State Champ Radio Movies
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Charli xcx has lined up yet another major acting gig. According to Variety, the singer will star in and produce the next movie from Japanese horror director Takashi Miike (Yakuza Apocalypse, Ichi the Killer). At press time no information was available about the film’s plot, but the unnamed film will be the second project Charli […]
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Anadolu / Ruth E. Carter
We continue to learn more about Marvel Studios’ Blade reboot, currently stuck in limbo, from those who were initially attached to the project.
Two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer, Ruth E. Carter, is spilling the beans on Mahershala Ali’s Blade reboot that can’t seem to get off the ground.
Speaking on the Designing Hollywood podcast, Carter discussed her experience preparing for Marvel Studios’ Blade movie, revealing that the iteration of the film she was attached to at the time was going to be a period piece.
“I was prepping Blade for Marvel, and it was a 1920s Blade story, and it got shut down because of the writers’ strike and the actors’ strike, so I was just in limbo,” Carter revealed. “Having done a lot of research for this period piece about a vampire—Blade is a vampire story—[Coogler]’s wife, Zinzi, who also was a producer on [Sinners], she gave me a call and said, ‘I’m not gonna tell you the story, but Ryan has a story he’s going to tell you about … It is a period piece about vampires.’ And I thought, ‘Okay, I have already been living in that space for quite a long time prepping Blade, and Blade‘s not going to happen, so let me hear it.’”
Marvel Studios’ Blade’s Troubled Development
Since its announcement in 2019, the Blade reboot has had several different iterations. According to The Hollywood Reporter, one version of the film was supposed to take place on a “massive train.”
The version Ruth was attached to, the period piece, also starred Mia Goth as a vampire villain named Lillith who had a thirst for Blade’s daughter.
Goth is still attached to the project, but it sounds like we will never see that version of the film. Thankfully, for Carter, she was able to take that mindset from Blade to Sinners, helping her long-time collaborator deliver another box office win.
This latest development comes on the heels of Delroy Lindo speaking about his character in the Blade reboot and revealing that production “went off the rails,” leading to his departure from the project. He subsequently joined Coogler’s Sinners, where he is currently receiving praise for his performance in the film.
At this point, we hope this Blade movie starring Ali still happens.
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Source: Marvel Studios / Thunderbolts*
Word on the streets is that Marvel Studios is back (even though they never left), according to reactions from those who saw the latest entry in the MCU, Thunderbolts*.
Fans and critics, including our very own Bernard “Beanz” Smalls, got to see Thunderbolts* ahead of its May 2 release, and the consensus is that the movie is a return to the top-tier comic book movie form we have come to expect from Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios.
Most reactions praise the film for its surprisingly emotional tone, a quality often lacking in Marvel flicks. Others are praising Florence Pugh’s performance as Yelena, who is now headlining her first film since her debut in the underrated Black Widow film and a guest appearance in the Disney+ series Hawkeye.
Pugh’s performance is being hailed as “superb,” with Beanz adding in his first reaction that she was the film’s “MVP.”
“#Thunderbolts was awesome. Tons of implications on how the MCU is moving forward. The team works well together, plenty of emotion. Yelena is my MVP. Definitely a super fun movie,” Beanz’s full reaction read.
Another reaction read, “#Thunderbolts is A24 meets Superhero character study. Raw. Fresh. Hilarious at times. Sad at others. It has you rooting for this scrappy ensemble on the edge of your seat. Big implications, but still it’s own thing. If this is how the MCU is doing films now, BRAVA.”
We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves.
Film writer Emily Murray described Thunderbolts* as “easily one of the best MCU movies in a long time,” adding it “Has so much spark, charisma, and tells a genuinely emotional story you connect with. A tear was shed. Florence Pugh in particular superb, just walks away with it.”
“Biggest compliment I can pay #Thunderbolts is that it felt like Infinity era MCU. A focus on the characters and story, rather than fan service or future set-up (until lengthy post-credit scene). Terrific cast, led by the always-excellent Florence Pugh,” said another user on X.
Hit the #Thunderbolts hashtag on X, and you will be hard-pressed to find a negative reaction. We shall see if the critics all agree when reviews drop next week.
Until then, hit the gallery for more reactions.
