‘The Accountant 2’s Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Daniella Pineda

by admin | Apr 23, 2025 | Moviephone News, News

Opening in theaters on April 25th is ‘The Accountant 2’, which is a sequel to 2016’s ‘The Accountant’ and is once again directed by Gavin O’Connor (‘Miracle’).

The returning cast includes Ben Affleck (‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’) as Christian Wolf, Jon Bernthal (‘Daredevil: Born Again’) as Christian’s brother Braxton, Cynthia Addai-Robinson (‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’) as Treasury agent Marybeth Medina, and J.K. Simmons (‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’) as director of the Treasury Department Raymond King, as well as new recruit Daniella Pineda (‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Daniella Pineda about their work on ‘The Accountant 2’, Addai-Robinson’s reaction to the screenplay, how her character has changed since the first film, if she knew there would be a sequel when she shot the original, working opposite Affleck and Bernthal this time around, and if she’s ready for ‘The Accountant 3’, while Pineda discussed joining the franchise, her love for the original, shooting her fight scenes, acting opposite Oscar winner J.K. Simmons, and working with director Gavin O’Connor.

Related Article: 10 Things We Learned at Amazon MGM’s ‘The Accountant 2’ Press Conference

Cynthia Addai-Robinson attends the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

Moviefone: To begin with, Cynthia, Ben Affleck has said that he thinks your character is the real protagonist of this film and that he is more like a “character actor”. Do you agree with that and what was your first reaction to the sequel taking that approach?

Cynthia Addai-Robinson: It’s interesting, if you think about the character of Marybeth Medina, I feel like she’s very much the audience’s eyes and ears in this story. You’re following along with her as she must essentially solve this puzzle, solve this mystery that really in his final moments, she’s enlisted again by J.K. Simmons, his character Ray King. I think even for Ray King, he understands that “There are two people I can entrust that I think are going to be able to figure this out. Marybeth is one of them, and of course the accountant is the other.” Really her recruiting and pulling him in to help, it’s very much initially a reluctant partnership. Then once he brings his brother Brax along, Jon Bernthal, it’s like, “Now I’m having to navigate this with these two people that I don’t really know what to expect once I bring them on.” It is true that she essentially is the through line and you’re following her journey as she tries to understand the particulars of this case.

MF: Daniella, what was it like for you to join this franchise and work with this cast?

Daniella Pineda: I think the coolest part about it was if you get to sign onto a project that you yourself sought out as a fan, I saw the first one in theaters in 2016 and I loved it, and I was like, “Oh man, I hope they would come out with a second one.” That was weird to be a fan of something and then you’re like, “I’m going to be in it. This is awesome.” They left it largely a mystery once I was cast. I was not aware that the film centered around this character. I just thought it was more of a supporting role and you’re in and out. I was so surprised when I read how much she’s a part of the story.

Daniella Pineda attends the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

MF: Cynthia, did you have a sense making the first movie that a sequel was possible?

CAR: You’re always hopeful. I think certainly the intention from the creatives at the top was, “If this works, it would be great to continue telling this story.” I think when you’re an actor brought on board, unless you’re directly involved as say Ben obviously is a more hands-on with this, you’re just hoping and never assuming. Obviously, it took a lot longer I think than anybody would’ve ideally liked with eight years passing from when we finished the first movie to now bring this. But it always felt like there’s more story to tell. The way the first movie ends, you feel like you want to see what happens to these characters. Where do they go from here? What does life look like for them? We’ve taken the same time jump, eight years in real life and nine years in the story. It’s nice because we get to not only progress the characters, but tonally the movie is completely different from the first one. The first one’s an origin story. It’s a little bit more serious and grounded in tone. This one we just get to have fun with it and change up the genre a bit.

MF: Daniella, can you talk about shooting the fight sequences?

DP: We were lucky, Cynthia and I were both lucky in that most of our fight sequences happened at the end of production. We had the duration of the movie to build up and train for that. We took Muay Thai classes outside of rehearsal, which was interesting. Cynthia has a mean kick. It was a surprise to me. But I have a movie kick that’s pretty good. It was trying and it was exhausting at times, but I love the way it turned out. Muay Thai was very different for me. I messed my foot up during a rehearsal toward the end, and I got so scared, like, “Oh my God, I broke my foot right before the fight.” But thankfully it worked out. I think it took us two days to shoot that fight sequence, two or three days, and it was so much fun.

Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) in ‘The Accountant 2’. Photo Credit: Warrick Page/Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.

MF: Cynthia, how has Medina changed since the first film?

