“I’m still pinching myself about it. I really am. I genuinely never thought that we’d be back making the show, certainly not in a kind of ongoing capacity.  I’m trying to relish it as much as possible and enjoy every moment. It’s such a gift of a job.”

With the return of Daredevil on the screen comes some new challenges for the character, including, at the very top of Born Again, the death of Foggy Nelson, Matt’s best friend and one of the original show’s best characters. For Cox, the decision to kill such a beloved protagonist felt sad, especially “when you think that there’s so much material that we don’t get to have. There was so much lovely storytelling between those two friends. 

Other than Elden embodying the role so beautifully and bringing so much life to it, it was also a great device to get into the mind of Matt Murdock and really see how it affects the people around him. I understand that if you’re going to bring a show back after six or seven years,, you obviously have to come back with a bang and shake things up a bit. You want the audience to know that they’re not safe in this world, that at any given moment, the rug can be pulled up from underneath you. But it was a tough pill to swallow.”

On the flip side, an interesting arc is formed for Matt after the death of Foggy, as “he’s made a commitment to his in honor of his best friend to give up Daredevil entirely. It’s what people call living amends. You can’t make amends to that person face to face because they’re not here anymore, so you make amends by living your best life in honor of them. He makes that commitment, and the journey of that season is either the evolution or the devolution, however you want to look at it, back into the suit. 

That was what was fun to play with because, on the one hand, in those few episodes before he suits up, he’s living his best life, because he’s not out all night fighting bad guys. He can have a girlfriend, he can go to restaurants, and he’s not beaten up. He’s getting sleep and doing what he loves, making a difference as a lawyer again. So in some ways, his life is working, and there is an integrity to his opinion of himself that I think is significant. Having a real relationship for the first time, maybe ever, is wonderful. It was fun to play with this character and to explore that.

On the other hand, he’s denying an essential part of himself. He’s denying this alter-ego, which is much a part of his truth, if not the primary truth of his life. It will always be one of the most interesting things to witness with Matt Murdock: that pull in two different directions. I think that has to be at the crux of this character, and it’s really fun to play with and explore.”

Of course, there was much more to discuss on Cox’s incredible performance as Matt Murdock, including developing that push-pull as the episodes progress, mirroring the stories of both Matt and Fisk’s return to Daredevil and Kingpin, reuniting with Wilson Bethel, and working with directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead after the show underwent a creative overhaul. 

You can check out the full interview below and stream all episodes of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+ today: 

[Some of the quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity]

The post Interview: Charlie Cox Discusses Returning as Daredevil in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ appeared first on Awards Radar.

Designing a character like Oz Cobb didn’t feel like a challenge for Badie, who says that “it takes a tremendous amount of creativity” to reinterpret the character for this world: 

“In a way, it could be easier, because you have total autonomy on the design. For example, if you’re doing a biopic, it could be more difficult to design a character, because the world knows who that is and you have to recreate this specific person. That could sometimes be more difficult than creating an original character. However, The Penguin is an original creation, and Mike Marino is super creative. The same can be said for Sofia, who is a new character for this show. She was a clean slate, and I could incorporate what I felt was best for this character to help bring her to life. I didn’t find it to be very difficult to create her looks and other people in the show, because everybody was original.”

In terms of evolving Sofia’s look throughout the series, Badie explained that “her original look was like a mask. It was a costume that she was portraying this innocence in order to disarm everyone. It was a very calculated thing for her to make her hair traditional, demure, unassuming, that type of thing, to throw everybody off their game. Pre-Arkham, she was like daddy’s little girl. That was showing her innocence prior to being put in this asylum and all the trauma she went through inside. When she gets out, she puts on this mask because she’s been plotting the whole time. 

So she had to come out and make everyone think she’s healed or play the role that people thought that she was. However, she was ready to unleash all her evil, which takes us to the other haircuts. The first one would be a wolf cut. That was a little bit of her starting to reveal herself slightly. When it comes down to the mullet, which is the final look, that was her saying, “To hell with it. I’m going to be 100% true to myself, burn down everything, and unleash all my evil.” Her story, her hair had a personality of its own, and it was definitely a part of her character.”

Of course, there was also much more to discuss, including the importance of rooting each design in some form of reality, even if the series is set in the world of The Batman, the process that went into creating the designs for Victor, Carmine Falcone, the Maronis, and Oz’s younger version. 

Listen to the full conversation below: 

[Some of the quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity]

The post Interview: Discussing the Hairstyles of ‘The Penguin’ with Hair Department Head Brian Badie appeared first on Awards Radar.