1. All facts here
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Anadolu / Delroy Lindo
Marvel Studios’ take on Blade starring Mahershala Ali has become a running joke in Hollywood, and Delroy Lindo is providing some insight on why the film can’t seem to get out of limbo.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Lindo, who is currently promoting Ryan Coogler’s epic vampire flick, Sinners, opened up about the troubled Marvel Studios project, touching on issues like creative differences that have hampered production for the film, which was announced in 2019.
Lindo was announced to be joining the Blade reboot in 2021, subsequently exiting the project, revealing to the publication that it “went off the rails.”
“When Marvel came to me, they seemed to be really interested in my input,” the Da 5 Bloods actor said. “And in the various conversations I had with producers, the writer, the director at the time, it was all leading into being very inclusive. It was really exciting conceptually, but it was also exciting in terms of the character that was going to form. And then, for whatever reason, it just went off the rails.”
Lindo revealed that his character in the Blade reboot was supposed to have a “Marcus Garvey-esque” persona.
“I’m not saying that it would’ve been an out-and-out Garvey-ite. Not that, but just in terms of how this man’s philosophy, his ethos, and what was driving him. He was a character who had, very similar to Sinners, created a community, a Black community. He was a character who was the head of this community,” Lindo added.
It sounds like we missed out on something epic.
Welp.
Ali’s Blade Movie Is Currently A Joke
Since Ali’s Blade has failed to enter the MCU, the Academy Award-winning actor has appeared in other films, as well as the forthcoming entry in the Jurassic Park film franchise, and in other movies that were announced around the same time as the reboot, which has become a constant gag.
Wesley Snipes, who successfully brought the Daywalker to the big screen in three feature-length films, and recently reprised the role in Deadpool & Wolverine, has even taken shots at Ali’s Blade movie.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige insists that Ali is still very much involved with the Blade project and that it’s coming. We will continue to put faith in the man that is finally giving us the X-Men we have wanted to see for years, and delivered some of the greatest comic book movies of all-time.
He deserves that much grace.
Ben Affleck has nothing but nice things to say about his ex Jennifer Lopez. More than a year after Lopez filed for divorce following the couple’s whirlwind second shot at romance, the actor told Entertainment Tonight that the “Dear Ben, Pt. II” singer remains a vital, loving part of his family’s life.
“For the record, Jennifer Lopez is spectacular, great to my kids, great ongoing relationship with them,” he said on Wednesday night’s (April 17) red carpet for his action-packed sequel to his 2016 drama about an autistic CPA who does forensic accounting for criminal gangs. The praise appeared to be in reference to Lopez’s ties to Affleck’s three children with ex-wife, actress Jennifer Garner, Violet, 17, Seraphina, 16 and Samuel, 13.
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Affleck intimated that he also has affection for Lopez’s children, 17-year-old twins Max and Emme, whom she shares with her ex-husband singer Marc Anthony. “I love her kids. They are wonderful,” he said. “She is enormously important, [a] tremendous person of a lot of integrity who I adore and am grateful to.” The Oscar-winning actor and producer also noted that he was “thrilled” to have his kids and Lopez’s children with him at the movie’s premiere in Los Angeles.
“That’s the kind of thing where the relationship that you have with children like that is a joy in my life,” he said, noting that he was “very excited” to have the whole blended family out with him. “Those kids are amazing and I’m glad that this is a movie they want to come to… I love when all the kids come out.”
Despite the tabloid-magnet allure of the couple’s relationship over the past few years, Affleck noted that he doesn’t, “read the stuff online much and sometimes I get the sense that people perpetuate this idea of like, I don’t know, they want to find something negative to talk about.” Affleck and Lopez, both 55, first began dating in 2002 and got engaged before calling things off in 2004.
They reunited in 2021 and got married the following year. Lopez filed for divorce in February 2024, just months after the release of This Is Me Now: A Love Story, a movie co-written by the couple that was loosely based on their real-life love story. A candid behind-the-scenes doc, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, was also released at the time, opening up a window into their private lives. The couple’s divorce was finalized in January.
In March of this year, Affleck opened up for the first time about their second split, saying he had “nothing but respect” for Lopez, adding that there was “no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue” about their divorce.