CAR: She’s a grownup. I think there was in the first movie, both for Marybeth and for myself, a bit of a like, “Let me just keep my head down, do my job, don’t mess up, and don’t draw attention.” I think for Marybeth, there wasn’t necessarily a level of say, career ambition, it was just about doing a good job and serving justice. I think she’s very much led by her moral compass in putting away the bad guys, so to speak. Now here she is in a more elevated position, she’s deputy director and she’s essentially like the new Ray King. Again, J.K. Simmons character has passed the baton to her. That sense of this secret that she carries, which is she gets a leg up, she gets this information, she gets these tips, and would she have gotten there without it? Would she be able to get to that same position if she was just working hard? I love that there is that sense of a bit of imposter syndrome. You see her in the beginning of the movie literally sitting in the boss’s chair, and who she is in the beginning of the film and who she’s at the end I think there’s a beautiful arc and a real change, I think for her.

MF: Daniella, can you talk about your character’s relationship with Raymond King and what it was like working with J.K. Simmons?

DP: I was delighted to get a sit-down scene with Oscar winner J.K. Simmons. This is not a shocker. He is a very, very, very good actor. I am of the belief that I think that other actors make you a better actor, not necessarily directors. When it comes time to who you’re looking at and performing and bringing it, he’s one of those actors that like, “I really have to come correct today.” We meet them in a mysterious way. We don’t know why he’s so deeply intrigued by her or why he’s calling her out or how he even got a hold of her. But he seems so desperate to speak to her like he’s been fishing, and he finally has the catch. It’s a little bit under mysterious circumstances and sad ones, unfortunately for J.K.

(L to R) Anais (Daniella Pineda) and Ray King (J.K. Simmons) in ‘The Accountant 2’. Photo Credit: Warrick Page/Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.

MF: Cynthia, you didn’t have any scenes with Ben or Jon in the first movie, what was it like getting to act opposite them this time around?

CAR: It was like this lovely meeting of the minds both for the reality of, “Great, I get to work with these actors that I have not worked with before, even though we were in the same movie.” For those characters and seeing, “What exactly is going to happen? What happens when you put these three very different characters who are all very strong in their individuality and in their way of doing things and their perception of things, what happens?” I think what I love about this movie, and I’ve been hearing from a lot of people is there’s so much comedy to be mined from that uncomfortable situation. Uncomfortable for the characters, not uncomfortable for me or for us, but again, there is that sense of, “These characters are all circling each other, trying to make heads or tails of things.” For Marybeth especially, it’s like, “These guys are dragging me down into the gutter. This is not my way of doing things.” We had a lot of fun with it. I think when you see on the page that there’s something humorous and funny without overplaying it, I think you want to play to the truth of the situation, but you know that there’s a chuckle to be had and you can keep it loose and you can try for things. Gavin O’Connor, our director, was great at allowing for that, creating that environment where it’s like Jon’s throwing out some improvised lines, and Ben’s reacting in real time. I’m just watching the ping pong match. We just had fun with it. I think that sense of fun and play translates to what the audience experiences. Again, there’s a lot of laughs to be had on this sequel.

MF: Daniella, what was it like working with director Gavin O’Connor?

DP: It takes a very talented director to be able to pull off what is being hailed as arguably a better sequel. The first movie is great, but the second one, a lot of people are saying, “The second one’s better.” That takes a very talented director to be able to pull that off. I think he established the world in the first film, and then he was able to, in a very skillful way, bring out the humor and all these goodies all along. But I feel like he’s always in front of the monitor and he’s like, “I don’t know. Do I believe this? Is this believable?” Everything must be believable and must convince him. As an actor, it was so lovely to be able to work with a director who put so much trust in me and I took some liberties. I asked for her to be blonde, and Gavin was like, “Yeah, sure, okay.” I thought he was really going to fight me on that. It’s so funny the things that he graced and the other things where he knew what he wanted, but it was a wonderful balance. I loved working with him.

(L to R) Ben Affleck (Christian Wolff), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Marybeth Medina), Director Gavin O’Connor, and Jon Bernthal (Brax) in ‘The Accountant 2’. Photo Credit: Warrick Page/Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.

MF: Finally, Cynthia, are you open to making ‘The Accountant 3’ if the opportunity comes your way?

CAR: Yes, I’m very open to that. We’re getting asked that all the time. I feel like I’ve heard Gavin say as much that a trilogy to really tell the story and with each version of the movie again, give a different experience for the audience, if the audience wants it, I think it’s very much there. When this movie ends, same thing, you’re like, “What happens to these characters? Where do they go from here after everything that happens, after everything unfolds, where do they go from here?” If you still want to know that, if you still care about the fate of these characters, then, I think a third one, let’s go. Let’s do it.

“Do you like puzzles?”

Showtimes & Tickets

Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has a talent for solving complex problems. When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to “find the accountant,”… Read the Plot

What is the plot of ‘The Accountant 2’?

When someone close to her is killed by unknown assassins, Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) is forced to contact Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) to solve the murder. With the help of his estranged but highly lethal brother Brax (Jon Bernthal), Chris applies his brilliant mind and less-than-legal methods to piece together the unsolved puzzle. As they get closer to the truth, the trio draw the attention of some of the most ruthless killers alive — all intent on putting a stop to their search.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Accountant 2’?

