A decade after Will Smith shut down rumors of a second installment, the Oscar nominee officially signed on to “I Am Legend 2” — thanks to co-star Michael B. Jordan’s story concept. “It was one of those ones I was gonna leave alone, and then I heard the idea,” Smith told Entertainment Tonight. “That might work. I think we can do that.” Smith teased that while the plot is still under wraps, “it’s a really, really cool concept,” and Jordan was “part of creating the idea....

Here’s what Schwarzenegger told Smith (via Insider): “You are not a movie star if your movies are only successful in America. You are not a movie star until every person in every country on earth knows who you are. You have to travel the globe, shake every hand, kiss every baby. Think of yourself as a politician running for Biggest Movie Star in the World.” “I started to notice how much other actors hate traveling, press, and promoting....

But director Friedkin is here to tell you that whatever “Exorcist” reboot or remake is in the cards, he has nothing to do with it. “There’s a rumor on IMDb that I’m involved with a new version of ‘The Exorcist,’” he tweeted this week. “This isn’t a rumor, it’s a flat-out lie. There’s not enough money or motivation in the world to get me to do this.” Indeed, Friedkin hasn’t been involved with any of the “Exorcist” spinoff films, which most recently included “Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist,” directed by Paul Schrader and released in 2005....

In addition to the WWII submarine warfare film that earned six Academy Award nominations including Best Director, Petersen also directed 1984’s beloved family favorite “The NeverEnding Story,” “Enemy Mine” (1985), Clint Eastwood political thriller “In the Line of Fire” (1993), pandemic disaster movie “Outbreak” (1995), Harrison Ford presidential hijacking thriller “Air Force One” (1997), and swords-and-sandals tentpole “Troy” (2004). Petersen was born in Germany in 1941, and it was in Hamburg in the 1960s that he started directing plays before moving into TV movies for German television, eventually gaining notices for his 1974 psychological thriller debut “One or the Other of Us....

Just yesterday, IndieWire’s review of “Chemical Hearts” arrived with the headline, “Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams Shine in a YA Romance for Extra Sensitive Teens,” and that exact phrasing could be used for the week’s other big screen YA adaptation, Thor Freudenthal’s “Words on Bathroom Walls.” Or, in simpler terms, think of it this way: “Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell Shine in a YA Romance for Extra Sensitive Teens.” Both films are based on popular YA novels that attempt to tackle tough issues — vehicular homicide and mental illness, among other things — and do it within the confines of a genre notoriously beholden to cookie-cutter happy endings....

“Poor Things” is set in Victorian-era England and is being described as a riff on the classic Frankenstein story. Stone, reuniting with Lanthimos after “The Favourite,” plays a young woman named Belle Baxter who is brought back to life by an eccentric and brilliant scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter (Dafoe). That’s the only official plot details being released at this time, although the plot is being teased as “a story of love, discovery and scientific daring, featuring Youssef as Max McCandless, Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderburn, and Carmichael as Harry Astley....

Much like the hit prequel series “1883,” “1923” takes place in the year 1923. It follows an earlier generation of the Dutton family as they move towards building what becomes known as Yellowstone Ranch. “1923” was originally titled “1932,” but the name was changed when the show’s creative team decided to set the series a decade earlier. The spinoff is bringing some serious star power to the franchise. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren lead the series, playing Jacob and Cara Dutton....

After Peacock’s “A Friend of the Family” dramatized the Broberg family abuse saga, starring Jake Lacy as Jan’s trusted neighbor turned abductor Bob “Brother B” Berchtold, Jan is taking audiences on her healing journey following the horrific aftermath of being abducted twice at ages 12 and 14. The true crime documentary, “A Friend of the Family: True Evil,” premieres November 15 on Peacock. “There must be a special place in hell for people that hurt children,” Jan says in the trailer while walking past her “torture chamber” RV camper where Berchtold kept her....

Laura Dern introduces the special, walking into the empty David Geffen Theater in order to entice audiences to not only come to the Museum, but see a movie in general. This has been a common theme in a few theater-focused ads: Insert an A-list star in an empty theater to make us believe that even though this actor certainly doesn’t want to be crowded next to an unmasked stranger, everyone else sure does!...

Rossum, who also executive produces the series alongside husband and “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail, revealed that she spent an average of four to five hours in makeup every day and bleached her eyebrows for the role. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Rossum also got blisters from the fake breasts and suffered tear duct issues from wearing two pairs of contact lenses. “The physicality of the character was challenging,” Rossum told the outlet....