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Source: YouTube / Marvel Studios
Marvel is back, even though it never really left. The official trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has arrived and it’s loaded with all the comic delights that makes the MCU great and leaves movie fans begging for more.
A proper rendition of The Fantastic Four—Mister Fantastic aka Reed Richards (portayed by Pedro Pascal), the Invisible Woman aka Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), the Human Torch aka Johnny Storm (Joseph Queen aka dude from that last season of Stranger Things) and The Thing aka Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach)—has had several attempts, and fails, but the 2025 version is a reset (well, a rero-futuristic take apparently) that’s shaping up like a proper represenation of the fan-favorite franchise.
We already saw the namesake heroes in the teaser but the trailer up the ante with our first looks at world-eater Galactus and his herald The Silver Surfer (portrayed by a woman, Julia Garner—that will surely get the panties of the toxic fanboys in a bunch). Later for those bozos, because these visual look stunning.
We also get to see Mr. Fantastic in action, and he manages to not look corny.
Watch the trailer for Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps below as well as giddy social media reactions in the gallery. It hits theaters Juky 25, but feel free to move that date up, Marvel.
1. Facts, they matter.
4. Is that a compliment?
5. Already mad.
Miley Cyrus‘ anticipated visual album, Something Beautiful, will get its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. The wide-ranging event that will take place in New York from June 4-15 will feature the first look at the film co-directed and co-written by Cyrus, Jacob Bixenman, Brendan Walter and produced by Tribeca alum Panos Cosmatos (Beyond the Black Rainbow).
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The “one-of-a-kind pop opera” features 13 original songs from Cyrus’ upcoming album of the same name.
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In addition to the premiere, Cyrus will sit down afterwards for a conversation at the event, which will kick off with the previously announced world premiere of the doc Billy Joel: So It Goes, directed by Emmy Award winners Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin. The doc is described as a “sweeping portrait of a true New York icon, this definitive documentary captures the grit, genius, and soul of William Martin Joel — from his Long Island roots to sold-out stadiums. With rare archival footage and revealing new interviews, the film charts the rise of one of America’s greatest singer-songwriters, whose music became the heartbeat of a city and the soundtrack of a generation.”
This year’s stacked music doc lineup will also spotlight films about the Counting Crows (Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately?) and Culture Club (Culture Club), as well as exclusive performances from Billy Idol (Billy Idol Should Be Dead), Becky G (Rebecca (AKA Becky G) and Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder (Matter of Time) following the world premieres of their films.
In addition, members of Metallica (Metallica Saved My Life), Depeche Mode (Depeche Mode: M) and rappers WizKid (Wizkid: Long Live Lagos) and Ty Dolla $ign (Still Free TC) will sit for post-premiere conversations. Among the other musicians slated to appear in the Tribeca lineup are Demi Lovato, who co-stars alongside Rose Byrne and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer in the movie Tow and the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, who wrote, produced and directed the drama One Spoon of Chocolate, starring Shameik Moore, Paris Jackson, Jason Isbell, Blair Underwood and RJ Cyler.
The queer roots of house music will also be chronicled in the doc Move Ya Body: The Birth of House, which will be followed by a house music dance party with Celeste Alexander, Lori Branch and Lady D. Other standouts include The Rose: Come Back to Me, a documentary about the bond between the members of South Korean indie band The Rose and The Sixth Borough, which charts Long Island’s impact on the evolution of hip-hop, with a special after-screening performance by De La Soul and Rakim.
“Tribeca has always been more than a festival—it’s a home for artists navigating an ever-changing industry and an ever-changing world,” said Tribeca Festival co-founder and Tribeca Enterprises CEO Jane Rosenthal in a statement. “For over two decades, we’ve championed emerging voices, celebrated established storytellers, and built a creative community where artists can grow, connect, and thrive. We’re proud of the ecosystem we’ve cultivated and can’t wait to share it with the world this June.”
Attendees can also check out the world premiere of I Was Born This Way, which tells the story of Archbishop Carl Bean’s 1977 disco hit “I Was Born This Way,” the world’s first gay anthem, featuring interviews with Lady Gaga, Billy Porter, Questlove and Dionne Warwick.