Welcome to Derry is set 27 years before the events of the first It, and will examine the “It’s” previous killing spree as it leads up to the main story of the first film. Skarsgård is set to reprise his role as Pennywise the Clown, with Muschietti also tapped to direct several episodes.

You can watch the trailer below and stream the series later this year on HBO Max:

The post First Trailer for ‘It: Welcome to Derry’ Teases a Thrilling Expansion of the ‘It’ Franchise appeared first on Awards Radar.

The specific release date for the movie in North America is still unconfirmed, but it will be making its way to French theatres on August 20. On the domestic side, NEON is once again distributing the title, after a successful run with her last movie, Titane, which snagged a Palme d’Or. The studio confirmed the film will be released in October, but with no set date as of right now.

Here is the plot synopsis:

“Alpha, a troubled 13-year-old, lives with her single mom. Their world collapses the day she returns from school with a tattoo on her arm.”

Seems quite vague, but that’s the thrill of watching a Julia Ducournau film. You never know what to expect until you’re sitting down in front of it. You can, however, get a taste of what’s to come by viewing the short teaser below:

The post First Teaser for ‘Alpha’ Releases as the Movie World Premieres at Cannes appeared first on Awards Radar.

It will mark a reunion of sorts between Payne and Searchlight, as the director made two of his most popular films, Sideways and The Descendants, with them. In a statement, Payne said the following:

“Some of my very finest filmmaking experiences have involved Searchlight. A return partnership was just a matter of time, and I’m elated.”

On the other hand, Searchlight Pictures president Matthew Greenfield had this to say:

“Alexander Payne is a master storyteller, and reuniting with him is a true joy. ‘Somewhere Out There’ marks an exciting new chapter, as Alexander makes yet another beautiful, honest, and deeply funny film.”

Finally, Thor Sigurjonsson of Scanbox Entertainment said that the deal “is a perfect example of how we, at Scanbox Entertainment and Vuelta, look at when producing local features.

With Searchlight onboard the film, it is a great opportunity for a Danish Language film to find the widest audience possible. Matthew and Chan Phung were so passionate about the project and we believe we have a great partnership for the film with Searchlight.”

Source: Variety

The post Searchlight Pictures to Distribute Alexander Payne’s ‘Somewhere Out There’ with Renate Reinsve appeared first on Awards Radar.

O’Reilly knew she was a part of something special while reading the screenplay, stating that she could “ feel the ambition of the piece. I could feel the ambition of everyone around in every department, particularly for season two. Perhaps we knew that because we were all finishing together. We all wanted to reach as far as we possibly could, both individually and as a collective. However, when I received those scripts, it didn’t just feel special, but it felt important.”

Of course, the big moment for Mon Mothma’s arc in the second season is the speech that she gives in the ninth episode, which will likely stand the test of time as one of the most powerful scenes in Star Wars history. In approaching such a scene like this, O’Reilly explains that she had known the speech was coming for a long time, and it felt like “the crux of who the woman is. It allowed us an opportunity to see a character who doesn’t ever pick up a blaster and doesn’t ever hop in a fighter ship. She is effective for the rebellion and the resistance just by using her voice. Diplomacy first, but what you see in the speech is her superpower, which is her voice, and that was very important to me.

I was very grateful that Tony Gilroy and Dan Gilroy, who wrote that episode, really gave narrative space and screen time to that moment and me, as an actor, by happenstance. What makes this speech so special is also what is layered before it. You understand the complexity of that moment. You understand the fear of the environment. You understand that she is alone, that the rebellion isn’t straightforward, that what was an ally now can be feared. There’s a beautiful scene with Luthen at the beginning of that episode, which really shows these prickly allies that have always needed each other, cognizant of the idea that they can no longer go forward together.

There are fissures all the way through episode nine. The tectonic plates of resistance are moving underneath the whole episode. In fact, there’s the bit before, which I think is really important, is for her to be completely alone in that chamber. She’s just a single, lonely woman. Moments like that allow us to recognize ourselves and understand that it is not easy. We, as viewers, understand that courage is required. We understand the risk. We understand that she is taking every step closer to setting fire to her whole life. 

Therefore, when you get to the speech, there is already a tinderbox of flames around. I hope people feel that as they watch it, the speech itself, getting to give that, I hope, will be one of the most memorable experiences of my whole life as an actor.”

With a show like Andor, there is a lot to talk about, and there’s plenty more you can get out of our interview with Genevieve O’Reilly by listening to the full conversation below: 

[Some of the quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity]

The post Interview: Genevieve O’Reilly Unpacks Mon Mothma’s Arc in Season Two of ‘Andor’ appeared first on Awards Radar.

