Latest news with #RidleyScott
Perth Now
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Jurassic World: Rebirth director Gareth Edwards reveals surprise Ridley Scott movie inspiration
Jurassic World: Rebirth was inspired by Sir Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, director Gareth Edwards has revealed. The 50-year-old filmmaker is helming the next era in the Jurassic era, and has now spilled Scott's 'visually stunning' 2005 epic Kingdom of Heaven was a big influence in making Jurassic World: Rebirth. In the July 2025 issue of SFX Magazine, Edwards said of Kingdom of Heaven: 'John Mathieson was the director of photography and the more and more I looked at it, the more I was like, 'This is perfection. There's not a bad frame in this movie.' 'I've always had this love for his work. When you start a film like this, you have a group of names you'd like to work with, and the studio have a group of names they would trust.' The Rogue One: A Star Wars Story filmmaker added it was important to him to bring in VFX veteran David Vickery - who served as the visual effects supervisor on 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and 2022's Jurassic World: Dominion - to help capture the right visual style for Jurassic World: Rebirth. Edwards explained: 'He's just brilliant and kind of like the world's best person at dinosaurs. But he was sort of done with doing dinosaur films. He didn't want to do another one.' Recalling how he persuaded Vickery to board Jurassic World: Rebirth, the filmmaker told the VFX supervisor: ''I don't want this to feel animated. I don't want it to feel like we've anthropomorphized these creatures.' 'I would love it if we could build a massive catalogue of natural history and essentially, every single shot in this movie is based on a piece of existing footage of a real animal really doing whatever it is that's happening.' Jurassic World: Rebirth - which stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali - follows a team of covert operatives who race to stop a rogue biotech group unleashing weaponised dinosaurs across the globe. As prehistoric chaos spreads, the group must confront a dark secret tied to the original Jurassic legacy. Edwards previously said he wanted to revitalise the Jurassic Park franchise's 'horror' elements with Jurassic World: Rebirth - which hits cinemas on 2 July 2025. He explained to Vanity Fair: 'Jurassic Park [the original 1993 movie] is a horror film in the witness protection program. Most people don't think of it like that. 'We all went to see it as kids. But I was scared s*******, to be honest, when I was at the cinema watching the T. rex attack. 'It's one of the most well-directed scenes in cinema history, so the bar's really high to come on board and try and do this.' The Creator director added: 'There's something very primal that's buried deep inside everybody. As mammals, we evolved [with] this fear of the bigger animal that's going to come one day and maybe kill us or our family. 'The second we see it happening onscreen, you're like, 'I knew it … We had it too good for too long.''
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Elio star Yonas Kibreab: ‘I saw my first Pixar movies when I was four, so to be in one is surreal'
Is there life on Mars? Or anywhere besides our pale blue dot? In April, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope detected dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet 124 light years from Earth. On our own planet these compounds are produced by marine micro-organisms such as phytoplankton. The findings are by no means conclusive, but they are considered the strongest evidence yet for extraterrestrial life. Or at least extraterrestrial plankton. Maybe it's these headline-making biosignatures. Or maybe it's a way to escape the trials of contemporary life on Earth. But aliens are experiencing a moment in the movieverse. Steven Spielberg is beavering away on a top-secret ET-themed science-fiction adventure, his first consideration of outer planets since he made War of the Worlds, in 2005. Alien: Earth, a new series serving as a prequel to Alien, Ridley Scott's 1979 film, will premiere in the US in August. READ MORE Younger sky-watchers can head to see Elio , Pixar 's new alien-populated movie, in which a young orphan – voiced by the 15-year-old Filipino-American actor Yonas Kibreab – struggles with grief, an overly vivid imagination and a deep sense of otherness. His guardian and aunt, a major in the US military – voiced by the Oscar-winner Zoë Saldaña – specialises in tracking space debris. That gives Elio the idea to use a ham radio. He's hoping to be abducted, but when an interplanetary misunderstanding leads a cosmic delegation to believe that Elio is Earth's official ambassador, he is teleported across the galaxy to represent humanity at the Communiverse, a sprawling congress of alien civilisations. When his good-natured hosts Questa (Jameela Jamil), Tegmen (Matthias Schweighöfer) and OOOOO (Shirley Henderson), a gelatinous supercomputer, draw the wrath of the warlord Grigon (Brad Garrett), it falls to Elio to use his nonexistent diplomatic skills to save the day. 'Elio's overall personality is like a superpower,' Yonas says. 