The film, a glossy twist on the so-called “slave narrative,” stars Janelle Monáe as a woman “trapped in a horrifying reality that forces her to confront the past, present and future.” (The promotional language is cryptic, but to say more would create spoilers.) The filmmakers (Bush is Black, Renz is white) made “Antebellum” to catalyze a national dialogue around a host of urgent topics, including race. Critics don’t see it that way....

As reported by Collider: “According to Snyder, the visual effects team called different animal sanctuaries in order to get a real-life reference for modeling and animating Valentine. The chosen candidate ended up being a tiger owned by Baskin, now internationally famous after the world got briefly distracted from the pandemic by following Baskin’s long-time feud with Joe Exotic on ‘Tiger King.’” “Snyder says this choice was made before ‘Tiger King’ was released, and the team spent a week on Baskin’s sanctuary before the series revealed the threats and harassment campaigns between the rival exotic animal owners,” the report continues....

Andrew Dominik’s moody, contemplative western has more in common with Terrence Malick than John Ford or Howard Hawks, but there are plenty of stories of Warner Bros. trying to make the film more mainstream. However, despite a brutal editing process, Dominik was still able to release a film that illustrated his vision and earned two Oscar nominations. But recently, the film’s production team has been speaking out about a rumored cut of the film that is even longer than the 160-minute version that hit theaters....

While many fans were thrilled to get an early look at the soon-to-be-iconic costumes, others were concerned about having the film spoiled for them — but according to Gerwig, there’s nothing to worry about. In a new red carpet interview with Variety, the director promised that the leaked outfits are “not even close” to everything that Gosling wears in the film. She expressed gratitude for the strong fan reaction to the early photos, and promised that there is a lot more to come....

The final season of “Better Call Saul” has seen both death and resurrection. There’s a growing body count that’s been offset by a handful of reappearances, of characters either presumed or confirmed dead, in the life of a notorious defense lawyer on the lam. These weekly reviews have made definitive statements that a certain persona was all but cooked. They’ve also teetered on the brink of making assumptions that his one-time partner was all but marked for a death of her own....

Following the release of Ti West’s 1970s gorefest “X,” the distributor is returning this summer with “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” a new film from Halina Reijin that explores what can go wrong when a group of extremely online rich kids loses access to the Internet. A new trailer released today, which features a new original song from Charli XCX, shows its young ensemble cast (plus Pete Davidson), playing a murder mystery game that quickly takes a dark turn....

That knack for clarity and continuity makes Carnahan an ideal fit for a time-loop movie. And “Boss Level,” a passion project he’s been developing since at least 2012, is a solid one. Frank Grillo stars as Roy, an ex-Special Forces badass so committed to tracking down evildoers in the line of duty that he neglected the one woman he really loved, a theoretical physicist named Jemma (Naomi Watts) in charge of a secret project, and their son together....

The film is set in Chicago, 1968, when the city and the nation are poised on the brink of political upheaval. Suburban housewife Joy (Elizabeth Banks) leads an ordinary life with her husband and daughter. But when Joy’s pregnancy leads to a life-threatening heart condition, she must navigate an all-male medical establishment unwilling to terminate her pregnancy in order to save her life. Her journey for a solution leads her to Virginia (Sigourney Weaver), an independent visionary fiercely committed to women’s health, and Gwen (Wunmi Mosaku), an activist who dreams of a day when all women will have access to abortion, regardless of their ability to pay....

Lena Dunham’s third feature film “Catherine Called Birdy” is set in a Medieval English village in 1290, where teenage Lady Catherine (Bella Ramsey) is assigned the task of finding a husband. Her father (Andrew Scott) is determined to capitalize on the marriage of his eldest daughter Catherine in order to save their manor. The only issue? Tween Catherine refuses to comply. “Would I choose to die rather than be forced to marry?...

In the film, “Cheers” and “True Detective” star Harrelson plays Marcus Aldridge, a temperamental minor-league basketball coach who gets fired from his position after a series of losses and winds up facing legal trouble after crashing into a police car. Ordered by the court to fulfill a community service requirement, he coaches a basketball team consisting of players with intellectual disabilities. Initially apathetic about the assignment and unconvinced the group has any potential as a team, Marcus ends up motivated to whip the players into shape when he realizes that competing with them in the Special Olympics could be a step towards reclaiming his old job....