(L to R) Allison Robertson, Ben Affleck, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lynette Howell Taylor, Gavin O’Connor, Daniella Pineda and Jon Berthal attend the Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Accountant 2’ World Premiere at SXSW on Saturday March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

List of Gavin O’Connor Movies:

Buy Tickets: ‘The Accountant 2’ Movie ShowtimesBuy Ben Affleck Movies On Amazon

Jennifer Lopez Starring in ‘The Last Mrs. Parrish’

by admin | Apr 22, 2025 | Moviephone News, News

Preview:

• Jennifer Lopez will star in ‘The Last Mrs. Parrish.’
• Robert Zemeckis is aboard to direct.
• Netflix is behind the new novel adaptation.

Both Jennifer Lopez and director Robert Zemeckis have had some hard times of late –– especially professionally.

Zemeckis’ most recent movie didn’t exactly perform (more on that below) and Lopez has been beset by issues, including cancelling her most recent tour and less than positive reactions to her self-produced concept movie ‘This Is Me… Now,’ which tied into an album.

They’ll both be hoping for brighter prospects with a new project, which will be based at Netflix, where Lopez has enjoyed some better reviews for her work.

The pair is teaming up for a movie that Lopez will co-produce and star in called ‘The Last Mrs. Parrish,’ with Zemeckis aboard to direct.

Related Article: Tom Hanks Features in First Pictures of Robert Zemeckis’ ‘Here’

What’s the story of ‘The Last Mrs. Parrish’?

Jennifer Lopez at 2015 American Music Awards. Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images.

The new movie will adapt the 2018 Liv Constantine novel, which follows a con artist (to be played by Lopez) who targets a wealthy couple — the Parrishes — as her next victims.

She infiltrates the pair by befriending the wife and seducing the husband, with the master plan of becoming the next Mrs. Parrish, only to discover that the wife’s life is far more complicated than she could have imagined.

Constantine’s book was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, has sold more than 1 million copies and been published in about three dozen countries.

Oscar nominees Andrea Berloff and John Gatins are at work on the script, and it marks a reunion for Zemeckis and Gatins, who worked together on the Oscar-nominated Denzel Washington drama ‘Flight.’

Liza Chasin is producing for 3dot Productions along with Molly Sims for Something Happy Productions, while Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina for Nuyorican Productions. Margaret Chernin of 3dot will be executive producers.

Where else can we see Jennifer Lopez?

(L to R) William Goldenberg (Director) and Jennifer Lopez (Judy Robles) in ‘Unstoppable’. Photo Credit: Ana Carballosa/Prime Video.

Aside from the aforementioned ‘This Is Me… Now,’ Lopez has had better luck with movies including Netflix sci-fi thriller ‘Atlas’ and based-on-truth wrestling tale ‘Unstoppable,’ which arrived via Amazon MGM Studios.

Coming up, she has musical drama ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ directed by Bill Condon, which garnered good notices at Sundance and is headed to theaters in an awards-consideration run via Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate and LD Entertainment this fall.

This is what Condon said of the move:

“All of us who made this film believe it needs to be experienced in a theatre, so we’re grateful and excited to be partnering with the very talented folks at Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate Studios, and LD Entertainment to make that happen. On a personal note, this feels like a homecoming –– Lionsgate picked up ‘Gods and Monsters’ out of Sundance in 1998, and I’ve worked with them and Roadside on three other films since then.”

Currently, she’s shooting Netflix’s ‘Office Romance’ opposite Brett Goldstein, Betty Gilpin, and Jodie Whittaker.

It’s the story of Jackie, President and CEO of Air Cruz, who runs a tight ship in her business, including a rigid anti-fraternization policy for all her employees.

When a new sexy lawyer begins working for her, that policy becomes very tested. That one doesn’t have a release date on the books yet.

Lopez also has ‘The Godmother,’ a crime drama about the rise and fall of the late drug lord Griselda Blanco, at the scripting stage.

What else is Robert Zemeckis working on?

(L to R) Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright on the set of ‘Here’. © 2023 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Zemeckis, a respected filmmaker who has crafted some of the most memorable movies including ‘Forrest Gump,’ the ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy, ‘Contact’ and ‘Cast Away,’ hasn’t had the best of luck with more recent releases.

‘Welcome to Marwen’ didn’t do great business, and his remake of ‘The Witches’ was widely panned. More recently, experimental drama ‘Here,’ despite boasting a ‘Forrest Gump’ reunion with Tom Hanks and Robin Wright leading the cast and a compelling visual hook of being set in one room that changes over time, also flopped at the box office.

He has a new animated series called ‘Tooned Out’ at the Max streaming service and a variety of projects in development as either director or producer, including action biopic ‘The King’ and sci-fi drama ‘Ares.’

When will ‘The Last Mrs. Parrish’ arrive on screens?

Netflix has not yet announced a release date for the movie –– which, if it follows the pattern of other recent Lopez projects for the company, will debut on its servers rather than in theaters.