'He doesn't care about what other people think. His personality is amazing. He's so cool. He wears capes. He's not worrying about what his classmates are going to say about him. And I think that's a very important message. Be yourself.' [ Elio review: Pixar's all-ages pleasures are in short supply in strangely half-formed animation Opens in new window ] In a welcome flourish, Elio is book-ended by references to the Voyager mission. Launched in 1977, Voyager I and II were sent hurtling billions of kilometres to the outer limits of our solar system to gather information about far-flung planets before sailing out into deep space. In 2012 Voyager I slipped through the heliopause and officially became the first human-made object to reach interstellar space. Both probes carry two golden records : 12-inch discs containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, including greetings in 55 languages, birdsong, music and a message from the late Jimmy Carter, who was president of the United States at the time. 'I've always found it fascinating,' Garrett – a towering presence even sitting down – says. 'It can't just be us in the universe. That's just man's vanity, right?' Garrett's career began in the 1980s, when, as a young comedian, he became a grand champion on the American talent show Star Search; he subsequently appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and performed alongside Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis jnr. His breakout acting role came in 1996, when he played the bumbling, henpecked cop Robert Barone in the TV comedy Everybody Loves Raymond, a part that earned him three Emmy awards. A Pixar regular, he has voiced characters in Finding Nemo and Ratatouille. Elio, he says, is a bit different. 'This is the first time I played a villain,' he says. 'What I liked about it is that he is one of the few villains where you get to see him evolve in an emotional way. He's a dad and he gets to show a parental side that he's never had before. That happens just in time when his son really needs it.' Yonas Kibreab attends the gala screening of Elio at Vue West End in London on June 15th. Photograph:Yonas is also a voice-acting veteran, following his portrayal of Phinny in the Disney Junior series Pupstruction and Damian Wayne/Little Batman in Merry Little Batman. He has also appeared in Silicon Valley, Blumhouse's Blood Moon and the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. 'With voice work you have to communicate emotions through the mic,' he says. 'It's hard to do that at times, because other actors don't really see your face and you don't see theirs. But what I love about it is just how free you are to do whatever. You can go in the studio and, because there's no cameras on you, you don't have to perform with your face.' Despite the teenager's extensive work across various franchises, it was the Pixar film – the 29th animated feature to emerge from the studio – that won him over to both science fiction and watching the skies. 'When I started Elio I did a lot of research on extraterrestrial life, aliens and sci-fi,' Yonas says. 'That gave me an excuse to watch a lot more sci-fi movies. I think it definitely got me into anything that has to do with space. I really enjoy all that now.' Elio is part of Pixar's renewed push for theatrical dominance. Last summer its animated feature Inside Out 2 took a staggering $1.7 billion at the box office, to become the highest-grossing film of 2024 and the eighth-highest-grossing film of all time. The numbers are especially promising following the direct-to-streaming releases of the Pixar films Soul (2020), Luca (2021) and Turning Red (2022), on Disney+, and the poor theatrical showing of Lightyear , Pixar's underwhelming Toy Story spin-off. Since its founding, in 1986, and breakthrough with Toy Story, in 1995 – that film was the first fully computer-animated feature – Pixar has consistently combined technical innovation with emotionally impactful storytelling. But recent box-office wows, notably the Spider-Verse sequence and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem , trumpet the return of traditional hand-drawn animation. Elio is part of Pixar's renewed push for theatrical dominance. Photograph: Disney/Pixar Pixar films are changing. The current American aversion to the values of diversity, equity and inclusion have made a dent in Pixar's commitment to culturally sensitive storytelling. In response to external pressures, Disney removed a transgender storyline from the Pixar series Win or Lose in advance of its debut on Disney+ last February. Behind the scenes, the company is restructuring. In May 2024, Pixar laid off 175 employees – about one in seven of its workforce – as part of the broader cost-cutting programme at Disney , its parent company. Under its chief executive, Jim Morris, the animation studio is prioritising films with 'clear mass appeal', moving away from director-driven, autobiographical narratives such as Turning Red and towards existing intellectual property: Toy Story 5, Incredibles 3 and Coco 2 are all in development; Toy Story 5 will premiere on March 6th, 2026. Brad Garrett, for one, is not worried. 'I started working with them early on,' he says. 'A Bug's Life was my first Pixar film, which is remarkable. I've been doing cartoons since the 1980s. But when Pixar came along, me and everyone else thought, wow, this is the new frontier. They do it like no one else. They're so incredibly collaborative. The work the animators do is unprecedented. It's an honour to be part of it.' [ Dismayed by pop culture's shift towards Trump? Then you might be one of the people to blame Opens in new window ] 'I've been telling everyone how surreal it is for me,' Yonas adds. 'Because, when I was four or five, I saw my first Pixar movies, Toy Story and Up. And those are still two of my favourite movies to this day. So to be in one, especially an original Pixar film, and to be the lead, is a big, big deal for me, and I'm very grateful for it.' Elio is in cinemas from Friday, June 20th
