Day: September 30, 2021

The Exorcist reboot will feel new while still being connected to the original, says Jason Blum. William Friedkin’s 1973 film, based in turn on the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, is considered one of the greatest horror films ever made. Blumhouse Productions, founded by Blum in 2000, has become known for its output in the horror genre, generating both long-running franchises and creative, standalone projects.

Blumhouse offers its directors creative freedom on the condition that they keep budgets small, and their approach has significantly impacted the state of American horror cinema in the 21st century. The hits they produce generally provide massive financial returns, with 2007’s Paranormal Activity grossing $193 million worldwide against an original budget of $15,000, and the risk-taking permitted by these profits has kickstarted the careers of filmmakers like Jordan Peele and Leigh Whannell. Their growing reputation for competence has allowed them to start revisiting classic horror properties, which so far includes 2018’s Halloween and 2020’s The Invisible Man.

Related: Blumhouse’s The Exorcist 2 News & Updates: Everything We Know

The company has since started development on a trilogy of films rebooting The Exorcist, and in an interview with CinePop, Blum expresses confidence in his approach. He says they intend to do for Friedkin’s film what they did for Carpenter’s Halloween, and wipe the slate of sequels clean to rediscover what is interesting and successful about the original. This is evidenced, Blum says, by having the same creative team tackle this project:

What I hope to do with The Exorcist is the same thing we did with Halloween, you know. Halloween, the first movie was great, and the second movie was okay, and the rest of them were not very good. And then we came in and kind of re-jiggered it, and people liked it, so I hope we can do the same thing with The Exorcist. Everyone thinks we’re gonna fall on our face, but I think, we have the same filmmaker, the same writer, David Gordon Green and Danny McBride. And I think we’ll reinvent The Exorcist so that it’ll feel fresh, new, different, but, you know, related to the first movie, but also really, really scary.

Elsewhere in the interview, Blum discusses the success of Whannell’s The Invisible Man, and says that he would someday like to pursue a sequel. He also confirms that control of the Dark Universe, a collection of films based on Universal’s classic movie monsters, has not been turned over to him and remains with the major studio. He does say, however, that Blumhouse will make more Dark Universe movies.

It’s understandable for horror fans to be nervous about an Exorcist reboot, given how the first film is revered, but Blumhouse’s track record should encourage viewers to keep an open mind. David Gordon Green’s Halloween developed an interesting dialogue with Carpenter’s film, and while it’s not considered on par with the original, it’s certainly the franchise’s best sequel yet. With Ellen Burstyn set to return in much the same way Jamie Lee Curtis did, this Exorcist trilogy could be another welcome surprise.

Next: How David Gordon Green’s Exorcist Trilogy Departs From His Halloween Films

Source: CinePop

A fan-made intro for Spider-Man: No Way Home hypes up all of the different versions of the hero coming together in the multiverse. With less than three months to go before the Marvel Studios and Sony collaboration hits theaters, the anticipation for the movie is creeping up. Star Tom Holland and director Jon Watts will reunite for the third time in the blockbuster, but many fans suspect that Holland may not be the only web-slinging hero in its story.

Rumors continue to be persistent that both previous Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will indeed be involved in No Way Home. Since the release of its first trailer, fans have become more convinced that this is the case, despite repeated denials (at least from Garfield). Surprisingly, the promo clip laid out the premise of the threequel fairly well, explaining how it will connect to the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home and how it transitions to becoming a multiversal story. Doctor Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) role in the film has also been revealed, establishing its ties to Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will follows No Way Home in terms of MCU’s currently confirmed slate.

Related: Doctor Strange’s Spider-Man: No Way Home Mistake Was Set-Up In Infinity War

While the first No Way Home trailer has been generous in revealing plot details about the movie, fans are still clamoring for more information, with one even taking updates into their own hands. For now, both Marvel Studios and Sony have yet to release any more official content in relation to the project. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from creating their own, as proven by the YouTube channel, Spectrum Cinema. In one of the channel’s recent videos, the user came up with an edit imagining what the intro of the blockbuster would look like. The clip uses the classic score from Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, as well as voiceovers from J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) and Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). Check out the full video below:

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At this point, Marvel Studios and Sony are staying tight-lipped about the potential for both Maguire and Garfield to show up in No Way Home. Aside from the pair, there have also been rumors that Charlie Cox, star of the Marvel TV/Netflix show Daredevil, will reprise his role as Matt Murdock. Like Garfield, the Daredevil actor has repeatedly denied claims of his involvement. Nonetheless, rumors continue to fly around, with many fans still convinced that they will appear. If anything, the trailer already hinted at previous franchise’ villains popping up, like Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin and Jamie Foxx’s Electro. Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock was even fully unveiled in the clip, sending Spider-Man 2 fans into a tail-spin. Given these appearances, it’s hard to ignore the potential for their respective wall-crawlers to feature in the movie.

Taking into consideration all the evidence supporting the idea that both Maguire and Garfield will be in No Way Home, it will be interesting to see if Marvel Studios and Sony would save their potential reveals for the movie itself, or confirm their appearance in an earlier trailer, given the persistent fan speculation. With only one trailer out thus far, audiences can expect a follow-up rolling out in the next several weeks wherein more story details for Spider-Man: No Way Home could be revealed. If fans are indeed in for some Garfield and Maguire cameos, it would be the perfect opportunity to confirm these avid theories.

