by admin | Oct 1, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
Kill Bill was never meant to be two movies. As originally crafted by Quentin Tarantino, the roaring rampage of revenge was supposed to be a three-hour cinematic epic to be digested in one sitting, and while the film does split in half quite nicely (with Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 each having their own distinct tones), the full experience that the writer/director intended audiences to have has never made it to theaters. That’s been a sad reality for decades… but it’s finally changing later this year.
Fans have long been clamoring for a release of what has been dubbed Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, and now, at long last, it’s scheduled to happen. Lionsgate has announced that the full version of the kung-fu epic is going to be heading to theaters for the first time ever on December 5… and that’s not all! The cut is also going to include a seven-and-a-half minute animated sequence that has never been screened before.
the cliffhanger ending from Vol. 1 and the recap from Vol. 2 are both cut, which means that the audience discovers that the daughter of Uma Thurman’s The Bride is still alive at the same time that the character does.
Exactly how the new anime sequel will fit into the story is unclear, but I am certainly over-the-moon excited to find out.
This is an event that we here at CinemaBlend will definitely be keeping a close eye on in the coming months (especially as we continue to patiently wait to find out what Quentin Tarantino is going to be doing as his tenth and final film). I highly recommend that all of you mark it on your 2025 movie calendars, as the film is amazing and you’re not going to want to miss it: Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 are both incredible, but Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is a special experience unto itself that demands to be seen.
by admin | Oct 1, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
I was on board just hearing that Kevin James and Alan Ritchson were working together. However, that was further solidified when I found out that their project on the 2025 movie schedule was going to be “an absurd action-packed adventure where minivan mayhem meets professional hitmen.” That’s right, Playdate is going to be a wild action comedy about these two dads and their kids having one crazy afternoon, and between the synopsis and these first look photos, I’m so here for it.
Playdate, which is being released by Amazon MGM Studios and will be available to stream with a Prime Video subscription on November 12, will pair Kevin James with Alan Ritchson and their on-screen sons for more than just a playdate.
According to the film’s synopsis, James will play Brian, an unemployed accountant, who decides to have a playdate with Ritchson’s Jeff, a “charismatic stay-at-home dad.” However, their afternoon together with their sons quickly turns into a “chaotic scramble to stay alive as they are pursued by a ruthless team of mercenaries.”
Season 4 of Reacher at the time of this writing and is well-known for his committed and intense action sequences (like the Paulie vs. Reacher fight in Season 3 of the great Prime Video show), I assume he’ll bring that kind of expertise and experience to Playdate. That juxtaposed with James’ comedic style sounds like gold.
Truly, it’s this unexpected pairing that has me thrilled about this movie. While I certainly didn’t have an Alan Ritchson and Kevin James collaboration on my bingo card, that’s exactly what makes Playdate a film that I’ll be turning on the day it comes out.
Listen, I love a great action movie, and I adore a good comedy, so I especially am here for an action comedy. There’s no question that Ritchson is a top-tier action star right now, and James is a comedy legend, so pairing them together feels like a great idea.
That, mixed with this fun concept, has me very excited! Plus, this movie is directed by Luke Greenfield, who made Let’s Be Cops and The Girl Next Door, with his most recent credit being 2020’s Half Brothers. It was also written by Neil Goldman, who is a frequent collaborator with Bill Lawrence and has writing credits on shows like Shrinking and Scrubs, among many other series.
The cast, alongside Ritchson and James, will also feature Sarah Chalke, Alan Tudyk, Benjamin Pajak, Banks Pierce, Hiro Kanagawa, Stephen Root and Isla Fisher. So, we have a fun ensemble in Playdate as well.
All-in-all, Playdate is the movie I never saw coming, but now it’s one I can’t wait to see. So, you best believe I’ll be tuning in to watch Alan Ritchson and Kevin James on this playdate when the film premieres on November 12.
by admin | Oct 1, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
Captain Planet and the Planeteers remains nostalgic ’90s cartoon, and it’s impact is still felt by fans today, including Hollywood A-lister Glen Powell. He’s such a big fan of the environmentally conscious cartoon that he’s been synonymous with a long-gestating, big-screen adaptation since 2016. Now, as the project closes in on almost a decade of progress, there’s been a significant update. That reveal come from Powell himself, who got real about where things stand at this point.
The 36-year-old Twisters star shared the Captain Planet details with Screen Rant while talking about his 2025 TV release, Chad Powers. Sadly, those who’ve been hoping for Powell to take part in the long-in-the-works adaptation may be disappointed by what Powell had to say about the project:
Leonardo DiCaprio’s upcoming projects, as he was confirmed to be producing it via his company, Appian Way Productions. It’s hard to say exactly why things broke down as far is Powell is concerned, but I feel as though he would’ve knocked this out of the park.
Based on what’s known now, the project — which was initially set up as a feature film at Paramount — has become a Netflix series. It’ll still be a live-action production and DiCaprio is still attached as a producer. As a fan of the Anyone but You star, I’m sad that we’ll miss out on what could’ve been an intriguing piece of work. Still, I’m hopeful that the project will turn out OK.