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
When does Alien Earth drop? Everything to know about the new sci-fi series
Something gross is coming to our screens. Landing on 13 August, the first two episodes of the upcoming sci-fi horror series Alien:Earth will be available to stream on Disney+. A prequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 Alien, there will be eight episodes landing in total, with the first two premiering on the release date, and new episodes dropping every Wednesday. The first TV series of the Alien franchise, Alien:Earth is set in the year 2120. Wendy, played by Don't Worry Darling's Sydney Chandler, breaks new ground as the first humanoid robot with human consciousness. But when an extraterrestrial vessel crashes into Earth, Wendy and a team of soldiers go looking for signs of life and find something terrible within. No prizes for guessing what that is. While we have a couple of months before the series lands, the official trailer teases some of the plot points. The most chilling quote in the trailer is that 'The ship collected five different life forms from the darkest corners of the universe.' It's terrifying to think, but it seems the team will have to tackle more than just the xenomorph we know from the Alien franchise. On the creative and production team is Noah Hawley (the screen writer behind major series including Fargo and Legion), Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Joseph Iberti, Dana Gonzales and Clayton Krueger, while cast members include Alex Lawther from The End of the F***ing World and Black Mirror, Kit Young from The Beautiful Game, Timothy Olyphant from Fargo and The Mandalorian), The Babadook's Essie Davis, and Adarsh Gourav from White Tigers. Where can I watch Alien: Earth in the UK? While the series will premiere on August 12 on FX and Hulu in the US, it will launch in the UK and Ireland on 13 August on Disney+. When it premieres, we'll get two episodes, then episodes will drop every Wednesday. How to sign up for Disney+ Disney+ is a paid subscription and costs £4.99 per month. Unlike Amazon and some other streaming services, there isn't a free trial, which means you need to commit to one month of the service, but it's worth keeping in mind that you can cancel your subscription at any time. That said, you might not want to. Disney+ is home to some of the most talked-about shows at the moment, such as The Bear and Star Wars series, Andor. There's also a host of family favourites, such as The Simpsons and animated Disney films from Frozen to Encanto.
Los Angeles Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Brian Tyree Henry is going to start a fight over Wawa Hogies
'Dope Thief' star Brian Tyree Henry has strong opinions about Wawa hoagies and talks working with Ridley Scott during our Very Important Questions presented by Disney also told us about his favorite Trader Joe's treat and a tip for keeping it from making a mess. Watch The Envelope Roundtable with Henry, Elizabeth Banks, Renée Zellweger, Javier Bardem, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jenny Slate and Stephen Graham.
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Echo Valley review – Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney suspense thriller stretches credulity
Brad Ingelsby, creator of TV's Mare of Easttown, has written an enticing-looking suspense thriller which Michael Pearce directs and Ridley Scott co-produces. And with the acting A-team of Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney in the leads, and rock-solid support from Fiona Shaw and Domhnall Gleeson, things look promising. But Sweeney is absent from the drama for too long for the central relationship to be satisfyingly dramatised. And after an intriguing opening, the convoluted narrative doesn't merely jump the shark but lies down and lets the shark jump over it before the pair of them charleston their way across the rolling Pennsylvanian farmland where the film is supposed to be set. Moore plays Kate, a lonely and unhappy grieving woman who trains horses and gives riding lessons on the farm she now precariously owns. She is divorced from a testy and judgemental lawyer called Richard (Kyle MacLachlan), and the woman she subsequently married has died. She gets some companionship from her no-nonsense neighbour and pal Jessie (Shaw). But the one light in her life is her beautiful, smart but fatally spoiled daughter Claire (Sweeney), who is a screwup and drug abuser for whom Kate has lavished all her money on pointless rehab programmes. One night Claire comes back into Kate's life, poutingly asking for help, and Kate finds herself encountering a very scary dealer of her daughter's acquaintance. This is the odious Jackie Lyman (Domhnall Gleeson). When things get very nasty and have to be concealed from the police, Kate must decide how far she will go to protect her daughter. There is some enjoyable and creepy business involving a local lake which can be pressed into service as a disposal area for corpses – the movie put me in mind of lake-centred films such as Scott McGehee and David Siegel's under-remembered 2001 thriller The Deep End with Tilda Swinton, and classics like John M Stahl's Leave Her to Heaven from 1945, or George Stevens's A Place in the Sun from 1951. But then the film gets mired in some very credulity-stretching stuff about what has to happen when bodies need to be recovered and the twisty finale is overwrought and silly. The estimable cast all do their utmost but the overall effect is frustratingly implausible. Echo Valley is in cinemas and on Apple TV+ from 13 June.
