Discover the origins of the Pride Lands’ most legendary king in Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” coming to theaters December 2024. Directed by Barry Jenkins with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, this epic tale of destiny and brotherhood promises to captivate audiences worldwide.

Disney has officially released the teaser trailer for the highly anticipated film, “Mufasa: The Lion King,” slated for a grand theatrical debut in December 2024. Directed by the acclaimed Barry Jenkins and featuring an all-star cast, this film promises to delve into the origins of the iconic character, Mufasa, exploring his journey from an orphaned cub to the revered king of the Pride Lands.

The film boasts a remarkable cast with Aaron Pierre voicing the young Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, who plays a pivotal role in Mufasa’s rise. Additional voice talents include Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, and the legendary voices of John Kani, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. Blue Ivy Carter makes her voice acting debut as Kiara, enriching this compelling narrative.

Adding to the film’s allure, Lin-Manuel Miranda is set to compose the soundtrack, collaborating with Mark Mancina and other notable musicians, continuing the rich musical heritage that “The Lion King” franchise is known for.

Narrated through the wise words of Rafiki, and revisited through flashbacks, the film introduces us to a young Mufasa, navigating the complexities of destiny and leadership. Accompanied by familiar faces like Timon, Pumbaa, and new characters, this story extends the lore of the Lion King universe, promising a mix of nostalgia and new adventures.

“Mufasa: The Lion King” merges cutting-edge live-action filmmaking techniques with state-of-the-art computer-generated imagery, offering audiences an immersive viewing experience. The visual spectacle is produced by Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak, with Peter Tobyansen serving as the executive producer.

As December 2024 approaches, fans worldwide are eagerly anticipating the release of “Mufasa: The Lion King.” Disney invites everyone to witness the legend unfold, as the teaser trailer hints at a journey filled with drama, action, and heartwarming moments.

(ROHN ROMULO)

DEV Patel got into impeccable shape and trained rigorously for his passion project, the action thriller “Monkey Man,” which the Oscar® nominated actor (“Lion,” ”Slumdog Millionaire”) also wrote and stars in.

“Dev is one of the hardest working filmmakers I ever worked with,” says fight coordinator Brahim Chab (“The Foreigner”). “He would come to practice with me and the stunt team once in the morning and again in the afternoon. He embraced the choreography I created for the film but also brought his own suggestions that always made a lot of sense for me to adjust the fights to the story.”

Inspired by the legend of the Hindu deity Hanuman, a symbol of wisdom, strength, courage, devotion and self-discipline, “Monkey Man” is an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless. Patel plays Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/L-Sc3Hzw_a4?si=gFIOLaZR4o3j5cvb

Besides the legend of Hanuman, cult-favorite action films also inspired “Monkey Man,” including Korean revenge-action (Patel is a big fan of this genre in Korean cinema which, for him, “took the revenge genre to a whole new level”) like “The Man from Nowhere” and “Oldboy,” alongside groundbreaking film series such as “John Wick.” In fact, some of the producers of “Monkey Man” were also producers for the “John Wick” film series.

“Some of my favorite movies are ‘Man from Nowhere’ and ‘Oldboy,’ also a wonderful film from Indonesia, ‘The Raid,’” says Patel. “We had a number of ‘The Raid’ team working on this. As well as the ‘John Wick’ team, who happen to be producers with Thunder Road. We put all of these in a blender, added some masala from India.”

The epic fight between Patel’s character, Kid, and his mother’s killer, Rana (Sikandar Kher), is a no-holds-barred fight to the death. “The final showdown with Rana was one of my favorites to create,” Chab says. “We got them both ready separately, so that when they meet… there are fireworks. The result we got out of both was beyond anything I imagined. They performed the whole fight by themselves without any doubles or camera tricks. I am certain that this fight will satisfy the audience.”

Kid’s final battle in Kings Club is a cinematic tour-de-force that is sure to leave audiences breathless. “When we rehearsed the fights with Dev, I realized that Dev was truly not only a gifted actor, but also one hell of a martial artist,” Chab says. “He was able to remember long chunks of choreography and knew how to sell that for the camera. Instead of having smaller cuts we went, at Dev’s suggestion, with longer pieces of choreography.”