The sixth installment in the popular horror franchise was even supposed to go on HBO Max (we can now call it that after it was rebranded this past week) when it was initially announced in 2022. However, when the plans were reassessed and the movie was turned into a theatrical exclusive, this allowed directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein to shoot several sequences of the film with IMAX cameras, giving audiences a reason to go see this film on the big screen.

Not only did it receive the best reviews out of any Final Destination installment to date, with a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the film opened with a massive $51 million tally this weekend, and $102 million globally. Now, the President of Movies’ latest cinema-saving effort in Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning could obliterate its momentum, but it’s another great win for horror, especially in our moviegoing landscape. Plus, anything that keeps the lights on at movie theatres right now is always great to hear.

On the flip side, Hurry Up Tomorrow completely crashed and burned at the cinemas, after lucrative early access screenings. Once the negative word got out and the film eventually reached a disastrous 13% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the nail in the coffin was made, raking only $3.3 million in its opening weekend, with most of it made through the early access fan event.

While Abel Tesfaye has had great success in the music industry, his two starring roles in The Idol and Hurry Up Tomorrow have not given him the same flowers he has elsewhere. Only a minor cameo in Uncut Gems made him look like he could have a career on screen, but his subsequent choices have sadly put a dent in those plans. Perhaps he’ll bounce back with other projects, yet Trey Edward Shults is one of the most exciting voices in the independent sphere right now. If there was someone who could make a companion film to The Weeknd’s last album work, it was definitely him…

Still, there is much to look forward to this year, starting with Ethan Hunt’s final outing next week, should you choose to accept. Stay tuned!

Here is the full list of the top ten films of the weekend:

1. Final Destination Bloodlines (Warner Bros): $51M – 3,523 theatres
2. Thunderbolts* (Disney): $16.5M (-48.9%) – 3,960 theatres
3. Sinners (Warner Bros): $15.4M (-30%) – 3,518 theatres
4. A Minecraft Movie (Warner Bros): $5.8M (-23%) – 3,357 theatres
5. The Accountant 2 (Amazon MGM Studios): $4.9M (-26.1%) – 3,229 theatres
6. Hurry Up Tomorrow (Lionsgate): $3.3M – 2,020 theatres
7. Friendship (A24): $1.4M (+215%) – 60 theatres
8. Clown in a Cornfield (IFC Films): $1.3M (-63%) – 2,277 theatres
9. Kiki’s Delivery Service (GKIDS): $1.0M – 1,062 theatres
10. Until Dawn (Sony): $800.000 (-59%) – 1,706 theatres

Source: Comscore

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In building upon the foundation of season one’s score, Roberts explains that “ I loved what Nick had established in season one, so I wanted to continue that vibe and not make it feel like it was a totally different person. I dove deep into his palette and made sounds that are similar. I used the Andor theme when necessary and when applicable. However, Tony Gilroy was pretty clear. We have new planets, worlds, and characters, but we also have massive dramatic arcs for everybody. He said, “I want you to run with that and make it your own while also nodding the hat back to season one.” But it also has to segue into Rogue One. If you’ve listened to the palette of Michael Giacchino’s score, it’s very orchestral. Maybe there’s some electronics in there that you just don’t hear, but the main takeaway is how it’s 100% orchestral to segue into A New Hope. There was a challenge of coming from one style, slowly morphing into another style, while bridging the two. It was a challenge, but it was a great one.”

As each block of three episodes cuts to a year later, Roberts says that the screenplays are so detailed that “it transfers into the music organically. He’s setting a lot of the stuff in new worlds, or he’s focusing on different parts of the characters. We leaned into that to create a musical vibe for each of the three episode arcs. Obviously, you’re keeping track of the 12-episode arc, and then you’re keeping track of the two-season arc simultaneously. Even within that, I think each one of these three episodes has its own musical vibe, while still trying to maintain some thread. With that many episodes, it was actually refreshing, because it allows you to reset each three episodes on some level, musically,”

Of course, there was much to talk about with a show where music plays a significant role in it. We not only discuss the process of composing music for the newer worlds of the season, including Mina-Rau and Ghorman, but we also discuss how the Niamos theme was reinterpreted for Mon Mothma’s wedding dance, doing something different with Yavin’s musical palette, and how to utilize music for dramatic tension and during the show’s multiple action sequences. 

You can listen to the full interview below and stream all episodes of Andor – Season 2 on Disney+ today. 

[Some of the quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity]

The post Interview: Discussing the Music of ‘Andor – Season 2’ with Composer Brandon Roberts appeared first on Awards Radar.

