Best known for playing Bill S. Preston, Esq. in the Bill & Ted movies (and for being one of the vampires in The Lost Boys), Alex Winter also has many directing credits to his name, including the 1993 cult classic oddball comedy Freaked. His latest feature directorial effort is Adulthood, which is described as a darkly comic modern noir – and Variety reports that Adulthood has secured a U.S. and Canada distribution deal with Republic Pictures. A release date has not yet been announced.

Winter provided the following statement: “I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Republic Pictures for the North American sales and release of our film. They have great instincts and are dedicated to quality indie movies.“

Scripted by novelist Michael M.B. Galvin, Adulthood tells the story of sister and brother Megan and Noah, who are barely hanging on in present day America. When they discover a dead body, long buried in their parents’ basement, the siblings are pulled back to the hometown they ran away from and into a rabbit hole of crime and murder.

The film stars Josh Gad (Wolf Like Me), Kaya Scodelario (Crawl), Billie Lourd (American Horror Story), and Anthony Carrigan (Barry).

Winter also appears in an acting role, and produced Adulthood with Scott Kroopf, Russell Hollander, and Lisa Wolofsky, as well as Michael Cho and Tim Lee of Olive Hill Media, and Danny Roberts, H.S. Naji, and Jackie Langelier of Fresh Fish Films. Olive Hill Media and Fresh Fish Films provided the funding. Connie Tavel serves as an executive producer alongside Mimi Rode of Olive Hill Media and Thorsten Schumacher of Rocket Science. Rocket Science is currently arranging finance for international sales.

Michael M.B. Galvin previously worked on the screenplay for the 1999 comedy Freak Talks About Sex (which was based on one of his novels) and Matthew Lillard’s 2012 feature directorial debut, Fat Kid Rules the World. On the acting side of his career, Alex Winter was most recently seen in the horror comedy Destroy All Neighbors.

Are you a fan of Alex Winter, and are you interested in seeing Adulthood? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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Paul Walter Hauser is one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, and one of his many (and I mean many) upcoming projects is a Chris Farley biopic. Stepping into the shoes of the iconic comedian is no small task, but Hauser told Variety that he’s been “practicing to play Chris Farley my entire life.“

Hauser has played a handful of real-life people throughout his career, including Shawn Eckhardt in I, Tonya, Richard Jewell in Richard Jewell, and Larry Hall in Black Bird, but Farley is by far the most well-known, which makes Hauser’s task more difficult.

“Everybody’s going to judge the crap out of the movie and have very passionate, hard-line opinions. I’m not worried about playing Chris because I know I’m going to approach it with a lot of love and effort,” Hauser said. “At the end of the day, all you can do is work hard and try your best to love the character and the project as much as possible. To me, that doesn’t seem like much of a hurdle with Chris. I adore him. I want to honor him. I want people to leave the theater, having laughed and cried together.“

Josh Gad will direct the Chris Farley biopic, which is based on the New York Times best-selling biography The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts by Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby. The script is by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber.

Now, about those many projects Hauser is involved in. The actor can currently be heard voicing Embarrassment in Pixar’s Inside Out 2 and will next be seen starring alongside Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, and Hong Chau in The Instigators, a heist thriller directed by Doug Liman. The film will hit theaters on August 2nd before streaming on Apple TV+ on August 9th. He’s also set to appear in The Naked Gun reboot with Liam Neeson and will star in Press Your Luck, which depicts the ’84 cheating scandal orchestrated by Michael Larson. He will also star alongside Mark Wahlberg in Peter Farrelly’s action comedy Balls Up and will appear in Marvel’s long-awaited Fantastic Four movie.

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At long last, Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money might finally become a reality. According to Jeff Sneider, Josh Gad is set to star in a Spaceballs sequel directed by Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) for Amazon MGM Studios. Gad also co-wrote the script with Benji Samit (Detective Pikachu) and Dan Hernandez (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem) and will produce the project alongside Mel Brooks.

Plot details for Spaceballs 2 are being kept under wraps at this time, but the original 1987 movie starred Bill Pullman as Lone Star, John Candy as Barg, Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa, Rick Moranis as Lord Dark Helmet, and Mel Brooks as President Skroob and Yogurt. Although the film was primarily a parody of Star Wars, it also included some humourous nods to Alien (with John Hurt reprising his famous role) and Star Trek.