One particular fight in the club elevator is certain to be a favorite with action aficionados. “The limited space in the elevator makes it very claustrophobic,” Chab says, “and I am sure it will be one that the audience will truly enjoy.”

No one was more impressed by the stunts that Dev Patel’s crew fashioned than producer Jordan Peele (“Get Out,” “Us,” “Nope”). “I walked in thinking perhaps the action would be what a first-time director’s action might look like,” Peele says. Instead, he was stunned by it. “The action topped the best action films around. Dev was able to act in these sequences that were so well choreographed, had such fluidity, had so much character to the action. I know that, as an action and a revenge film, this is going to be huge.”

Get ready for insane and intense action from actor Dev Patel’s directorial debut, the action thriller “Monkey Man,” in cinemas May 15. #MonkeyManMoviePH

(ROHN ROMULO)

AFTER directing, writing, and co-starring with his wife Emily Blunt in global box-office hits A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II, John Krasinski does a complete 180 turn with IF, a whimsical adventure for the whole family to enjoy. The inspiration— his very own family. “I’ve always wanted to make a movie for them,” he explains.

Watch Ryan Reynolds talk about John Krasinski’s storytelling here: https://youtu.be/0aZQr2Af7DA

Krasinski wanted to create something he and Blunt can enjoy with their daughters. “Emily says that the Quiet Place movies are PG-40 for them, so they won’t see those for a long time. During the early days of the pandemic, I got to spend a lot of time around my then-8-year-old and 6-year-old daughters and see the power of their imaginations. But as the pandemic wore on, I started seeing their lights dwindle. They had been so full of energy and excitement, but they were becoming more cautious about everything.”

As he sought inspiration in how his children’s imaginations grew up with them, the world of IF began to form. Producer Allyson Seeger, who is also Krasinski’s partner in their company, Sunday Night, recalls the beginnings of IF. “John said, ‘What if, instead of making a movie about imagination, we make imagination a character in the movie?’ Adulthood and real life can often temper the imagination right out of you, but the movie explores the question – what if it’s never too late to reconnect with that? To be a kid again, even for a moment,” she says.

Krasinski also admits to having IFs, or imaginary friends of his own, while growing up. “Our home was very close to a video store and I was allowed to walk there by myself at night. It would take me a half hour to get home, because I would pretend that all these different creatures were after me and I had to hide in my neighbor’s bushes to escape.”

They started working on this transformative journey centered around a 12-year-old named Bea, who at that age, had to grow up a little too fast. At the precipice of teenhood, ready to leave her childhood behind, she discovers her unique superpower of being able to see everyone’s imaginary friend.

Krasinski decided to run this idea past a good friend, actor Ryan Reynolds, before putting it into script. “Ryan is, in my opinion, one of the most talented people out there,” says Krasinski. “He knows comedy, he knows drama. We had been talking about doing a film together forever. I explained that I was developing a film about children and their imaginary friends. Would he want to be a part of it? He said, ‘Yes, definitely.’”

Reynolds believes in Krasinski’s range, and that IF is the next natural step for Krasinski as a filmmaker, saying, “I struggle to think of a writer or director more informed by their own parenthood than John Krasinski. Being a dad and a husband has really cemented his cinematic language. What’s most striking to me is that he can make a movie as scary and provocative as A Quiet Place, yet he can also do something as tender, unexpected and hilarious as IF.”

At the center of the Quiet Place films and IF is family, and how family handles difficult situations, but with IF, instead of hair raising thrillers, there’s plenty of laughs to be had along with heartfelt moments. “A Quiet Place was a metaphor about parenthood and about how far you’ll go to protect your kids,” producer Seeger says. “I think IF is a movie for kids, parents, for every generation. It’s a coming-of-age story for everyone.”

IF arrives in Philippine cinemas on May 15.

About IF

From writer and director John Krasinski, IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends – and what she does with that superpower – as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids. IF stars Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.