Another great show has ended quicker than we would’ve hoped, but the final episodes of Andor – Season 2 have solidified it as the best Star Wars title since The Last Jedi. It didn’t beat it, but it came pretty damn close. It also repurposes the beginning of Rogue One in ways I didn’t expect. Whether or not it will ultimately make the film better, I’ll let you discover that on your own, as I think that movie is a story of two creative minds that are so far apart from one another that, once they eventually clash, it becomes nothing but a jumbled, often uninteresting blockbuster.

Still, this week’s Andor director, Alonso Ruizpalacios, and writer Tom Bissell at least make us think about Rogue One in a much different way than Tony Gilroy and Gareth Edwards did in 2016. That’s to their credit, especially the final episode, which is far more meditative than I would’ve thought. Though it makes sense, it’s the calm before the storm. Seeing Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay), and Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau) ruminate on what they have to do to stop the Empire fills us with so much dread, not only in how heavy-handed each line of dialogue spoken by the characters feel (notice how Sartha is unable to say Cinta’s name as she toasts to the fallen with Cassian), but in how all of us know what will happen at the end of Rogue One. Cassian won’t make it back, and many stationed in Yavin will also meet the same fate.

What they don’t know is that they will ultimately succeed, and their sacrifices will pave the way for the rebellion to ultimately thwart the Empire. It will take time, but they will win. Meditating with these characters as they make their final choices was such an unexpected choice for the finale that I have to respect Gilroy, Ruizpalacios, and Bissell for going this route. They could’ve absolutely chosen to have a massive action setpiece like in the final episode of season one. There is one nifty, thrilling gunfight that opens the series finale, but it’s far more intimate and subdued than the riot in the first season. Choosing Ruizpalacios as the director is also the most inspired choice Star Wars has made in ages, because he has a touch that few have in the game right now, especially when capturing their characters at their most intimate and vulnerable.

Consider the tenth episode, which tackles Luthen Rael’s (Stellan Skarsgård) death. Andor is nowhere to be found. The episode entirely focuses on Luthen, who, after Lonni Jung (Robert Emms) tells him of Orson Krennic’s (Ben Mendelsohn) plans for the construction of the Death Star, using Emperor Palpatine’s “Energy Project” as a front to fund and build a superweapon, kills his Imperial plant and tells Kleya everything. At his art shop, he is visited by none other than Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), who has finally caught “Axis” red-handed and is about to arrest him, until she realizes that Luthen has burned all of the evidence down and attempts to kill himself. On life support, Kleya must make a decision that will have massive repercussions for her and for the future of the rebellion.

Luthen and Kleya are, right now, the only ones who know about the Death Star. Luthen is in the Empire’s hands. If he wakes up, Meero’s methods will ensure he will tell everything. She has no choice but to make the difficult decision of killing him, and this is where Ruizpalacios cuts to the past, where we see fragments of Luthen’s life as a corporal, as he meets Kleya and mentors her into being part of the rebellion, as a resistance fighter. We don’t get to see much of her past, but we do sit with her as she remembers the most important parts of her time with Luthen, making the decision of cutting him off life support all the more difficult and heartbreaking. The final shot, a lingering frame of Luthen’s corpse as the episode slowly fades to black, is a potent visual of a soul’s last moment on this planet before it drifts away. Star Wars has never been this spiritual, but Ruizpalacios adds a surprising poetic dimension that gives it way more dramatic power than if he hadn’t chosen to end it this way.

The eleventh episode deals with the aftermath of Luthen’s failed arrest, with Krennic interrogating Meero and jailing her for having gone against the Empire’s orders. Mendelsohn is in top form as one of Palpatine’s right-hand men and finally gives us the Krennic we know and love from Rogue One after holding it back all season. It’s a great final moment for a character that has always been one of the high points of the 2016 film, alongside K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), finally making his debut in helping Cassian and Melshi (Duncan Pow) rescue Kleya before the Empire finds her. When he directly answers “No” to an Imperial soldier asking him, “Are you with us?” it’s exactly the K-2SO we knew from that movie, despite his limited screentime. It’s a rudimentary episode that leads to the season’s staggering finale, but the moments where Kleya is alone, contemplating her past and future, are filled with so much intense power that we can’t help but sympathize with a character who has, before Luthen’s death, shown very little emotion, and encouraged others to do so.

Where Andor – Season 2 solidifies its place as one of the best-ever Star Wars titles occurs in the final episode, as Cassian discusses what he has discovered with Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), Bail Organa (Benjamin Bratt), Davits Draven (Alistair Petrie), and Nower Jebel (Sharon Duncan-Brewster). At first, they don’t believe in the Death Star’s existence, but Mothma has an inkling that Cassian may very well be telling the truth, which gets confirmed after she has a heart-to-heart with Vel. We then see the characters move into their respective places in a montage, with Cassian and K2 traveling to Jedha, where Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) has been holding, as Krennic looks at the finished Death Star, Partagaz (Anton Lesser) commits suicide, and Dedra is imprisoned.