‘Here’ director Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks attend the AFI Fest Director’s Spotlight. Photo by Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images.

List Robert Zemeckis Movies:

Buy Robert Zemeckis Movies on Amazon

‘Ghostbusters’ Ernie Hudson joins ‘Toy Story 5’

by admin | Apr 22, 2025 | Moviephone News, News

Preview:

• Ernie Hudson will be the voice of Combat Carl in ‘Toy Story 5.’
• Carl Weathers previously played the role.
• The new ‘Toy Story’ is due out next year.

While ‘Elio’ is the next Pixar project to hit the big screen (June 20th, in case you were wondering), there is naturally a lot of attention on the company’s next dive into franchise territory, and one of its biggest hitters returning to theaters with ‘Toy Story 5’ due next year.

Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang’s jobs get exponentially harder when they go head to head with an all-new threat to playtime: tech. Read the Plot

With Woody, Buzz and the gang back for more adventure, word arrives via TMZ of all places that there has been some necessary recasting among the voice ranks for the new movie.

Carl Weathers is Greef Karga in ‘The Mandalorian,’ season two, exclusively on Disney+

Following the sad death last year of Carl Weathers, the role of Combat Carl –– which Weathers performed in the 2013 TV special ‘Toy Story of Terror!’ and the most recent big screen outing, ‘Toy Story 4,’ genre stalwart Ernie Hudson will instead report for duty to provide the voice for the military man.

It’s not the first piece of re-casting in the ‘Toy Story’ world, since Blake Clark took over the role of Slinky Dog from the late Jim Varney a few years ago.

Related Article: Ernie Hudson Talks ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ and the Franchise’s Legacy

What’s the story of ‘Toy Story 5’?

(L to R) Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) in Pixar Animation Studios’ ‘Toy Story.’

In case you forgot (since it was released back in 2019), ‘Toy Story 4’ ended with Woody and Buzz parting ways when the former joined Bo Peep (Annie Potts) to live a life as a “lost toy,” free from the constraints of being owned by a child.

Throughout the film, Woody struggled to find his place with Bonnie, as she no longer needed him as much as Andy did. Buzz, understanding Woody’s choice, assured him that Bonnie would be okay without him and supported Woody’s decision to start a new chapter.

Meanwhile, Buzz stayed with Bonnie, continuing to live with Jessie, Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm (John Ratzenberger) and other toys, including the new addition of Forky (Tony Hale).

Director Andrew Stanton, returning to the franchise for the first time in years, revealed at the last D23 that the central conflict of the latest film will involve the toys grappling with staying relevant in the age of technology.

The concept art revealed at the same event shows the toys looking sadly at their owner engrossed in a tablet, hinting at the emotional and humorous struggles they will face as they try to reclaim the child’s attention.

And Tim Allen has also been talking about the new movie.

This is what he told Collider:

“It’s a very, very clever story. I don’t really believe it’s about the money. I’m sure they want it to be a success, but that’s not why they did it. Had they not come up with a brilliant script, they wouldn’t have done it. It’s really clever. It was really a struggle to get, and then maybe two hours in, I was doing Buzz. I’m so blessed to be Buzz Lightyear, to be honest. It’s gonna be fun. I think we’re a year out. I’ve gotten up to the third act. We’ll do the third act. And then, we’ll go back and clean it. And then, I’ll do it about five more times. It’s a really good story, guys. It’s really good.”

Here’s what he told news channel WIVB 4:

“I can tell you that it’s a lot about Jessie,” he said. “Tom [Hanks] and I do — Woody and I — do realign. And there’s an unbelievable opening scene with Buzz Lightyears. I can give you that, but I can’t give you much more.”

Who else is working on ‘Toy Story 5’?

(L-R) Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear, Buzz Lightyear, and Woody from ‘Toy Story 3.’ ©Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Few other details have been revealed about the new movie for either side of the camera.

We do know that McKenna Harris, who has worked on several other Pixar titles in various capabilities, is co-directing the movie with Stanton, and the latter worked on the script.

Beyond Allen and now Hudson, there has been no confirmation on the cast, but Hanks will return and word on Jessie surely points to Joan Cusack already having recorded some material.

We’d be shocked if most of the main voice cast –– at least those whose characters feature prominently –– wouldn’t be back.

Where else have we seen Ernie Hudson?

(L to R) Winston (Ernie Hudson) and Peter (Bill Murray) in Columbia Pictures’ ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.’ Photo By Jaap Buitendijk. © 2023 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Hudson needs little introduction, though among his more famous genre credits are the likes of ‘Ghostbusters’ [1984], ‘The Crow’ [1994], ‘Miss Congeniality,’ ‘Congo,’ ‘The Hand that Rocks the Cradle,’ and ‘The Jazz Singer.’

On the small screen, he’s been seen in shows including the more recent take on ‘Quantum Leap,’ ‘Grace and Frankie’ and voiced a character in ‘Transformers Prime.’

When will ‘Toy Story 5’ be in theaters?

Disney and Pixar’s latest entry in the ‘Toy Story’ franchise will be on screens on June 19th, 2026.

‘Toy Story 5’. Photo: Disney.

List of Movies in the ‘Toy Story’ Franchise:

Buy ‘Toy Story’ Movies On Amazon

Best Michael B. Jordan Movies

by admin | Apr 21, 2025 | Moviephone News, News

Michael B. Jordan is one of the most popular and talented actors working today.

The actor first gained attention on TV for his roles in popular series like ‘The Wire’ and ‘Friday Night Lights’ before making a name for himself on the big screen in movies like ‘Chronicle’ and ‘That Awkward Moment’.

But it his collaborations with director Ryan Coogler such as ‘Fruitvale Station’, ‘Creed’ and ‘Black Panther’ that have really resinated with audiences.

Jordan would go on to star in ‘Creed II’ before stepping into the director’s chair himself for ‘Creed III’, which were both executive produced by Coogler, and even made a cameo in Coogler’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’.

Jordan and Coogler’s new film, ‘Sinners’, opens in theaters on April 18th.

In honor or the release of ‘Sinners’, Moviefone is counting down the 15 best movies of Michael B. Jordan’s career, including his latest.

Let’s begin!

(L to R) Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell in 2015’s ‘Fantastic Four.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.

Four young outsiders (Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell and Jordan) teleport to a dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend (Toby Kebbell) turned enemy.

Best pals Jason (Zac Efron) and Daniel (Miles Teller) indulge in casual flings and revel in their carefree, unattached lives. After learning that the marriage of their friend Mikey (Jordan) is over, they gladly welcome him back into their circle. The three young men make a pact to have fun and avoid commitment. However, when all three find themselves involved in serious relationships, they must keep their romances secret from one another.

“When you realize getting some means wanting more.”

Based on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Jordan), a soldier deployed to Iraq begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams) revisits the story of her unlikely, life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to her and their child.

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II.

“High-Octane Action and Daring Dogfights!”

The powerful true story of Harvard-educated lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan), who goes to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned — including Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan fights tirelessly for Walter with the system stacked against them.

(L to R) Michael Shannon and Michael B. Jordan in 2018’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’. Photo: HBO.

In an oppressive future, a ‘fireman’ (Jordan) whose duty is to destroy all books begins to question his task.

“Knowledge is a dangerous thing”

An aimless young man (Keanu Reeves) who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.

“The most important thing in life is showing up”

When a squad of Russian soldiers kills his family in retaliation for his role in a top-secret op, Sr. Chief John Kelly (Jordan) pursues the assassins at all costs. Joining forces with a fellow SEAL (Jodie Turner-Smith) and a shadowy CIA agent (Jamie Bell), Kelly’s mission unwittingly exposes a covert plot that threatens to engulf the U.S. and Russia in an all-out war. Torn between personal honor and loyalty to his country, Kelly must fight his enemies without remorse if he hopes to avert disaster and reveal the powerful figures behind the conspiracy.

“From the author of Rainbow Six.”

Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight against an opponent with ties to his family’s past, Adonis Creed (Jordan) is up against the challenge of his life.

“There’s more to lose than a title.”

Three high school students (Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell and Jordan) make an incredible discovery, leading to their developing uncanny powers beyond their understanding. As they learn to control their abilities and use them to their advantage, their lives start to spin out of control, and their darker sides begin to take over.

“What are you capable of?”

Michael B. Jordan stars as Adonis Creed in ‘Creed III,’ A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Photo credit: Eli Ade. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Jordan) has thrived in his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian — a fighter with nothing to lose.

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

“Dance with the devil.”

Showtimes & Tickets

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome… Read the Plot

Oakland, California. Young Afro-American Oscar Grant (Jordan) crosses paths with family members, friends, enemies and strangers before facing his fate on the platform at Fruitvale Station, in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2009.

2. ‘Creed’ (2015)

The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson (Jordan), the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).

(L to R) Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman in ‘Black Panther’. Photo: Marvel Studios.

King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne by factions within his own country as well as without. Using powers reserved to Wakandan kings, T’Challa assumes the Black Panther mantle to join with ex-girlfriend Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), the queen-mother (Angela Bassett), his princess-kid sister (Letitia Wright), members of the Dora Milaje (the Wakandan ‘special forces’) and an American secret agent (Martin Freeman), to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.

Kathryn Hahn, John Mulaney and Sienna Miller join ‘Madden’

by admin | Apr 21, 2025 | Moviephone News, News

Preview:

• Kathryn Hahn, John Mulaney and Sienna Miller are the latest recruits for ‘Madden.’
• David O. Russell wrote the script and will direct.
• Nicolas Cage is playing the football icon.