Aside from serving as a joke in the film itself, the idea of a Spaceballs sequel has been bounced around for quite some time. Mel Brooks spoke about wanting to make a sequel with Rick Moranis close to a decade ago, but nothing came of it. Since the release of the original Spaceballs movie, we’ve seen the release of a lot of Star Wars projects, including the prequel trilogy, the sequel trilogy, various TV shows, and more, so I’d wager there’s a lot of potential material to the Spaceballs sequel to mine for laughs.

It’d be hard to imagine Spaceballs 2 without at least a few members of the original cast making an appearance. It would be great to see Rick Moranis again, but the actor has largely retired, although he did reprise the role of Dark Helmet for an episode of The Goldbergs in 2018. He was also set to return as Wayne Szalinski for a sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (which was also set to star Josh Gad) before that project fell apart. So perhaps it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he could be lured back.

What do you hope to see from Spaceballs 2? Should the sequel even happen?

The post Spaceballs 2 in the works with Josh Gad starring, Mel Brooks producing appeared first on JoBlo.

Update: The Chris Farley Show, a film adaptation of the book by the late SNL star’s brother Tom, is a go. Deadline is reporting that New Line Cinema has acquired the rights and is full steam ahead on what could be a potential Oscar-play for the studio.

Original Story: Cruella and Cobra Kai actor Paul Walter Hauser is going from voicing Embarrassment in Pixar’s upcoming sequel Inside Out 2 to living in a van down by the river for the lead role in Josh Gad’s Chris Farley biopic. Hauser is stuffing himself into a little coat to play the legendary comedian, Saturday Night Live alum, and star of comedies like Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, and Beverly Hills Ninja. Josh Gad directs the Chris Farley biopic, with Lorne Michaels producing through his Broadway video studio.

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber will pen the script based on the New York Times best-selling biography The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts by Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby. Chris Farley’s family is excited about who’s attached to the project. I’m officially dying to see Hauser’s portrayal of Farley, the energetic, unpredictable master of comedy, taken too soon from this world.

Chris Farley and his collaborative film partners David Spade and Adam Sandler burned like the North Star as Saturday Night Live cast members. Whether Farley delivered motivational speeches as his character Matt Foley, ate fries at the Food Court as a mall girl, or shook what his mama gave him alongside Patrick Swayze as a Chippendales dancer, Farley brought smiles to audiences worldwide.

Sadly, Chris Farley died of an overdose of a combination of cocaine and morphine in 1997. He was 33 years old. His passing sent shockwaves throughout Hollywood, with fellow SNL members and fans devastated by the loss. I can still recall the day Farley died and how tragic and sad it was. Later that evening, my friends and I held a movie marathon with Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Airheads, and Coneheads in the rotation.

Meanwhile, Paul Walter Hauser continues to impress after fantastic performances in BlacKkKlansman,  Richard Jewell, Cruella, and more. Cobra Kai fans know Hauser as Raymond ‘Stingray’ Porter from Netflix’s Karate Kid sequel series. This summer, you can catch Hauser as the voice of Embarrassment in Pixar’s highly-anticipated sequel Inside Out 2.

Are you intrigued by Paul Walter Hauser starring in Josh Gad’s Chris Farley biopic? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Nearly a year and a half has gone by since it was announced that the Peacock streaming service had ordered a second season of Abe Forsythe’s werewolf comedy series Wolf Like Me, but now we’re just a few weeks away from having the chance to watch the new episodes. Wolf Like Me season 2 is going to make its Peacock premiere on October 19th – and today a trailer has arrived online! You can check it out in the embed above.

Consisting of seven half hour episodes, Wolf Like Me season 2 will tell the following story: In the second season of ‘Wolf Like Me,’ Mary and Gary leap into the next phase of their relationship and face their biggest challenge yet: pregnancy. As much as they try to have a ‘normal’ pregnancy, it seems impossible with so many questions looming over them. Will their child be a baby or a wolf pup? Just how long can they keep things secret from the rest of their family? And will what happened in the outback come back to haunt them? But when Mary’s former professor, Anton, suddenly reappears in her life, new secrets from Mary’s past are revealed, leaving Mary and Gary to question whether they’re even meant to be together.

Isla Fisher and Josh Gad reprise the roles of Mary and Gary, and they’re now joined in the cast by Edgar Ramirez (Deliver Us from Evil) as Anton. Ariel Donoghue is also back as Gary’s daughter Emma.

Wolf Like Me creator Abe Forsythe is also writer, director, and (through his company Little Monsters) executive producer on the show. His fellow executive producers include Fisher, Gad, and Made Up Stories’ Jodi Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, and Steve Hutensky. Made Up Stories produces Wolf Like Me in partnership with Fifth Season and Stan.

Forsythe provided the following note: “When season one of Wolf Like Me concluded, there were countless directions the story and characters could take. I recognized that if we were going to continue, it needed to be just as daring for me as it was for my characters. Mary and Gary’s universe is expanding and is rife with a wealth of new characters, interactions and threats… In this new world, Isla’s portrayal of Mary continued to surprise me with her heartbreaking vulnerability. She’s operating at another level this season and it continues to be a privilege to push her further and further into what she does best. And Josh always impresses me with how he can register ridiculousness in a way that lets the audience into how crazy everything is, without breaking the tension and letting it fall apart. This season, humour plays an even larger role as we explore the inherent absurdity that ensues when their secrets spill into the open.

Season one was a testament to the mysterious forces of the universe bringing Mary, Gary and Emma together. As we delve into season two, we ask a new question: Is the universe now conspiring to pull them apart? It’s safe to say that with this new season of Wolf Like Me, you can truly expect the unexpected.“

Were you a fan of the first season of Wolf Like Me, and will you be watching season 2? What did you think of the trailer? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Nearly a year and a half has gone by since it was announced that the Peacock streaming service had ordered a second season of Abe Forsythe’s werewolf comedy series Wolf Like Me, and now we finally have a substantial update to share about Wolf Like Me season 2! Not only has a batch of first look images arrived online courtesy of Variety (you can check those out at the bottom of this article), but we also have confirmation that the season is going to make its Peacock premiere on October 19th.

Consisting of seven half hour episodes, Wolf Like Me season 2 will tell the following story: In the second season of ‘Wolf Like Me,’ Mary and Gary leap into the next phase of their relationship and face their biggest challenge yet: pregnancy. As much as they try to have a ‘normal’ pregnancy, it seems impossible with so many questions looming over them. Will their child be a baby or a wolf pup? Just how long can they keep things secret from the rest of their family? And will what happened in the outback come back to haunt them? But when Mary’s former professor, Anton, suddenly reappears in her life, new secrets from Mary’s past are revealed, leaving Mary and Gary to question whether they’re even meant to be together.

Isla Fisher and Josh Gad reprise the roles of Mary and Gary, and they’re now joined in the cast by Edgar Ramirez (Deliver Us from Evil) as Anton. Ariel Donoghue is also back as Gary’s daughter Emma. Fisher, Gad, Donoghue, and Ramirez are all featured in the first look images.

Wolf Like Me creator Abe Forsythe is also writer, director, and (through his company Little Monsters) executive producer on the show. His fellow executive producers include Fisher, Gad, and Made Up Stories’ Jodi Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, and Steve Hutensky. Made Up Stories produces Wolf Like Me in partnership with Fifth Season and Stan.

Forsythe provided the following note: “When season one of Wolf Like Me concluded, there were countless directions the story and characters could take. I recognized that if we were going to continue, it needed to be just as daring for me as it was for my characters. Mary and Gary’s universe is expanding and is rife with a wealth of new characters, interactions and threats… In this new world, Isla’s portrayal of Mary continued to surprise me with her heartbreaking vulnerability. She’s operating at another level this season and it continues to be a privilege to push her further and further into what she does best. And Josh always impresses me with how he can register ridiculousness in a way that lets the audience into how crazy everything is, without breaking the tension and letting it fall apart. This season, humour plays an even larger role as we explore the inherent absurdity that ensues when their secrets spill into the open.

Season one was a testament to the mysterious forces of the universe bringing Mary, Gary and Emma together. As we delve into season two, we ask a new question: Is the universe now conspiring to pull them apart? It’s safe to say that with this new season of Wolf Like Me, you can truly expect the unexpected.”

Were you a fan of the first season of Wolf Like Me, and will you be checking out season 2? Let us know by leaving a comment below – but first, take a look at these images:

The post Wolf Like Me season 2 images feature returning stars and Edgar Ramirez appeared first on JoBlo.

Dog lovers rejoice! A squeaky toy in the form of a raunchy new comedy is coming from Universal on August 18, 2023. Today’s Strays trailer shows what happens when a dog in an abusive relationship with his owner is abandoned in the big city and must depend on the kindness of other canines to exact his revenge. They say a dog is a man’s best friend, but what if the man is a total dirtbag? It might be time for some sweet justice, doggy style!

Here’s Universal’s official synopsis for Strays:

When Reggie (Will Ferrell), a naïve, relentlessly optimistic Border Terrier, is abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug (Will Forte; The Last Man on Earth, Nebraska), Reggie is certain that his beloved owner would never leave him on purpose.

But once Reggie falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier named Bug (Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx), a stray who loves his freedom and believes that owners are for suckers, Reggie finally realizes he was in a toxic relationship and begins to see Doug for the heartless sleazeball that he is.

Determined to seek revenge, Reggie, Bug and Bug’s pals—Maggie (Isla Fisher; Now You See Me, Wedding Crashers), a smart Australian Shepherd who has been sidelined by her owner’s new puppy, and Hunter (Randall Park; Always Be My Maybe, Aquaman), an anxious Great Dane who’s stressed out by his work as an emotional support animal—together hatch a plan and embark on an epic adventure to help Reggie find his way home … and make Doug pay by biting off the appendage he loves the most. (Hint: It’s not his foot).

A subversion of the dog movies we know and love, Strays, directed by Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) and written by Dan Perrault (Players, American Vandal), is a hilarious, R-rated, live-action comedy about the complications of love, the importance of great friendships, and the unexpected virtues of couch humping.

Today’s Strays trailer has laughs, expletives, and clever gags that will wag your tail through the new promo. Reggie’s owner has no idea what’s waiting for him when the pack returns to his dilapidated domicile. Reggie has picked up plenty of tricks while cruising the mean streets, and he’s not afraid to go for the balls!

Strays features a powerhouse comedic supporting cast, including Grammy winner Josh Gad (Beauty and the Beast), Harvey Guillén (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), Emmy nominee Rob Riggle (The Hangover), Brett Gelman (Stranger Things), Jamie Demetriou (The Afterparty) and Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara (Modern Family).

Strays is produced by Lord Miller partners Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part), by Picturestart founder and CEO Erik Feig (Luckiest Girl Alive, Cha Cha Real Smooth), by Lord Miller’s Aditya Sood (The Martian, Cocaine Bear), by Louis Leterrier (director Fast X, The Clash of the Titans) and by Dan Perrault (Players, American Vandal).

The film is executive produced by Nikki Baida, Doug Merrifield, Jessica Switch, and Julia Hammer. Universal Pictures presents a Lord Miller/Picturestart production.

What do you think about Universal’s new Strays trailer? Let us know in the comments section below!

The post Strays trailer: Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, and more are off-the-leash in Universal’s R-rated canine comedy appeared first on JoBlo.

In 2020, while the pandemic dominated headlines, entertainment news brought a bit of sunshine as the coveted star of such classic comedies as Ghostbusters, Spaceballs, and Little Shop of Horrors, Rick Moranis, was set to make his return to acting after taking an extended break from his career to spend time raising his children after his wife passed. One of the most beloved family movies that Moranis also iconically starred in is the 1989 Disney film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, which was brought to life by Jumanji director Joe Johnston. Along with Moranis’ return came the return of that nostalgic property as Disney announced a legacy sequel titled Shrunk.

Shrunk was to star Rick Moranis and Josh Gad, along with Johnston returning to direct. Since its announcement, however, not much has been heard about the project. The movie would, unfortunately, get delayed a number of times due to several factors. According to Deadline, Josh Gad has recently taken to social media to offer up an explanation of the setbacks and give a status of the movie. Gad posted on Twitter, “A lot of u ask me what’s going on with this film. Truth is, we were inches from starting and then COVID hit, inches from starting again & then my schedule exploded with conflicts, inches from starting again & budget got the best of us. If you want it, let your local @disney know.” The tweet also featured a teaser poster for the project.

