Ridley Scott Says Gladiator 2 Ready To Go

Veteran director Ridley Scott 83 has insisted that the long awaited and seemingly unlikely sequel to his iconic Russell Crowe action epic Gladiator is ready to go and will be his next project once his current Napoleon project wraps.

Already in 2021 the director responsible for iconic classics like Alien and Blade Runner added two new films to his ever growing catalog, with both The Last Duel and House of Gucci releasing in October and November respectively.

After five decades his drive seems as high as ever with a Gladiator follow up apparently set to launch into production as soon as Kitbag, his current period project completes.

Ever since the original Gladiator film catapulted Russell Crowe to action superstardom and became an undisputed instant classic there have been eager plans for a sequel. Previous ideas for the project had Russell Crowe set to reprise his role as Maximus, either by exploring his backstory and rise through the ranks of the roman army, or perhaps seeing him literally reincarnated to return him from the afterlife.

Those rumoured plans are now decades old so it remains to be seen to what extent Crowe and Maximus will feature in the sequel project or whether it will merely be a the story of entirely new gladiators entering the fabled blood stained battlefield of the coliseum, perhaps during the rule of a very different emperor.

In either case Scott has confirmed that he has people polishing a script of some sort now.

“I’m already having [the next] Gladiator written now, so when I’ve done Napoleon, Gladiator will be ready to go.”

Wonka Musical Prequel Cast Grows

The cast of Director Paul King’s musical prequel Wonka continues to grow as cameras start rolling. The latest announced additions to the line-up include Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Coleman and Sally Hawkins. Timothee Chalamet is firmly in place in the lead role playing Roald Dahl’s ironically weird and wonderful chocolate factory owner in his younger days.

Paddington director King has already packed his supporting cast with familiar faces such as Tom Davis, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Simon Farnaby, Matt Lucas, Paterson Joseph, Rich Fulcher, Jim Carter and Keegan-Michael Key.

The vast line up of actors will be accompanied by a soundtrack provided by The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon, giving at least some indication of the musical style the prequel may be adopting.

The official announcement of the unexpected prequel project had this to say about its intentions to explore the backstory of one of Roald Dahl’s most iconic character, going even further beyond the reimagined backstory provided by Tim Burton’s most recent big screen incarnation of the character with Johnny Depp.

The announcement claims the new film will explore

“Vivid, mythical beginnings of the imaginative young inventor before he becomes the renowned scrumdiddlyumptious Mozart of chocolate”

The film will be arriving in cinemas 17 March 2023 so this is one sweet treat that may take some time to prepare.

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain TIFF Review

The Plot

A biopic of titular eccentric Edwardian artist Louis Wain, who became unexpectedly famous for his adorable cat illustrations, whilst also struggling with the burdens of tragic loss, depression, family responsibilities and financial woes.

The Good

Benedict Cumberbatch’s ardent fanbase gets to enjoy another quirky performance from the much beloved actor, providing a look at a mostly forgotten artist with a special appeal for feline lovers. Those familiar with Wain’s work will at least be pleased to see much of the same brightly coloured and unapologetically twee whimsy packed onto screen.

Throughout the film there are also occasional flashes of talent in truly poignant moments that shine through, particularly between Cumberbatch and Claire Foy as Wain’s terminally ill wife. The authentic love and affection between them is one of the perhaps few tangible qualities the film possesses. It’s a genuine journey of loss that carries emotional weight in spite of the film’s wider struggles to refine its’ overly eccentric tone and muddled messages.

The Bad

Drolly narrated and frequently overwhelmed by an overabundance of heavy handed quirkiness this is a film that frantically struggles to charm audiences with oversaturated but mostly hollow visual charms.

It’s a sometimes perplexing mess of mixed intentions too as the film seemingly struggles to reconcile precisely whether it intends to celebrate Wain’s singular artistic achievement of cute cat drawings as legitimately vital artwork or merely to instead lament that this is tragically the only expression the world knew of his apparent artistic gifts. The seemingly insurmountable burden for the film is that it’s difficult to either take Wain’s mawkish feline images seriously or to somehow reimagine him as some kind of overlooked genius based upon very little else.

Benedict Cumberbatch playing the titular Wain don’s a comically flamboyant moustache and once again seemingly slips into increasingly familiar ‘neurodivergent’ mode. Unfortunately having already famously tread this territory with both Sherlock and The Imitation Game, this third time is sadly not a charm. Like the film as a whole Cumberbatch’s performance is well intentioned but often lost amongst a clumsy bustle of quirks and exaggerated eccentricity.