We learned in August last year that Nicolas Cage would be making an unusual move for him, and stepping up to play NFL coaching (and TV/video game) legend John Madden for a new movie from ‘American Hustle’s David O. Russell.

And, as seems typical with Russell’s projects, he’s now gathered a starry ensemble to support Cage in the film.

Per Deadline, Kathryn Hahn, John Mulaney and Sienna Miller are the latest additions to the movie.

And the site’s story confirms word from reporter Jeff Sneider that Christian Bale, a perennial Russell performer, is also aboard the movie.

Related Article: Nicolas Cage Playing Football and Broadcasting Icon John Madden in ‘Madden’

What’s the story of ‘Madden’?

John Madden. Photo: NFL.com.

With a script by Russell (based on earlier work from Cambron Clark), the exact details of what ‘Madden’ will cover remain a little indistinct at the moment.

But there is certainly a lot to choose from. Madden was a star player in high school, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958, only for injury to curtail his rookie season.

Instead, he went on to earn a degree in teaching and put his skills/experience to good use as a coach, going on to lead the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl and a win in 1977.

Madden became known as one of the best coaches in the sport’s history, but his all-consuming passion and commitment wore on him, and he retired for health reasons.

Still, a hugely successful second chapter dawned as courted by the fledgling gaming company Electronic Arts to be the front man for its Madden NFL multi-player video game. Madden had never played a video game, but it turned into an outlet where he could lend his knowledge and help the masses better understand the gridiron.

The game has long been a sensation –– even with its inspiration dying in 2021, it continues to this day as a favorite of players and fans.

And beyond even that, Madden also became famous as a beloved commentator on the game he loved so much, his enthusiasm pouring from the screen, and his habit of scribbling on the screen making him a firm favorite among viewers.

Who are the new recruits playing?

John Mulaney in ‘John Mulaney: Baby J’ Photo: Netflix.

Bale is playing late Raiders owner Al Davis, while Mulaney has the role of Trip Hawkins, who founded EA Sports and was a driving force in behind the Madden NFL video games.

Hahn will be Madden’s wife, Virginia; and Miller is on board to be Davis’ wife, Carol.

With the casting process in full swing, Russell is preparing to start shooting next month in Atlanta.

‘Madden’: David O. Russell talks Nicolas Cage

David O. Russell on the set of ‘American Hustle’. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing/Francois Duhamel. Copyright: © 2013 Annapurna Productions LLC All Rights Reserved.

Here’s what Russell said about the casting news in a statement:

“Nicolas Cage, one of our greatest and most original actors, will portray the best of the American spirit of originality, fun, and determination in which anything is possible as beloved national legend John Madden. Together with the ferocious style, focus, and inspired individualism of Al Davis, owner of the underdog Oakland Raiders, the feature will be about the joy, humanity and genius that was John Madden in a wildly inventive, cool world of the 1970s.”

Russell himself is something of a controversial figure, his successful directing career also marked by criticisms of his attitude to women and other groups. He’s also been known for his mercurial behavior on set, infamously clashing with George Clooney on ‘Three Kings’ and Lily Tomlin on ‘I Heart Huckabees’.

“An existential comedy”

Bale, of course, clearly has no such issues, since he has worked with the director several times before, on ‘Amsterdam,’ ‘American Hustle’ and ‘The Fighter,’ which won him his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Where else have we seen Kathryn Hahn, John Mulaney and Sienna Miller?

(L to R) Kathryn Hahn and Chase Sui Wonders in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.

Hahn has been busy lately with Disney+ and Marvel series ‘Agatha All Along,’ which has played well since it premiered in the fall. She can also be seen in the Apple TV+ series ‘The Studio,’ which has been a success for that streaming service.

On the movie front, she lent her voice to animated canine comedy ‘Fixed,’ directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, which has been in limbo until it was picked up by Netflix for release in August.

Mulaney, meanwhile, has been spending his time on Netflix talk show ‘Everyone’s Live with John Mulaney,’ and he’ll be back as Spider-Ham for ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,’ though that won’t be on screens until 2027.

He’s also a voice (and a producer) on animated coming-of-age comedy series ‘Big Mouth’, which launches its final season on Netflix on May 23rd. ‘Madden’ marks one of his rare forays into bigger movie roles.

As for Miller, she was most recently seen in Kevin Costner’s Western ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ and assuming the second part moseys its way to theaters after the box office stumble of the first, she’ll be back in her role as Frances Kittredge.

Coming up, she’s back as Cathy Ryan for the ‘Jack Ryan’ movie, based on the John Krasinski-starring series that has been shooting and will likely be in theaters next year.

When will the new David O. Russell/Nicolas Cage movie ‘Madden’ be in theaters?

Amazon/MGM Studios is backing the drama, but it has yet to schedule a release date.

