.
09:55Yeah, despite the film completely tanking at the box office,
09:58it evidently must have been a strong performer on streaming,
10:01as Diesel recently confirmed that the sequel is happening,
10:05with Caine, who played a supporting role in the original, also set to appear.
10:11Given that Caine and Diesel have been close friends for decades now,
10:15yeah, that's news to me too,
10:16that likely explains the Thor's decision to un-retire for what will presumably be a brief cameo role,
10:23and hopefully a sizable paycheck.
10:25All the same, this casting is only slightly less unexpected than The Last Witch Hunter 2 actually happening at all.
10:33On the way, Jeremy Alan White, The Mandalorian and Grogu.
10:38The Mandalorian and Grogu, which I still can't believe that's the title for a natural Star Wars movie in 2025,
10:45dear God Disney, of course features Pedro Pascal in the lead role of Din Djarin,
10:50and the cast otherwise includes sci-fi royalty like Sigourney Weaver,
10:54a natural choice if there ever was one.
10:57But things get a little bit stranger when we go further down the bill,
11:02as The Bears' Jeremy Alan White has been cast to play Rota the Hutt,
11:07the son of the franchise's iconic mobster Jabba,
11:11who made his debut all the way back in 2008 to the Clone Wars animated movie,
11:16where he was just a little guy, a little, little baby boy.
11:20I wonder what it looks like for the new movie.
11:23Duh, what the hell?
11:26White will be providing the voice for Rota,
11:29who looks like he's sworn off the family career and is now acting as a sort of Hutt wrestler,
11:35but all things considered, it's incredibly difficult to imagine why voicing a Hutt at all.
11:41Like, how's he gonna do the whole,
11:43no pasa na chupo ma, and you know, all that stuff.
11:47Yes, I do have these voices in my back pocket at all time,
11:50and please do reach out to me on social media if you just want them on demand,
11:54because I just do it anyway.
11:57But yeah, well, we can reasonably assume that his voice will be deepened and modulated in post-production
12:02to get all that bantha poodle thing going on.
12:06One does have to ask why they'd even bother hiring a name actor if that was the case at all,
12:12especially if he ends up just speaking Huttese anyway.
12:16Either way, the role is said to be a significant one rather than a mere cameo,
12:20so yeah, there we go.
12:22It's definitely an interesting recipe shaping up for the next big screen outing for Star Wars.
12:27It's just a Huttese wrestler and a plot that belonged in a fourth season of a TV show
12:36where you can get to the big screen.
12:38A TV show that has had a dwindling reputation for the past, like, several years.
12:43Just gonna pull our eggs in that basket.
12:45Okay, let's see how that pays off.
12:49Next up, a reboot of one of Sylvester Stallone's greatest action films.
12:54Lily James, Cliffhanger.
12:56A follow-up to the 1993 Sylvester Stallone starring action-thriller Cliffhanger
13:02has been in development pretty much ever since the original blew up at the box office in 1993,
13:08but it's never quite come to fruition until now.
13:12Even in recent years, Stallone was expected to star in the sequel once again,
13:16no matter that he turns 80 next July,
13:19and last October it was suddenly announced that the new Cliffhanger movie had actually started shooting.
13:25More to the point, it was no longer a sequel to the Stallone film,
13:29but an all-out reboot instead,
13:32with a new protagonist being played by a most unexpected actor, Lily James.
13:37James, who is best known for her performances in the likes of Downton Abbey,
13:41Cinderella, Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again, and Pam and Tommy,
13:46doesn't really seem like a natural physical fit on paper at all.
13:50But, to James' enormous credit,
13:53she's enhanced her typically slender frame and hit the gym.
13:56This to say, she's looking positively ripped in behind-the-scenes photos from the film.
14:01Like, we're talking jacked.
14:04Shredded.
14:05There are abs on those abs.
14:06Either way, I do hope that Sly makes a cameo here, somewhere.
14:11If nothing else, than to remind everyone that they need to see the original,
14:15which is legitimately one of the best action movies of the 90s,
14:20and about the best Die Hard Formula spin outside of that franchise.
14:24I did a video on it the other year, which, yeah, you should go check out if you like the
14:29movie,
14:29or if you haven't seen it, because, yeah, it's a great film.
14:33You should all go watch it, especially if you pick up the 4K from Studio Canal,
14:36because that restoration is absolutely stunning.
14:40Just a gorgeous movie, great time, go watch it.
14:43From one 90s reboot to another now, we have Orville Peck, Street Fighter.
14:49The new Street Fighter movie is absolutely jam-packed with insane casting choices,
14:56like WWE superstars Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes playing Akuma and Kyle respectively,
15:02but in the very least, they're athletes with experience in this type of role.
15:06But surely the oddest casting choice so far is hiring fantastic country singer Orville Peck
15:13to play iconic masked fighter Vega.
15:16Now, sure, Peck is famous for always wearing a mask in public,
15:21certainly looks like he's in good shape,
15:23and his Broadway performance in Cabaret was widely praised,
15:27but does that make him qualify to portray a Spanish martial artist
15:31in a Street Fighter movie of all things?
15:34Well, I don't know.
15:35It's definitely a fun and interesting bout of casting,
15:39albeit one that pretty much nobody could have called ahead of time.
15:42It would have been far more expected for the production to hire a relatively unknown martial artist
15:46and just slap a mask on them,
15:49so I guess fair play for doing this.
15:52That's not how The Force, brackets, casting in Star Wars works.
15:57Amy Adams, Star Wars, Starfighter.
16:00Even though Amy Adams is most acclaimed for her purely dramatic work,
16:05she's certainly never shied away from blockbuster genre filmmaking,
16:09what with playing Lois Lane in the DC Extended Universe
16:12and starring in Denis Villeneuve's stunning sci-fi film Arrival.
16:16But she'll next appear in the sci-fi franchise to rule them all,
16:20when she plays a supporting role in Sean Levy's new standalone Star Wars movie,
16:26Star Wars Starfighter.
16:28In case you were hoping to see Adams swinging a lightsaber around,
16:32she'll reportedly play the mother of the young lead played by Flynn Gray,
16:37so that's probably not gonna happen.
16:39It'll certainly be a bit jarring to see an actor of Adams' repute and profile in a Star Wars movie,
16:45to say nothing of Ryan Gosling's presence as co-lead, which is just bananas.
16:50Like, this is pretty much the opposite of what we've come to expect from this series,
16:54which is a real big bummer and probably a pretty big indictment
16:58of just how dire Disney feels its prospects are in 2025.
17:03Assuming that Mando and Grogu doesn't do that hot at the box office,
17:08it'll be interesting to see if Disney banking on star power
17:11proves to be enough to right this steadily sinking Star Cruiser.
17:16Like, we can all hear the alarms just going,
17:23That's my impression of a Star Destroyer alarm.
17:28Anyway, just when you thought it was safe to go back into the MCU,
17:32it's Robert Downey Jr. Avengers Doomsday.
17:36The world was positively gobsmacked when, at San Diego Comic-Con 2024,
17:43it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
17:47to play Dr. Doom in Avengers Doomsday and Avengers Secret Wars.
17:52Uh, gobsmacked is one way to put it.
17:55Another would be, uh, dejected, bemused, or, you know, plain old bamboozled.
18:02While many expected RDJ to return in Secret Wars as a Tony Stark variant for the sake of fan service,
18:10bringing him back to play the big bad of the multiverse saga is a twist just about nobody could have
18:15predicted
18:16and one that I am on record as saying stinks.
18:19It stinks. It stinks. It stinks. It stinks.
18:23Yes, Mr. Patterson. Everything stinks.
18:27That said, there are obviously still huge questions about the precise nature of Downey's role.
18:32Is he just genuinely playing a Dr. Doom who resembles Tony Stark for some reason?
18:39Um, I hope not.
18:42But what the hell?
18:43Considering how odd that would be, many have also theorized that this version of Doom will be a Tony Stark
18:49variant
18:49who may well use his likeness to manipulate the Avengers, which also is bad.
18:56Yeah, I think I would have just preferred an actual Dr. Doom, to be honest.
19:00Maybe played by Mads Mikkelsen, even if they wasted his juice on Dr. Strange back in 2016, was it?
19:07Either way, this one was surprising in all the worst ways, but maybe I'll be wrong?
19:13Who knows, I'm open to being proven wrong, even if inherently this thing is really weird.
19:21Next up, the Schwartz is strong with this news.
19:24Rick Moranis, Spaceballs 2.
19:27Mel Brooks' legendary sci-fi spoof Spaceballs is packed with brilliant performers,
19:33including Rick Moranis as the Darth Vader parodying Dark Helmet.
19:38And while fans would have certainly loved to see him reprise the role for the impending Spaceballs 2,
19:43it just didn't seem like a possibility given that Moranis hasn't had a starring role in a live-action movie
19:49since 1997's Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.
19:53After Moranis' wife passed away in 1991, he largely shied away from Hollywood while being a full-time father
20:01to his children, an entirely understandable decision no matter that his fans lamented the bigger career
20:07that might have been.
20:09But to the surprise of many, Moranis was recently confirmed to be reprising the Dark Helmet role
20:15in Spaceballs 2, which is currently set to release in 2027.