On the bright side, there are still plenty of other Powell-led films that are in different stages of development. His latest film is Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man, for which Powell put in some serious running work for. He’s also starring in J.J. Abrams’ mysterious new film, Ghostwriter. Also, let’s not forget that Top Gun 3 is in the works as well. Still, let’s remember the Powell-fronted Captain Planet film as we toast to the film’s the actor has in the works.
Catch Glen Powell (if you can) when The Running Man heads to theaters on November 7 as part of the 2025 movie schedule.
by admin | Oct 1, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
Emerald Fennell’s upcoming book-to-screen adaptation Wuthering Heights hasn’t even come out yet, and fans are already talking. Not only has the shock factor come from early screenings calling it “aggressively provocative,” but also from the casting choice of Jacob Elordi that’s made fans very upset. The English filmmaker got real on why Elordi was cast in the 2026 movie release despite fan backlash, calling the actor’s performance “very surprising.”
When it was announced that Jacob Elordi would be portraying Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, the Australian actor received backlash for being “whitewashed,” since Heathcliff is described as “dark-skinned” in the Emily Brontë book. Emerald Fennell told BBC why she wanted him for her upcoming book-to-screen adaptation:
her Saltburn follow-up. The Academy Award-winning director mentioned another good reason for casting the Frankenstein actor, and I can’t blame her there:
As there are so many early illustrations of Heathcliff, it’s hard to know which one Emerald Fennell is talking about. Still, I can understand the director’s perspective in looking at an image and already thinking up an actor who has the look to embody the part.
Khamel Cochrane, the remake’s casting director, has defended her casting decision for Elordi before, saying that audiences should give the movie a chance first, and that the movie is “not based on real life. It’s all art.” If the BAFTA nominee surprised Fennell, maybe fans will feel the same way, too.
Book fans may have been surprised that Jacob Elordi was cast as Heathcliff despite not being “dark-skinned” like his character. However, if Emerald Fennell described his performance as “very surprising” and the star she pictured for her own movie, maybe Elordi will provide audiences a fresh, new take that contrasts with traditional past portrayals of the character. You can see for yourself when Wuthering Heights hits theaters on February 13th, 2026.
by admin | Oct 1, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
Bad auditions are as much of a norm in Hollywood as sunshine and craft services, and while they can sometimes be detrimental to a career or specific project, it’s not always a bad thing for famed actors to whiff on promising roles, which hindsight can speak to. Case in point: megastar George Clooney recently reflected on one of his least positive attempts to secure a role, which led to a surprisingly harsh comment from Francis Ford Coppola.
Clooney was speaking about an incident from nearly 35 years ago, when he auditioned for one of the more high profile horror adaptations of the 1990s, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Considering it’s also one of the most sexually charged horrors of note, it’s perhaps no surprise that a soon-to-be sex symbol like Clooney was hoping to be involved. Despite any amount of self-confidence the actor had, however, the Godfather director rather swiftly deflated it. As Clooney put it to IndieWire:
directed some of the best movies in cinema history, so I doubt anyone would want to intentionally botch such an experience by going in hammered. But I’m definitely curious about what Clooney could have done in the audition that sparked the filmmaker to call his agent with such an accusatory question.
Keanu Reeves, it’s even more curious, since that roles is as straightforward as it gets, and I can’t think of any particular scenes that would be helped along by a heightened performance.
Perhaps if Clooney was trying out for the role of R.M. Renfeld, which eventually went to the gravel-voiced Tom Waits, it would make sense for his performance to be a bit erratic and off-the-cuff, given that character’s fraught and tortured existence. Otherwise, I’ve no clue.
Why George Clooney’s Botched Dracula Audition Was Better For Horror Fans In The Long Run
While George Clooney’s presence may very well have added some additional quality points to Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a final product, I can’t help but believe that starring in such a high-profile vampire movie in 1992 would have kept the actor from later co-starring in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s 1996 genre-flipping classic From Dusk Till Dawn. Considering he’s such a masterful part of that sordid, blood-soaked feature, I don’t even want to consider what it might have been like with another ’90s actor playing Tarantino’s brother.
Sure, Dracula may be more critically acclaimed on the whole, and has a better shot at being relegated essential viewing than From Dusk Till Dawn would, but if you ask me 10 times which movie I’d rather watch for the fun of it, I’m going to say FDTD all 10 times. Featuring co-stars such as Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Danny Trejo, Salma Hayek and more, the heist-horror-comedy caper is an NSFW roller coaster ride that keeps viewers rollicking for its entire runtime. For nearly 20 years now, I’ve considered it to be one of the best vampire movies ever.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for all that I do sincerely love it, is really a snooze in comparison. It’s a faithful retelling of Stoker’s novel, albeit with plenty of creative tweaks, and amidst plenty of quality performances, Gary Oldman is truly running on all cylinders in multiple roles. But the truly exciting moments are fewer and farther between than they are in Rodriguez’s film.
Plus, exactly zero Titty Twister strip clubs are to be found in Transylvania. I mean come on!
In any case, George Clooney’s career isn’t exactly suffering, although as a horror fan, I’d love it if he could find the time to jump back into another genre effort before he retires from acting altogether. From Dawn Till Dusk, anyone?
