Daily News: Matt Smith joins 'Star Wars: Episode IX;' new trailers for 'Vox Lux' and 'Hell Fest' hit the web
As I noted in my earlier post about the stellar new trailer for Drew Goddard's Bad Times at the El Royale, Hollywood is fairly quiet right now, preparing for an imminent storm of festival premieres that will dominate the cultural conversation for weeks. But even if it's the eve of the annual opening of the floodgates, trade reporters and marketing executives alike have given us plenty to discuss on this fine Tuesday afternoon.
Let's start with more casting news from a galaxy far, far away. Per Variety, Doctor Who star Matt Smith has joined the cast of Star Wars: Episode IX. The report notes that Smith's role is currently unspecified, so he could be either a hero or a villain. Of course, Smith is most famous for starring as the eponymous time-traveler on BBC's hit show from 2010 to 2014, earning a substantial fanbase along the way. Beyond his most notable role, Smith is no stranger to the realm of sci-fi and fantasy; he featured in supporting roles in both Terminator: Genisys and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Recently, he played Prince Philip on Netflix's smash hit The Crown.
As someone relatively unfamiliar with the Doctor Who universe, Smith's casting carries no particular fanboy weight for me. In fact, I don't think I've ever actually seen any of the actor's performances (forgive me for skipping the latest Terminator reboot). That being said, this is another eye-catching move by director J.J. Abrams, who already added Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Billy Dee Williams, and Dominic Monaghan to his epic ensemble. The ninth installment in the iconic sci-fi franchise is shooting now. It'll hit theaters on December 20, 2019.
Now, watch a brief teaser trailer for Brady Corbet's Vox Lux, which is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in a few short days. Check it out below!
This is just a teaser, and a very brief one at that. Heck, we don't even see Natalie Portman's face. Without a distributor, it's understandable that the producers behind Vox Lux are keeping their film fairly close to the vest at this point. But I'm more interested in analyzing this extremely short clip as an announcement of the film's mood and style, which feels like Vertigo by way of a music documentary. The clear comparison point here is Portman's own Black Swan, and it's certainly a visual allusion that I caught onto fairly quickly when I first watched this teaser. However, I wouldn't really describe this as disturbing or unsettling like that Aronofsky classic; rather, there's something very eerie about this brief glimpse at Brady Corbet's second feature.
Anyways, that's way too much analysis for such a minuscule look. Vox Lux will premiere at the Venice Film Festival before holding its North American premiere at TIFF.
Finally, check out a new red-band trailer for Hell Fest, an enticing September horror offering- watch it below!
I dunno, I was kinda excited for this movie before, but I don't know if I can stomach seeing a dude being graphically stabbed in the eye. Eye-related horror is a big no-go for me. Throw all the blood and guts at the screen you want, but stab a guy in the eye and show gruesome detail? Nope.
All kidding aside, I spent much of this trailer thinking "Wow, this is a lame red-band trailer," only for the conclusion to freak me out. Hell Fest certainly doesn't look as visually innovative as some of 2018's other horror outings, but I kind of adore the concept of an amusement park gone wrong. The idea of bloodshed at Universal Halloween Horror Nights is campy brilliance- and also a little terrifying. This surely won't be a classic, but I have full confidence that Hell Fest will be a good time at the theater.
The film opens September 28. That's all for now. Look for more news and reviews in the coming days.
Let's start with more casting news from a galaxy far, far away. Per Variety, Doctor Who star Matt Smith has joined the cast of Star Wars: Episode IX. The report notes that Smith's role is currently unspecified, so he could be either a hero or a villain. Of course, Smith is most famous for starring as the eponymous time-traveler on BBC's hit show from 2010 to 2014, earning a substantial fanbase along the way. Beyond his most notable role, Smith is no stranger to the realm of sci-fi and fantasy; he featured in supporting roles in both Terminator: Genisys and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Recently, he played Prince Philip on Netflix's smash hit The Crown.
As someone relatively unfamiliar with the Doctor Who universe, Smith's casting carries no particular fanboy weight for me. In fact, I don't think I've ever actually seen any of the actor's performances (forgive me for skipping the latest Terminator reboot). That being said, this is another eye-catching move by director J.J. Abrams, who already added Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Billy Dee Williams, and Dominic Monaghan to his epic ensemble. The ninth installment in the iconic sci-fi franchise is shooting now. It'll hit theaters on December 20, 2019.
Now, watch a brief teaser trailer for Brady Corbet's Vox Lux, which is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in a few short days. Check it out below!
This is just a teaser, and a very brief one at that. Heck, we don't even see Natalie Portman's face. Without a distributor, it's understandable that the producers behind Vox Lux are keeping their film fairly close to the vest at this point. But I'm more interested in analyzing this extremely short clip as an announcement of the film's mood and style, which feels like Vertigo by way of a music documentary. The clear comparison point here is Portman's own Black Swan, and it's certainly a visual allusion that I caught onto fairly quickly when I first watched this teaser. However, I wouldn't really describe this as disturbing or unsettling like that Aronofsky classic; rather, there's something very eerie about this brief glimpse at Brady Corbet's second feature.
Anyways, that's way too much analysis for such a minuscule look. Vox Lux will premiere at the Venice Film Festival before holding its North American premiere at TIFF.
Finally, check out a new red-band trailer for Hell Fest, an enticing September horror offering- watch it below!
I dunno, I was kinda excited for this movie before, but I don't know if I can stomach seeing a dude being graphically stabbed in the eye. Eye-related horror is a big no-go for me. Throw all the blood and guts at the screen you want, but stab a guy in the eye and show gruesome detail? Nope.
All kidding aside, I spent much of this trailer thinking "Wow, this is a lame red-band trailer," only for the conclusion to freak me out. Hell Fest certainly doesn't look as visually innovative as some of 2018's other horror outings, but I kind of adore the concept of an amusement park gone wrong. The idea of bloodshed at Universal Halloween Horror Nights is campy brilliance- and also a little terrifying. This surely won't be a classic, but I have full confidence that Hell Fest will be a good time at the theater.
The film opens September 28. That's all for now. Look for more news and reviews in the coming days.
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