Perhaps the most awkward challenge for Cumberbatch is that Wain’s elaborately affected mannerisms are neither played for unashamedly silly comedic effect nor enough on their own to somehow transform Wain into a significant artistic figure beyond his singular embarrassingly kitsch achievement. It’s sadly impossible to avoid the impression that the film is by default suggesting that Wain should somehow be celebrated merely because he had a somewhat lively and ‘unusual’ personality, beyond the fact he drew some popularly cute cartoon cats.

The Ugly Truth

As an artistic biopic this is a film that struggles to adequately explain why Louis Wain’s fleeting fame for drawing mawkish feline doodles deserves to be either celebrated or instead lamented. Efforts to overwhelm audiences with a barrage of quirkiness never succeeds in distracting from that awkward question. Wain’s insubstantial artistic achievements leave Benedict Cumberbatch’s elaborately moustached and ‘whimsical’ performance feeling even more awkward at times.

The Score TIFF review

The Plot

Two small time crooks drive to a remote location waiting for a big ‘score’ and pass the time by awkwardly interacting with the sparse customers and staff of a small café. But the longer they wait for their mysterious meeting the more complicated and tense their situation becomes.

The Good

Will Poulter continues to emerge as a truly magnificent and deeply likeable talent. Having well established a firm fanbase with his excellent big screen and television work he continues to inject an affable charisma into all his performances. In The Score an increasingly rugged Poulter provides the heart and humour of the film through his performance as Troy, a kind hearted and hapless reluctant hoodlum. The comical contrast and exchanges between him and his older far more abrasively menacing partner in crime are the firm driving force behind the films story.

Alongside Poulter, Johhny Flynn provides a convincingly antagonistic presence as Mike, Troy’s bullying and quite possibly dangerous criminal compatriot. Their sparring conversations lurch from absurdly comedic to genuinely tense throughout the film providing modest charm and intrigue.

Naomi Ackie likewise works well with Poulter to give the film some awkwardly simmering romantic chemistry, playing the café’s feisty barista Gloria. Her clashes with Flynn’s caustic Mike and unlikely chemistry with Poluter’s well intentioned thug Troy sets up odd and evolving dynamics that ultimately propel he film towards a vigorous finale.

The cast are also clearly enthusiastic and uninhibited about the film’s frequent musical demands, very obviously doing their best to inject subtle meaning and soft spoken melody into their singing. It’s to their credit, especially Poulter’s, that they manage to maintain a sense of momentum and reality despite the film’s whimsical eccentricities and constantly shifting tone.

The Bad

While musicals certainly attract a massive fanbase The Score is a strange breed of hybrid between a sluggishly paced indie drama and the more flamboyant musical genre. This unexpected mashup occasionally works well, but often seems to slow the pace of the film even further as characters interrupt normal scenes with lengthy musical mumblings. The almost complete lack of choreography and oddly passive nature of character’s entirely self-contained singing make the films musical qualities often feel somewhat unnecessary. Merely serving to mostly distract from an otherwise interesting conventional drama.

Though the film moves toward an ultimately interesting climax the film is a slow burn that pads a relatively simple story with its lengthy musical refrains. While some might feel it gives the film a unique personality and a literally lyrical quality, it’s certainly a devisees experiment. The understated performances and largely muted singing voices of the cast further adds to a slightly awkward school play feel every time a character breaks off into their own detached musical monologue.

The Ugly Truth

A talented cast and the novelty factor of the film’s quirky musical offerings makes The Score a watchable but likely divisive experience. Some will consider the film a memorable oddity while other audiences may find themselves less charmed by the films slow paced and unnecessary musical refrains.

The Harder They Fall Trailer Released

A new trailer has arrived guns blazing for Netflix new western romp The Harder They Fall. The film follow Loki and Lovecraft Country‘s Jonathan Majors as Nat Love a gunslinger who discovers that his sworn rival and mortal enemy Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), has escaped incarceration. This sets the stage for an explosive confrontation as Nat rounds up a posse of deadly individuals, determined to exact revenge against Rufus. Meanwhile Rufus clearly has his own plans for his newfound freedom and a host of deadly allies determined to keep him both free and alive.

The all star supporting cast includes Zazie Beets, Edi Gathegi, RJ Cyller, LaKeith Stanfield and Regina King.

The Harder They Fall will be in select US and UK cinemas from 22 October before heading onto Netflix on 3 November.

Till then check out the trailer below: