Category: Movie

Daniel Craig didn’t like Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s No Time To Die theme song at first, according to the music producer who worked on the theme. Siblings Eilish and O’Connell wrote and performed the 25th James Bond theme, “No Time To Die,” alongside producer Stephen Lipson. Writing the song in three days on a tour bus, the siblings worked with Bond composer Hans Zimmer, who wrote the film’s score. The song was released back in February 2020, two months before the film’s initial release date.

Over 18 months later, the song will finally receive its cinematic premiere when No Time To Die hits cinemas in October. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and starring Rami Malek as the villainous Safin, No Time To Die marks Craig’s final adventure as 007. Starting his tenure with 2006’s Casino Royale, Craig is the longest-serving Bond, edging Moore out by three years. Craig recently spoke about the perks being Bond has afforded him, for instance using his 007-influence to secure his stormtrooper cameo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Alongside this, it also appears that Craig has influence over wider aspects of Bond’s production, including the theme song.

Related: Chris Cornell’s “You Know My Name” Is The Most Underrated James Bond Theme

Speaking with CinemaBlend, UK music producer Stephen Lipson, who worked with Finneas and Eilish on the theme, recalls how Craig wasn’t initially sold on the song. Apparently, the actor wasn’t sure the theme provided the right “emotional climax” for his 007 swan song at first. It was only after Lipson played the song for Craig in the ideal environment of his studio that he really enjoyed the piece, and the “wheels were set in motion.” Read the quote below.

“I asked Finneas and Billie to give me a climactic vocal moment which Billie wasn’t too sure about, but when I heard it I knew it would deliver. Most important was getting Daniel’s approval. I finished the mix and everybody was happy but we still had to get Daniel on board. From the start, quite understandably, he wasn’t all that sure that the song delivered the right emotional climax for his final Bond outing, so satisfying him was key … I suggested that [Craig] come to my studio as I knew that, compared to any other location, it was without doubt the best sonic environment in which to hear it.

… Listening to it as if I was Daniel, I realised that the climax needed to be enormous … I sat Daniel in the chair between the speakers, hit play and waited for his response. When the song finished he didn’t look up but asked to hear it once more. Barbara and I had no idea how he felt until the end of his second listening, when he looked up at me and said something like, ‘That’s f*****g amazing.’ As soon as he’d approved it the wheels were set in motion and the news that Billie Eilish was doing the Bond theme song appeared everywhere.”

The Bond theme became an essential part of the 007 tradition with Shirley Bassey’s iconic 1964 Goldfinger theme, but it can also be a perilous journey for the musicians who take it on. Artists have recorded themes over the years only for them to be thrown out in favor of another, while others have turned down the chance to soundtrack a Bond adventure. Nancy Sinatra’s classic theme for You Only Live Twice was originally offered to her father, Frank Sinatra, who turned the opportunity down. Now it appears that it’s the other way around, with the cast and crew holding the power to reject the artist, as Eilish’s song wasn’t signed off until Craig had given the go-ahead. Until then, even with the song recorded and ready to go, the artist’s involvement was kept under wraps from the public. It suggests that alongside his performance as a grittier version of the iconic British spy, Craig also had a big say in molding the entire franchise, including the theme song, in his Bond’s image.

While Eilish’s theme has so-far been well received, there’s also the risk of some people disliking the song when it debuts to a wider audience. Alicia Keys and Jack White’s “Another Way to Die” is the most recent example of a theme that drew many fan’s ire. Fortunately for Eilish, this hasn’t been the case with “No Time To Die,” which Eilish recently said aims to pay homage to Bond music of the past. Like the theme, the film has received strong reviews, with critics praising Craig’s final outing for its action, cinematography and emotion. Audiences can hear the new theme for themselves in cinemas when No Time To Die is finally released.

Next: James Bond: All The Daniel Craig Era Theme Songs Ranked

Source: CinemaBlend

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

Robert Pattinson has seen some of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and thinks it’s “really cool.” The upcoming DC Extended Universe reboot of Batman will see the Twilight alum debut as the Caped Crusader in March 2022. The film will reportedly explore the early days of the Dark Knight’s career in a corrupt Gotham and his mantle as “The World’s Greatest Detective.” Rumor has it The Batman is inspired by comic book storylines like The Long Halloween.

Before Warner Bros. abandoned the Synder-Verse and re-directed the DCEU, Ben Affleck was supposed to star, direct, and write The Batman. However, the star left the project, which resulted in its overhaul into a solo film with no connections to previous franchises. Like Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne/Batman will exist in his own universe as he encounters a plethora of iconic villains including The Riddler (Paul Dano), Penguin (Colin Farrell), and Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz). The film will also feature Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon.

Related: Every Actor Playing Batman In Upcoming DC Releases

During a recent interview with Variety on the red carpet for the Academy Museum’s premiere party, Pattinson teased what fans can expect from The Batman at this year’s DC FanDome. In addition to saying he and Kravitz had prepared something for the event, the actor talked about his reaction to Reeve’s film. “I’ve seen some of the movie now and it’s kind of really cool,” Pattinson said. “It’s really cool.”

It’s already been reported that a new trailer for The Batman will debut at DC Fandome, which begins on October 16. Before the debut of the film’s teaser at last year’s Fandome, many were wary of Pattinson playing the eponymous character. However, the moment his Batman showed off his brutality by pummeling a criminal, most skeptics became intrigued. Realizing the shoes he has to fill, DC recently revealed a promotional clip for The Batman featuring all past versions of the character — from Michael Keaton to Ben Affleck. The Batman is said to be the start of a series aiming to rival Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy.

Despite existing in another universe and being teased as radically different, Pattinson’s Batman will be accompanied by two other Batmen in the larger DCEU. Both Affleck and Keaton are set to reprise their roles in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash, which stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen. Given the multiversal name of that film, it’s possible (but unlikely) that Pattinson’s character will crossover to other DCEU films at some point. The Batman looks to be one of DC Films’ grittiest and most grounded superhero films yet and, to quote “Patman,” it does look really cool.

More: DC FanDome 2021 News & Updates: Everything We Know

Source: Variety

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:

Click here to see the original post

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.