However, the biggest emotional gut-punch comes during its final scene, where Ruizpalacios reveals Bix Caleen’s (Adria Arjona) fate. Not only is she safe and alive, but she is also carrying her child. The child she conceived with Cassian, whom he doesn’t know – and will never know – of his existence. When that realization occurs, Ruizpalacios cuts to black. Nothing more needs to be said. Cassian will die as a hero, and his legacy will live on. The Empire will be defeated. And the Force will be with the ones who resist, always.

All episodes of Andor – Season 2 are now available to stream on Disney+.

The post ‘Andor – Season 2’ Episodes 10-12 Recap: “Make It Stop/Who Else Knows?/Jedha, Kyber, Erso” appeared first on Awards Radar.

And little did I know that, a day after wrapping the show, which I had been watching an episode a day since February, it would lead up to a thirty-minute-long conversation with showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg on saying goodbye to the beloved Netflix series. As many of you know, the series ends with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) coming out on top as the number one karate champion in the world in the Sekai Taikai, reclaiming the mantle of Cobra Kai, and building a life he is proud of with his friend and partner, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) at his side, who has finally embraced Cobra Kai in the hands of Johnny after many years of hardship. 

According to showrunner Jon Hurwitz, this was the plan from the very beginning: 

“I don’t know if we knew definitively that he would be fighting on the world stage, but we always wanted to bring it back to the red mats at the All Valley tournament, and give him a chance at ultimate redemption, but this time with Daniel LaRusso as his partner, as opposed to his adversary, with the two of them as friends. That was the overarching goal.”

I never would’ve expected, in a million years, that Daniel LaRusso would not only be embracing Cobra Kai but ensure that his students in the Valley are both trained in Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai, though one of the core tenets of Mr. Miyagi’s karate is balance. In mapping out the progression of Daniel’s arc throughout the six seasons, Hayden Schlossberg explains that “for Daniel, a running theme in his story is overcoming the trauma of his past. His childhood ended with a happy ending as he entered into adulthood, and that’s why he became generally successful.

It’s not until Cobra Kai comes to town that he notices a new wrinkle in his life that he needs to iron out. Part of that is looking back at the past, not just in a black and white way, because he’s now an adult. He can understand things about Johnny that he didn’t know when he was a kid. That opens his mind, not just to the people, but to the philosophies themselves. We’re always trying to find the balance, like in Miyagi-Do, of a character who stays true to who he is, while recognizing there’s someone with a different mode of life that they could totally disagree with, but it works for them. I think that was a realization. Through that, you get over the fear of snakes, essentially.”

In reflecting on the show’s success, Josh Heald explains that “from the beginning, it was incredibly rewarding to have the validation that there was a giant fandom out there, waiting for this show the way that we imagined there would be. For us, Karate Kid was on the same level as Star Wars for little kids in the early 80s, devouring everything that came to the cinema, and in terms of movies that we re-watched again and again. When we got VCRs and eventually DVD players, Karate Kid was always in heavy rotation. It had so many themes that felt timeless, and there was that excitement of showing it to your kids. 

Everything about that first launch was validating, and the ability to tell as long a story as we did was something that felt like rarefied air. Not taking for granted that that can ever happen again, to be able to make 65 episodes of anything in today’s environment takes a high-wire act. In our case, it took the collapse of one streaming platform’s scripted division and a pandemic. Many different things went into how we made six seasons of this show, and being able to leave it all on the table and tell the complete story that we envisioned in our heads back when we were putting this together in 2016 and 2017. I mean, we’ve blown up yachts, we’ve had multiple all-Valley tournaments, we’ve had international tournaments. We’ve had every kind of brawl you can imagine, with people falling from all sorts of heights. We played the tears, the laughs, the fists, pumps,  the goose bumps, and everything in between. It was so rewarding to to be able to deliver that, to connect with this fandom that is essentially an extension of who we are as a fandom, of this this franchise, and be able to count all of those characters that we met in those first three movies as close friends now in terms of the legacy characters, and watch this whole generation of young kids grow up on the show and step into the next phases of their careers. It’s an endless list of things we’re thankful for.”

Of course, there was much, much more to talk about, and you can watch it all in our conversation below. Strike first, and check it out right now!

[Some of the quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity]

The post Interview: Discussing the Final Season of ‘Cobra Kai’ with Showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg appeared first on Awards Radar.