The festival will also feature the U.S. premiere of K-Pops!, a musical comedy directed by and starring Anderson .Paak as a “down-on-his-luck journeyman musician who takes a gig in Seoul with the house band of a K-pop competition show only to discover one of the show’s aspiring superstars is his long-lost son.” Rapper Logic will also premiere his film Paradise Records — which he wrote, directed and produced — which follows the crew of rag-tag employees at the record store of the same name.
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Sony Classical / Sony Masterworks / Sinners
One thing you can always count on with a Ryan Coogler film is a fire soundtrack, and it looks like that streak will continue with the official soundtrack for his upcoming vampire flick, Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan.
While the blood will be spilling, the toes will be tapping. The highly anticipated horror flick’s official soundtrack will feature some big names while sticking to the film’s core theme.
Coogler loves to collaborate with those he is familiar with, which is why he and Michael B. Jordan have become one of Hollywood’s most successful duos. So it should come as no surprise that he is working once again with Ludwig Görranson.
Ludwig Görranson has provided exceptional soundtracks for Coogler’s other successful movie franchises like Creed and Black Panther, so it’s not a stretch of any kind to think that won’t be the case for Sinners.
Ludwig Görranson Reveals Working On Sinners‘ Score & Soundtrack Was Personal To Him
Coogler’s vampire movie takes place in the Jim Crow era South, so you can expect Görranson’s production to reflect that in the songs on the soundtrack, which he revealed working on was very personal to him.
“I never imagined I’d score a film about a guitar player — it hits close to home,” said Göransson. “My dad, a guitar teacher at the local school and a die-hard blues fanatic, put a guitar in my hands when I was six. If it were up to him, I’d be named Albert for Albert King, the legendary guitarist. The ore I composed for Sinners is the most personal of my career. It’s reflection of my own musical journey, told through the voice of the instrument that means the most to me. I per orm it on a 1932 Dobro Cyclops resonator—the very same guitar that Preacherboy Sammie carries throughout the film.”
The soundtrack features songs from Rod Wave, James Blake, Don Toliver, Brittany Howard, Raphael Saadiq, Buddy Guy, Rhiannon Giddens, Cedric Burnside, Eric Gales, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Jerry Cantrell, Lola Kirke, Peter Dreams, Bobby Rush, OG DAYV, Jack O’Connell, Sharde Thomas-Mallory and more.
You can listen to “Why You Here / Before the Sun Went Down,” the score’s lead single featuring Miles Caton, who also stars in the film above, and check out the entire tracklist from the soundtrack and its lead single, “Sinners,” from Rod Wave below.
This Little Light of Mine – Miles Caton, DC6 Singers Collective, and Pleasant Valley Youth Choir of New Orleans
Flames of Fortune – Ludwig Göransson and Don Toliver
Wang Dang Doodle – Cedric Burnside, Sharde Thomas-Mallory and Tierinii Jackson
Travelin’ – Miles Caton
Juke – Bobby Rush and Miles Caton
Séance – James Blake and Ludwig Göransson
coming soon
I Lied To You – Miles Caton
Pick Poor Robin Clean – Jack O’Connell, Lola Kirke and Peter Dreams
Can’t Win for Losin’ – Cedric Burnside and Tierinii Jackson
Old Corn Liquor – Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson
Will Ye Go, Lassie Go? – Lola Kirke, Peter Dreams, Brian Dunphy, Darren Holden and Jack O’Connell
Pale, Pale Moon – Jayme Lawson
Rocky Road to Dublin – Jack O’Connell, Brian Dunphy and Darren Holden
In Moonlight – Jerry Cantrell and Ludwig Göransson
Travelin’ – Buddy Guy
Last Time (I Seen the Sun) – Alice Smith and Miles Caton
Sinners – Rod Wave
Troubled Waters – OG DAYV and Uncle James
Pale, Pale Moon – Brittany Howard
I Lied To You (Radio Edit) – Miles Caton
Pick Poor Robin Clean – Geechie Wiley
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Allen Berezovsky
Despite being left off Thierry Frémaux’s list of Official Selection titles Thursday morning, Spike Lee’s latest film, Highest 2 Lowest, will debut Out of Competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Taking to Instagram, Lee announced the good news, writing in the caption of a photo featuring production merch from the upcoming film “Bon Jour. Good Morning. Whaddup❓Da New SPIKE LEE JOINT-HIGHEST 2 LOWEST Starring My Brother DENZEL WASHINGTON Has Been Invited To Da 2025 CANNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (In The Out Of Competition Category). AND DAT’S DA BOTTLES OF 🍾 🥂TRUTH, RUTH. YA-DIG❓SHO-NUFF.”