More: Avengers 5 Needs To Be A True Avengers Movie (Unlike Endgame)

Source: Spectrum Cinema

Tori Amos has shared her new single ‘Speaking With Trees’ – you can hear the track below.

The song is the first preview of the US artist’s forthcoming new album ‘Ocean To Ocean’, which will be her first LP since 2017’s ‘Native Invader’.

• READ MORE: Tori Amos on mental health: “I get out of certain situations by writing myself out of hell”

Set for release via Decca on October 29, ‘Ocean To Ocean’ is, according to Amos, “a record about your losses, and how you cope with them”.

“Thankfully when you’ve lived long enough, you can recognise you’re not feeling like the mom you want to be, the wife you want to be, the artist you want to be,” she added.

“I realised that to shift this, you have to write from the place where you are. I was in my own private hell, so I told myself, then that’s where you write from – you’ve done it before…”

‘Speaking With Trees’, which you can hear above, is the second track on ‘Ocean To Ocean’ and addresses the absence of live music during the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to NME earlier this month, Amos revealed that she had initially been writing “a very different album” last year that was due to be released before the US election in November.

“Because of the pandemic, I had to pull plans for not one North American tour, but two – and that’s never happened to me in my career,” she explained. “Then the third lockdown hit this January and it became clear to me that the songs I was writing pre-election just weren’t resonating with me any more. So I threw them all out and started again.

“The songs I had [before] didn’t have the energy I needed to get out of my despondency at that point. The third lockdown really took me to a tough place mentally.”

Amos will tour in the UK and Europe early next year.

The post Listen to Tori Amos’ breezy new single ‘Speaking With Trees’ appeared first on NME.

A judge has refused to delay the implementation of the COVID vaccine passport scheme in Scotland.

Earlier this week First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that the Scottish government would be delaying its plans for the implementation of the passports as a requirement for entry into the country’s nightclubs, after criticism from many establishments across the country.

As the BBC reports, the delay came after a legal challenge from the Scottish nightlife industry who said the proposal was “discriminatory” and “disproportionate”.

It has now been revealed that Judge Lord Burns has refused the delay, saying that the implementation of the scheme is a “balanced way” to address “legitimate issues” surrounding the pandemic.

As such, the scheme will come into force from 5am tomorrow morning (October 1) as planned.

Earlier this month (September 9) Scottish MPs ruled in favour of the introduction of vaccine passports, with 68 votes for and 55 against.

The plans, introduced this week, mean passports declaring full vaccination status will be needed for those over 18-years-old to enter concerts, nightclubs, venues and big sporting events.

Announcing the planned delay, Sturgeon said: “The government is persuaded that a COVID certification scheme will help us mitigate the risk the virus poses to us over the winter.

“However, the pragmatic compromise that I have just outlined in relation to a staged introduction of the scheme demonstrates, I hope, that we are listening to business about the practical challenges they face.”

Following the initial announcement of the passport scheme, the Night Time Industry Association CEO Michael Kill said the vote “has put an already fragile nighttime economy on a ‘dangerous path’ to devastation”.

“The call for evidence from the Scottish government has been ignored, and has left us no option but to challenge this, as an industry in the coming weeks, or we will suffer the catastrophic consequences of ill thought out policy,” he added.

In England, meanwhile, the plan for vaccine passports for nightclubs, sporting events and large live music events has also been scrapped.

The post Judge refuses to delay implementation of COVID vaccine passports in Scotland appeared first on NME.

Ashnikko has shared two brand new songs – watch the videos for ‘Panic Attacks In Paradise’ and ‘Maggots’ below.

The new tracks follow the pop star’s ‘Demidevil’ mixtape, which came out back in January.

• READ MORE: Ashnikko at Reading Festival 2021: “My debut album sounds like very angry fairy music”

“’Panic Attacks In Paradise’ and ‘Maggots’ were both written when I was in a very low place,” Ashnikko said of the tracks in a statement. “A nasty festering place where brushing my teeth and getting out of bed felt like a win. PAIP is a commentary on how much I was annoying myself at the time. Everything was fine.

“I was healthy and my career was going great. I was in a metaphorical ‘paradise’. But alas my brain chemistry had other plans. I was in so much pain and I couldn’t put a finger on it.”

She added: “I was an insufferable mess, so obsessed with my own hurt. I was leading it around with me like a rabid dog, letting it bite anyone I came into contact with. Where PAIP is soft and forlorn, maggots is pure rage. I’m casting a protective shield of electricity around myself and daring anyone to try to cross it.

“I decide that being a little villainous is an easier lifestyle choice. I’d rather be a raging bitch than let people take advantage of my kindness. I will take every parasite burrowing its way into my flesh and flatten it under my boots.”

Speaking to NME backstage at Reading Festival 2021 last month, Ashnikko discussed her upcoming debut album.

“Album is a really loaded word,” she said. “I’ve been putting off an album for some time now, I called the last one a mixtape, [but] it was really an album. But yeah, I’m working on it – it’s happening.”

Watch the video interview in full below.

Ashnikko is set to tour the UK and Ireland at the end of the year – see the dates in full below:

DECEMBER 2022
7 – London, Kentish Town Forum (sold out)
8 – London, Kentish Town Forum (sold out)
10 – Manchester, Ritz (sold out)
11 – Dublin, Academy (sold out)
12 – Glasgow, SWG3 (Galvanizers) (sold out)

The post Ashnikko shares two new songs, ‘Panic Attacks In Paradise’ and ‘Maggots’ appeared first on NME.