20:20It likely helps that Moranis' children are of course now fully grown adults,
20:24but even so, it didn't seem probable that the actor would step back into an arena he's been so far
20:31outside of for so long.
20:33Not just a surprising casting now, but a surprising sequel altogether.
20:38Jeremy Strong The Social Network Part 2
20:41When it was announced that a sequel to The Social Network was in the works from Aaron Sorkin,
20:46most just assumed that Jesse Eisenberg would return to play Mark Zuckerberg once again.
20:52Yet, despite the role letting him an Asken on last time around, Eisenberg has apparently opted not to return.
20:59Possibly due to his recent remarks about no longer wanting to be associated with the Facebook co-founder,
21:05which, uh, yeah, I can see why he wouldn't want that, because whoo, whoo, what an interesting few years it
21:15has been.
21:15And by interesting, I mean, oh.
21:19Earlier this year, it was instead revealed that the great Jeremy Strong was in talks to become Eisenberg's replacement.
21:26And while, yeah, it's a shame we won't have acting continuity between films,
21:31at least we know that Strong is exceptionally adept at portraying terrible people on screen.
21:37It remains to be seen if Sorkin can produce a worthy follow-up to David Fincher's original Oscar-winning drama,
21:43especially with him taking over directorial duties this time around.
21:48But in the very least, Strong is a confident, if surprising, substitution for Eisenberg.
21:54And also, Sorkin did great with Molly's game, so I'm looking forward to this one.
21:58Next up, the guy who somehow cannot stop getting work.
22:02Jared Leto, Masters of the Universe.
22:06Jared Leto is something of an albatross around the neck of any movie he's involved with right now,
22:12because beyond his reputation for being an obnoxiously committed method actor,
22:17he was also recently accused of sexual misconduct by nine women dating back as far as 2006.
22:24In addition to playing the title character in Tron Ares,
22:28Leto has also filmed a part in Masters of the Universe where he'll play He-Man's arch-nemesis, Skeletor.
22:35Now, even putting aside the allegations against Leto,
22:38it's tough to imagine him being a particularly good fit for Skeletor,
22:42which, you know, requires a degree of personality and comedic timing to pull off.
22:48Sure, you could argue he's a pretty solid actor,
22:51but his most high-profile attempt at playing Menacing prior to this,
22:55the Joker in David Ayer's Suicide Squad,
22:58didn't really pan out.
23:01Like, look at the footage.
23:03That's cringe.
23:04It's big cringe.
23:05For the same token,
23:07it isn't easy to imagine Leto nailing the camp of Skeletor either.
23:11And while there's always room for him to surprise us,
23:15it just seems like a strange, uninspired choice on paper.
23:20Next up,
23:21another potential win on the Nintendo movie front,
23:24Bo Braggerson and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth,
23:28The Legend of Zelda.
23:29When Nintendo announced that a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie was in the works,
23:33naturally the first question was about casting.
23:36Namely, who would be playing franchise icons Link and Princess Zelda?
23:41Rumors swirled for many months that Hunter Schaefer had been cast as Princess Zelda,
23:47though it was ultimately revealed that Bo Braggerson had bagged the role,
23:50while Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will portray Link.
23:54These casting announcements surprised many,
23:57both because Braggerson and Ainsworth are relatively unknown actors,
24:01and also rather young,
24:02being 21 and 16 years of age respectively.
24:06But there's absolutely something to be said for casting less-known performers
24:10who don't bring a ton of star baggage with them.
24:14And also, by casting younger,
24:15there's room for them to grow into the roles over the course of a potential franchise.
24:20At least in Ainsworth's case,
24:22his work on Mike Flanagan's horror series The Haunting of Bly Manor
24:26proves beyond any doubt that he's got the acting chops to carry an IP like this.
24:31A new film from David O. Russell now,
24:34Nicolas Cage, Madden.
24:36When it was announced that David O. Russell was set to direct a biopic
24:40of legendary American football broadcaster John Madden,
24:43who would have ever expected him to cast Nicolas goddamn Cage in the role.
24:48All respect to the one true god,
24:51but it's frankly tough to picture him portraying Madden,
24:54because beyond the lack of an obvious physical resemblance,
24:58can anyone really picture Cage disappearing into the role
25:02and convincing everyone that he is that guy?
25:05These concerns were seemingly confirmed
25:07when the first picture of Cage in the film was released,
25:10where he just looks like Nicolas Cage,
25:13wearing a John Madden wig.
25:16While Cage will likely give a solid performance in the role regardless,
25:20and Russell certainly has a knack for getting brilliant work out of his cast,
25:24few would have ever considered him a snug, natural fit for a part like this.
25:29Only once the first trailer drops,
25:31we know for sure if Cage has pulled off the John Madden voice,
25:35undeniably one of the most important facets of playing the guy in question.