Following Spike’s announcement, the film festival confirmed the film’s addition and also revealed why it was left off the list.
“The film was not announced this morning due to one final piece of information we were awaiting — the confirmation of Denzel Washington’s presence at Cannes. Highest 2 Lowest, directed by Spike Lee, will indeed be presented as part of the Official Selection, Out of Competition, and will be screened, in the presence of Denzel Washington, on Monday, May 19, 2025,” the statement read.
Spike Lee Kurosawa’s 2 Lowest Is A Reimiganing of The Original Film
As for the film, Lee confirmed while speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival that his film is not a remake of AkiraKurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller High and Low but a “reinterpretation.”
The film will reunite longtime collaborators Lee and Washington for a fifth time. The duo previously worked on Malcolm X, Mo’Better Blues, He Got Game, and Inside Man.
While Kurosawa’s film followed an executive at a Yokohama shoe company who gets extorted after his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.
In Lee’s reimagining of the original, Washington plays a music mogul who runs a music label.
Per Deadline:
“In Kurosawa’s film, Toshiro Mifune is a shoemaker,” said Lee. “In our film, Denzel Washington is a music mogul with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business. So, this is the fifth film with the dynamic duo.”
Apple Original Films and A24 will partner on Lee’s nexrt joint. A24 will handle the film’s theatrical release before its launch on launch on AppleTV+.
Metallica dropped the first trailer for their upcoming fan-focused documentary on Tuesday (April 8). Metallica Saved My Life, directed by the band’s longtime collaborator, Grammy-winner Jonas Åkerlund, will be screened in select cities on the band’s ongoing M72 world tour.
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In a statement, the group wrote, “Not quite finished yet, we want YOU to be among the first to see our latest film project by award-winning director Jonas Åkerlund, all about the lifeblood of this band: the fans. This documentary explores our world through the lives of fans who have supported each other through highs, lows, trials, and triumphs for over four decades.”
In the one-minute preview, drummer Lars Ulrich states, “Metallica is a state of mind” over mournful piano as the band’s other members begin the sentence “Metallica is…” as a series of fans offer up their thoughts on what the group means to them. “Unapologetically real, and vulnerable,” says one man, while a woman adds, “hope, freedom, escape.”
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A montage of long-time die-hards then open up about how the band gave them an identity as they describe themselves, variously, as a “dork… loner… a weirdo,” with one Black fan recalling how people would ask him, “why are you listening to this white people music?”
“I wanna hear ’em, I wanna hear ’em all,” singer/guitarist James Hetfield says of the variety of stories in the film directed by Åkerlund, who was also behind the camera for their 1998 video “Turn the Page,” as well as 1999’s “Whiskey in the Jar” and 2016’s “ManUNkind.” “Whatever you want to put on that… religion, cult, family, whatever label. I don’t care. It’s a gathering of like-minded people that are there to celebrate life.”
In a statement the band said, “As a few of you may know, we’ve been working behind the scenes the last couple of years on a new film that will be released later this year starring you guys! Metallica Saved My Life explores our world through the lives of fans who have supported each other through highs, lows, trials and triumphs for over four decades. And yeah, we’re in it a little bit too.” The full doc, which will feature all four band members as well as actor Jason Momoa, is slated for release later this year.
Click here to find out more details about the locations and dates for the North American screenings of the unfinished film from April through June, which will be phone-free and have a two ticket per person limit.
Metallica will get back on the road for the continuation of the M72 tour on April 19 at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. This week the band also announced a collaboration with the American Red Cross for blood drives on their upcoming 2025 U.S. dates. Donors of all blood types are encouraged to make an appointment to give by clicking here; donors must be 17 in most states (or 16 with parental consent where allowed by state law) and weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health to be eligible to donate.
Check out the trailer for Metallica Saved My Life below.