Nicolas Cage presents a nominee for Oscar® for Actor in a Leading Role during the live ABC telecast of the 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Trae Patton ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

List of Football Movies:

Buy Nicolas Cage Movies On Amazon

‘One to One: John & Yoko’ Interview: Director Kevin MacDonald

by admin | Apr 18, 2025 | Moviephone News, News

Opening exclusively in IMAX theaters on April 11th before opening wider on April 18th is the new documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’, which focuses on John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 18-month stay in Greenwich Village from 1971–1973, and leading up to their 1972 concert, “One to One”, which was the only full live concert that Lennon participated in after The Beatles broke up in 1970.

The film was directed by Kevin MacDonald (‘The Last King of Scotland’, ‘Marley’), and features never-before-seen footage from the “One to One” concert, with remastered audio overseen by Sean Ono Lennon.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Kevin MacDonald about his work on ‘One to One: John & Yoko’, how he became involved with the project, creating a film around the footage, focusing on this specific point in John and Yoko’s lives and American history, their incredible relationship, the genius of Yoko Ono, and what John was looking for at that point in his life.

Related Article: Mary McCartney Talks Abbey Road Documentary ‘If These Walls Could Sing’

‘One to One: John & Yoko’ director Kevin MacDonald. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how you got involved with this project and your choice to focus on this specific time in John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s lives, as well as what was going on in America at that time?

Kevin MacDonald: Well, how this came to me is that the producer, Peter Worsley, had been chasing for years the rights to be able to use this concert. It’s a legendary concert, the only full-length concert that John ever gave after leaving The Beatles. So, it’s got incredible value, but it had always been swept under the carpet because it was so badly filmed and so badly recorded. So, the family didn’t really like it being out there because they felt like it didn’t represent John at his best. But with recent advances in sound technology, it sounds amazing, and it’s been remixed. We went back to the original negative of the film so we could improve everything. So, that became the core of the idea. It’s like he came to me and said, “Let’s make a film around that.” I’m a long time Beatles fan from when I was a kid, really. (John) was my first hero in pop culture, I suppose, when I was like 12 or 13, and then he died. So those things that meant a lot to you as a kid tend to be the things that are seared into you deep down. So, it is a lifelong dream to make something about him. But really there are three strands to the documentary. One is the musical strand, and that’s why it’s on IMAX. Because if you want to imagine what it was like to see John Lennon live, well this is your best opportunity to get close to that. The second strand is their personal life, what they’re going through. In this very brief period of about 15 months when they moved to New York from London, and they arrive in late ’71 until they move into the famous apartment in the Dakota building in New York in early ’73. So it is that time in this apartment where they’re living in a one room place with a huge bed and a big TV. They’re watching a lot of TV, and they’re mixing with all these radicals like Jerry Rubin and Allen Ginsberg, the poet, and all these people who are very activist and very progressive. They’re recording their own phone calls because they think the FBI are listening into them. So, they want to have their own record of what they’re saying. So, all the way through the film, you hear their intimate phone conversations. That’s the second strand. Then the third strand is what they’re watching on TV in their apartment, what I’m imagining they’re seeing on TV. So, it’s America in that period. So, you’ve got the whole lead up to Watergate, you’ve got the Vietnam War going on, you’ve got the Attica Prison riots, you’ve got also ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ and ‘Bonanza’ and all these ads for Chevrolet. It’s like basically what TV would’ve been like for them that they’re seeing. What’s so remarkable, I didn’t set out to make a political film, but when you watch this film, you’re like, holy s**t. America is the same now as it was then. You have somebody running for president being shot live on camera, you have a black woman running for president, you have sit-ins on the campuses because of a foreign war. Then it was Vietnam, now it’s Gaza. It’s just endless the number of similarities and echoes with today. But I also wanted to make a film that worked as a movie, that’s kind of a different movie experience. It’s not like a documentary, it’s not like a drama. It’s something immersive, but hopefully also emotional and obviously musical. You’ve got this great concert at the heart of it.

MF: In addition to the concert footage, as you mentioned, the film also includes footage from TV shows, commercials, and news reports from that time. How did you decide what clips to use and how they would fit in the narrative of the film?

KM: Well, we watched a lot of stuff. I mean, a lot. Hundreds of hours of material. So, you’d go like “I wonder what was happening in foreign policy then?” You’d go and look at all the stories and then go, “None of it’s that interesting.” Or we started looking through news shows and every day, it seemed like in 1972 there was a hijacking. So, we thought, “Well, we have to put in a plane hijacking because they’re just everywhere.” Then you start looking. “Who are the people who are doing the hijacking? Oh, it’s the Black Panthers or some offshoot of the Black Panthers.” So, you go down these wormholes and we tried to relate what was happening in John and Yoko’s life to what’s happening in what you’re seeing in the archive, but also relate it to the songs. So, there’s obviously a sequence which is about Vietnam and about the war and the horrors of the war and why they’re so active in trying to bring peace. We decided to set this footage as quite in your face footage of the war against ‘Instant Karma’, one of John’s great solo songs. Which is counterintuitive because Karma is not obviously a song about warfare or whatever, but it is a counterpoint that really is fun. Each one, the song makes you look at the footage differently and the footage makes you look at the song differently. Then there’s examples where, for instance, when we’re talking about John’s own personal life. He’s talking about how he has a huge chip on his shoulder, and trauma over his childhood. Not being brought up by his mother and father, and how his mother was killed almost in front of him by a drunken policeman driving too fast one night when he was 15. Then we go to ‘Mother’, the song that he wrote about his mother and how he felt abandoned. It’s one of the most moving parts of the film. So yeah, the personal and the political are intertwined in it.