Not many details have been revealed on Shrunk except for the two leads, Johnston returning, and the script was penned by Kung Fu Panda franchise writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, who share the credit with Todd Rosenberg. It was also known that Gad was to play an adult Nick Szalinski, the son of Wayne Szalinski, Moranis’ scientist character from the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise. The plot would involve Nick following in his father’s footsteps as an inventor, and some way, somehow, someone is getting shrunk.

The 1989 original was a hit film for Disney. It was a unique adventure where four children of neighboring families venture through the jungle-like environment of the Szalinski’s backyard as they’ve accidentally been shrunk by Wayne Szalinski’s new invention. It spawned two sequels — 1992’s Honey, I Blew Up the Kid and the direct-to-video Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves in 1997. It would also have a TV adaptation that ran for three seasons in 1997, in which Moranis was not involved.

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Can you fathom a world without Frozen‘s Olaf? Imagine, if you will, car rides devoid of sing-a-longs about building a snowman. What would you have done? The thought chills my spine when I think about the possibilities. Who doesn’t love the off-key echo of tiny voices from a back seat warbling about seasons and winter magic on repeat? Well, the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation and co-director of Frozen, Jennifer Lee, that’s who. I’m just kidding. Or am I?

Speaking with Variety, Lee confessed that she almost ordered animators to melt the happy-go-lucky snowman into the ground. She is the co-director of Frozen but came onto the project after the animated musical was already in production. After analyzing an early cut of the film, Lee’s first note was to “kill the snowman,” Olaf. Shocked by Lee’s analysis, an animator working on the movie developed a three-page script with Josh Gad in mind for the part. Filmmakers warmed to Gad after watching one of his charming late-night appearances. It soon became apparent that Gad was destined to join the film and help make Disney history.

In addition to starring in Frozen and Frozen 2, Olaf appears in Disney’s 2015 short film Frozen Fever and the 2017 television special Olaf’s Frozen. The avalanche of Olaf doesn’t stop there. He also stars in solo projects, including Once Upon a Snowman, At Home with Olaf, and Olaf Presents. As a trained singer with Broadway chops, Gad brings an unbridled energy to Olaf that children (and Disney adults) find particularly charming. Olaf’s appeal goes beyond the screen too. He’s a significant character at Disney theme parks, appears in various video games, and serves as a host for wintery Disney events.

Can you imagine Frozen without Olaf? Do you think Lee’s observation was worth considering? Considering Olaf is one of Disney’s most beloved characters, I can’t imagine Frozen without him.

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Invest in some flea dip and get ready to bark at the moon because Peacock renewed Wolf Like Me for a second season. Wolf Like Me Season 2 welcomes Isla Fisher (Tag, Now You See Me) and Josh Gad (Pixels, Frozen) back to the series, described as a romantic drama. The duo star as two individuals whose lives converge after a gnarly car accident. As they work to pick up the pieces after the crash, Mary (Fisher) and Gary (Gad) find themselves drawn to one another. It’s the kind of story you’ve seen repeatedly, but there’s a twist. Mary appears to be hiding a dark secret about who or what she is, and Gary will have to re-evaluate his possible future with her after a shocking reveal.

“I’m thrilled to be able to continue Mary and Gary’s story into the next phase of their relationship, especially considering the stakes couldn’t be higher,” said Abe Forsythe, series creator, executive producer, and director. “Knowing we have an audience invested in their story is a dream come true for us. Our crew is already having a lot of fun building on what we created with season one, and I can’t wait for everyone to experience it alongside our characters.”

“We are over the moon that Wolf Like Me’s unique and high-stakes love story resonated so strongly with Peacock viewers,” said Susan Rovner, chairman of entertainment content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “Josh and Isla’s critically-acclaimed performances in this beloved romantic dramedy were exquisite, and we can’t wait to see what Abe Forsythe and our partners at Made Up Stories and Endeavor Content come up with for season two.”

Here’s the official description for Wolf Like Me:

Everyone brings their own set of baggage to a new relationship. Gary (Josh Gad) and Mary (Isla Fisher) are no different. Gary is an emotional wreck and has struggled to provide for his daughter since the death of his wife. Mary has a secret she can’t bring herself to share with anyone. The universe brought these two together for a reason, and they just need to keep following the signs.

Are you stoked to hear that Wolf Like Me Season 2 is happening? What did you think of the first season? Let us know in the comments section below.

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