Written and directed by John Krasinski, IF is produced by Allyson Seeger, Andrew Form, Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski

Cast includes Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr., Alan Kim, Liza Colón-Zayas and Steve Carell

In Philippine cinemas starting May 15, IF is distributed in the Philippines by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Connect with #IFMovie and tag @paramountpicsph

(Photo and Video Credit: “Paramount Pictures International”)

(ROHN ROMULO)

Oscar® nominee Dev Patel (“Lion,” ”Slumdog Millionaire”) achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless, in “Monkey Man.”

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/L-Sc3Hzw_a4?si=gFIOLaZR4o3j5cvb

The film, certified Fresh on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, has been earning rave reviews. One of the film’s earliest fans? Patel’s fellow multi-hyphenate, director-writer-actor-producer Jordan Peele (“Get Out,” “Us,” “Nope”).

“Monkey Man” was initially scheduled to be released on a streaming platform, but with the shoot completed and the film in the editing process, Patel and his fellow producers sought out the perfect partners to finalize Patel’s labor of love and launch it as a major theatrical release, instead. They found that partner in American filmmaker Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw productions team. For Peele, “Monkey Man” was an easy “yes.” “When I heard ‘Dev Patel,’ I was hooked,” Peele says. “He’s one of my favorite actors. He’s also one of the most consistently empathetic and emotive performers who has this amazing opportunity to be a badass. Then I heard that he also directed the film, which blew my mind that someone could try and direct themselves in this way.”

Dev Patel on the set of “Monkey Man”

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures International

Adds Peele’s fellow producer at Monkeypaw Win Rosenfeld, “We love working with filmmakers attempting something truly genre-bending and disruptive, and the process of bringing those kinds of films to theaters is deeply gratifying. With ‘Monkey Man,’ Dev created something undeniable and unignorable and we’re deeply grateful to be on that ride with him.”

Sikandar Kher, who plays the corrupt police officer who killed Kid’s mother, was thrilled by the opportunity to work with Patel. “Dev’s passion is something I want to learn,” Kher says. “When he says something, there’s something to back it up. He’s extremely intelligent and whatever he’s immersed in, he sticks by it. You don’t realize with Dev that you’re being directed. He puts so much confidence and encouragement into you, and that’s what an actor thrives on.”

Dev Patel and Sobhita Dhulipala on the set of “Monkey Man”

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures International

Sobhita Dhulipala, who plays an escort named Sita, was fascinated by the world that director Dev Patel created for the film. “What interested me about this world are its hyper-real moments tucked amidst these glamorous, high-octane pieces,” Dhulipala says. “And yet, the truth that it wants to speak about is so relevant everywhere in the world: the mingling of religion and politics, how sorrow is intrinsic to everybody’s life, no matter where you stand in society. ”

Cinematographer Sharone Meir says that he’s prouder of “Monkey Man” than of anything he has created before. “I’m proud of it as a whole,” Meir says. “I’m proud of how cohesive and unified the feel and the look of the movie is. I’m proud of how we managed to let the audience not only see, but almost smell, the gritty, dirty, sweaty, nature of the environment it takes place in – versus the plush and glamorous world of the rich. I’m proud of how energetic, kinetic and raw it is… moviemaking with big kahunas! It takes a great director, with a true vision, to achieve that.”

Inspired by the legend of the Hindu deity Hanuman, a symbol of wisdom, strength, courage, devotion and self-discipline, “Monkey Man” is an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless. Patel plays Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

Get ready for insane and intense action from actor Dev Patel’s directorial debut, the action thriller “Monkey Man,” in cinemas May 15. #MonkeyManMoviePH

Follow Universal Pictures PH (FB), UniversalPicturesPH (IG) and UniversalPicsPH (TikTok) for the latest updates on Monkey Man.

(ROHN ROMULO)

Nine years after “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the Australian director, screenwriter and producer George Miller’s famous saga is back on the Croisette! The highly anticipated “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” will be revealed in the presence of the director and the cast, led by Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke, on the occasion of an Out of Competition gala screening at the Grand Théâtre Lumière at the Palais des Festivals on Wednesday May 15.