(L to R) John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.

MF: Everyone knows that John Lennon was a genius, but Yoko Ono may be the most maligned and misunderstood person in pop culture over the last 60 years. However, I walked away from this film realizing that Yoko was a genius too, and the driving force behind John’s solo music and activism. Did you walk away from this project with a newfound respect for Yoko Ono as well?

KM: 100%. The more I saw of John and Yoko together, the more I realized how deep their love for each other was, but also their respect for each other. And how deeply John respected her, not just as a person, as a lover, but as an artist and how influential she was on him. I mean, for instance, it’s not in the film, but he has said elsewhere that ‘Imagine’, maybe his most famous song, she basically wrote the lyrics. They’re based on the poetry that she wrote in a book called ‘Grapefruit’, and he put the melody to it. So, they were sort of joined at the hip. I think what you realize is that when you look at the story of this period of the breakup of The Beatles and everything. From her point of view, not from his point of view, not from the fan’s point of view, you realize how difficult it was for her. She experienced a lot of racism, and she talks about it in the film. People had voodoo dolls that they stuck pins in of her, and it made her develop a stutter. She lost all her confidence and she had, I think two or three miscarriages at this period because of the pressure on her. You begin to then see her when she’s singing, and she’s singing from these incredible gutsy performances, these wailing songs which are so ahead of their time. It’s like punk, it’s like Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols) singing or something like that. You see that she was his equal and maybe in some ways his inspiration.

MF: During the moment in time that the movie covers, John was really trying to distance himself from The Beatles legacy. Can you talk about his mindset at that time and what he was trying to accomplish both personally and professionally?

KM: He arrives in New York and one of the things we have at the beginning of the film is a radio recording in which has got John and Yoko and people are saying, “Welcome to New York.” They’ve obviously only been there for a day or two. John says, “I’m here because I want to move on from The Beatles”, effectively. “I want to be me now,” he says. That’s sort of the feeling you get through the film, is that here’s someone who has been one of the most famous people in the world, in the greatest rock band of all time, but he’s trying to find out “Who am I now? I’ve been through this tumult of fame and everything, but who am I and what should I do now with my life?” He’s only 31 years old. But he’s had this whole legendary career, and he is trying to figure out what do I do next? Who am I? I think that in one way you can see the whole movie as being an answer to that question. Of him struggling to figure out who am I? What do I do?

(L to R) Yoko Ono and John Lennon in the documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.

MF: Finally, to follow up on that, do you think John eventually figured that out before his passing in 1980?

KM: I think he finally did. I think that in the years after our movie covers, he had basically a nervous breakdown. He split with Yoko, he went and had what’s called “The Lost Weekend” in LA where he got drunk for a year and a half every day and played music with Harry Nilsson and people. Then it made him miserable. I think he did have a nervous breakdown. I think partly because of all the effort they put in politically in the period we’re covering here, trying to get Nixon defeated, and then they failed miserably. They totally failed. He had to question the whole idea of maybe you can only do small things to change the world. You can raise money in the benefit concert, which is at the heart of this film, for Disabled kids. “I can do that. I can make their lives better. I can do these small things, but I’m not a politician. I’m going to concentrate on the things around me I can control.” I think that in the last period of his life, I think there was a contentment. He had a son, Sean Lennon, and he was basically a house husband. He looked after Sean a lot and still made some music, but he was very reclusive and very quiet. I think he found some sort of peace and some sort of harmony.

“A war of love and transformation.”

Showtimes & Tickets

An exploration of the seminal and transformative 18 months that one of music’s most famous couples — John Lennon and Yoko Ono — spent living in Greenwich Village,… Read the Plot

What is ‘One to One: John & Yoko’ about?

The film is centered around concert footage and audio from Lennon and Ono’s “One to One” benefit concert held at Madison Square Garden in August 1972 on behalf of children at the Willowbrook institution in Staten Island. The “One to One” benefit concerts were the only performances which Lennon performed following The Beatles’ split in 1970. The film also follows the trajectory of their 18-month stay in a Greenwich Village apartment from 1971–1973.

Who is featured in ‘One to One: John & Yoko’?

(L to R) Yoko Ono and John Lennon in the documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.

List of Rock and roll Documentaries:

Buy Tickets: ‘One to One: John & Yoko’ Movie ShowtimesBuy Kevin MacDonald Movies On Amazon