25:39On the way, a beloved actress goes all creepy.
25:43Judy Greer, Dead of Winter
25:45Judy Greer might well be one of the most underappreciated actors of her generation,
25:50for despite consistently giving it her all in comedy and drama projects over the last 30 years,
25:56she's all too often relegated to the thankless wife, mother, or daughter role.
26:01While many have campaigned for Greer to get more meaty, dramatic leading parts,
26:05few would have expected to see her cast as a dangerous kidnapper in a new action thriller,
26:11which is such a cool thing to happen.
26:15Yep, Greer is next set to star in Dead of Winter,
26:18where she plays one of two villains responsible for kidnapping a teenage girl,
26:23while Emma Thompson also plays firmly against type as the hero tasked with saving said stranger.
26:29A five-star festival review from The Guardian singled out Greer for her quote-unquote
26:34concentrated nastiness, and considering the exceptional reign she's demonstrated throughout
26:39her career, there wasn't ever any doubt that she'd pull it off.
26:44What was a doubt was getting to see her in a role like this to begin with,
26:48and yeah, it's a really welcome surprise.
26:51Next up, an 80s icon makes a comeback.
26:54Michael Biehn, Onslaught.
26:56In the 1980s and early 1990s, it truly seemed like Michael Biehn was poised to have one
27:03hell of a movie career, given not only his chiseled good looks, but also his honest-to-God
27:09acting chops, as demonstrated in the likes of The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, and Tombstone,
27:16because, oh my god, look darlin, Johnny Ringo.
27:21Great role.
27:21But things sadly fell off for Biehn by the late 90s for various reasons, not least his
27:28battle with alcoholism, which caused a number of health issues.
27:32By the mid-2000s, Biehn was largely relegated to straight to video fair, save for a memorable
27:38role in Robert Rodriguez's 2007 action-horror film Planet Terror.
27:43Biehn's big studio movie days seemed to be far behind him then, so it was a huge surprise
27:49to see him cast in a major role in Onslaught, the new A24 action thriller from Adam Wingard,
27:56who directed The Guest.
27:58Biehn will play the leader of a group of mercenaries tasked with containing an unspecified threat
28:03which escapes from a military base.
28:05And honestly, that sounds like a pitch-perfect role for a grizzled vet like him, even if you
28:10expected to see him in a role like this in 2025, let alone in an A24 movie.
28:17Two castings that are sure to dominate movie discourse in the next year, it's Margot Robbie
28:22and Jacob Elordi, Wuthering Heights.
28:24The new adaptation of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights from Saltburn director Emerald Fennell
28:30stoked controversy the moment its surprising lead actors were first announced.
28:34Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are playing the central roles of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff.
28:41And yeah, where to even begin with this.
28:44First off, Catherine is in her late teens at the end of the novel, so having a mid-30s
28:49Robbie play the part is certainly a bold choice.
28:53As for Heathcliff, well, he's said to be around 40 in the novel, but played by a 27-year-old
28:59Elordi in this movie.
29:01It's a bit of a bizarre dynamic reversal and makes the buzzy casting feel just a little
29:06bit more jarring.
29:07But there is cause for optimism.
29:09The recent trailer for the film contains the title within quotation marks, seemed to suggest
29:15that this will be Fennell's very distinct and not particularly reverent take on the source
29:20material.
29:21And also, the trailer was really cool.
29:23I've been burned once before with salt burn, I know, but to be honest, I'm just happy we're
29:27having a little gothic literature resurgence on the big screen, and for that reason,
29:32I'll be checking this one out.
29:34And finally, we have Keanu Reeves.
29:36The Entertainment System Is Down
29:39The Entertainment System Is Down is the new film from Triangle of Sadness filmmaker Ruben
29:44Ostland and revolves around the passengers of a long-haul flight who are forced to contend
29:49with boredom when the plane's entertainment system, well, goes down.
29:54The cast is positively stacked, including a bevy of name actors who have their fair share
30:00of art house work under their belt, such as Kirsten Dunst, Daniel Brühl, Samantha Morton,
30:06and Julie Delpy.
30:07And then there's Keanu Reeves, which is just great to have him in there.
30:12Reeves can't help but stick out like a sore thumb here because of his A-list status and
30:17tendency to star in more mainstream skewing fair, so it'll certainly be interesting to
30:23see him working with the filmmaker as idiosyncratic as Ostland.
30:28It remains to be seen whether Reeves is playing a passenger, a member of the cabin crew, or
30:33perhaps even a not-so-fictionalized version of himself, but to call this casting unexpected
30:39that it is certainly to understate the case here.
30:41Either way, really fun casting, really glad he's in there, and really looking forward
30:45to the movie itself.