“Mad Max” (1979), “Mad Max II: The Challenge” (1981), “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome” (1985), “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (2024): in 5 episodes and in almost 5 decades, George Miller has created a cathartic myth, even a cathartic mythology. “Mad Max” is a chronicle of societal and environmental collapse, playing with genre codes to question these themes, initially visionary and now cruelly topical. Originally filmed in the Australian Outback, this revisited “Western on wheels” describes a dystopian world where speed and movement are just as synonymous with life energy as with death as a result of resource depletion, offering the viewer a dose of adrenaline rarely equalled on the big screen.

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is the latest episode. It returns to the origins of Furiosa, the new saga-heroine who appeared in “Mad Max: Fury Road,” rewarded with several Oscars. Actress Anya Taylor-Joy plays the young Furiosa, trying to return home, despite numerous hostile armed gangs.

“The idea of this prequel has been with me for over a decade,” said George Miller. “I couldn’t be more thrilled to return to the Festival de Cannes – along with Anya, Chris and Tom – to share ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.’ There is no better place than La Croisette to experience this film with audiences on the world stage.”

George Miller, the singular and unclassifiable filmmaker, passing from post-apocalyptic films to young audiences – “Babe” (1995), “Happy Feet” (2006) – was twice a Festival de Cannes Jury member before becoming its President in 2016 for the 69th edition. In 2022, he presented “Three Thousand Years of Longing” with Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, Out of Competition.

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” will arrive in Philippine theaters on May 22.

About “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”

As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

This all-new original, standalone action adventure was directed by George Miller, script by Miller and “Mad Max: Fury Road” co-writer Nico Lathouris. The film was produced by Miller and his longtime partner, Oscar-nominated producer Doug Mitchell (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Babe”), under their Australian-based Kennedy Miller Mitchell banner.

Starring Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role, Chris Hemsworth, Alyla Browne and Tom Burke.

In cinemas May 22, 2024, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company.

Join the conversation using #Furiosa

Photo & Video Credit: “Warner Bros. Pictures”

(ROHN ROMULO)

WRITER and director John Krasinski (A Quiet Place movies) has had IF brewing in his mind for years, and his comedy adventure film dream has now become a reality. “I had the idea for this movie about seven years ago,” says Krasinski. “I wanted to do a movie about imaginary friends called IFs.”

Check out “The World Of Imaginary Friends” featurette here: https://youtu.be/Pk6WYqGbskI

Ryan Reynolds, who stars in the film, says that Krasinski has been talking about the concept for IF for a while, and the direction he wants to take with it. “[IF] feels a lot like a live-action Pixar film,” Reynolds says. Actress Fiona Shaw, who stars as the grandmother of the main character, Bea (played by Cailey Fleming, The Walking Dead, Loki), talks about the importance of imagination in the creation of the film. “In the middle of it is an active imagination, and John Krasinski, who not only wrote the film, directs the film, absolutely enacts these creatures for us all the time,” Shaw says.

The creatively fun and hilarious cast of imaginary friends are also voiced by an all-star roster of actors. “The cast is insane. I know for a fact that I will never get a better cast than this,” Krasinski says. “We have Steve Carell, Matt Damon, Jon Stewart, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emily Blunt, Maya Rudolph, Sam Rockwell, Louis Gossett Jr., Sebastian Maniscalco, Chris Meloni, Richard Jenkins, and Awkwafina.”

Imagination takes over when IF arrives in Philippine cinemas on May 15.

About IF

From writer and director John Krasinski, IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends – and what she does with that superpower – as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids. IF stars Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.

Written and directed by John Krasinski, IF is produced by Allyson Seeger, Andrew Form, Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski

Cast includes Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Fiona Shaw, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr., Alan Kim, Liza Colón-Zayas and Steve Carell

In Philippine cinemas starting May 15, IF is distributed in the Philippines by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Connect with #IFMovie and tag @paramountpicsph

Photo and Video Credit: “Paramount Pictures International”

(ROHN ROMULO)