Octavia Spencer and Riz Ahmed team up for a new sci-fi thriller at Amazon. Whenever Black Widow shows up in theatres, it’ll have a good chunk of IMAX footage. HBO teases what’s to come on Lovecraft Country. Plus, Matt Bomer on where Doom Patrol is headed, and what’s next on Agents of SHIELD. To me, my spoilers!
Invasion
Deadline reports Octavia Spencer and Riz Ahmed will star in Invasion, an upcoming sci-fi thriller at Amazon following “two young brothers who go on the run with their father, a decorated Marine, who is trying to protect them from an inhuman threat. As the journey takes them in increasingly dangerous and unexpected directions, the boys will need to confront hard truths and leave their childhood behind.” Michael Pearce (Beast) will direct the project from a script he co-wrote with Joe Barton (The Ritual).
Black Widow
Black Widow’s IMAX screenings will reportedly enjoy 30 minutes of expanded 1.90:1 footage.
missed news from yesterday’s IMAX earnings call – 30 minutes of #BlackWidow will be presented in expanded 1.90:1 in IMAX pic.twitter.com/p2Uh1atS6r
— Anton Volkov (@antovolk) July 29, 2020
Mandibles
Rubber director Quentin Dupieux has released a brief teaser for his latest film, Mandibles, in which two “simple-minded friends” discover a giant fly in the boot of a car and attempt to train it for money and profit.
Watchmen
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Damon Lindelof says he really hopes HBO is making a followup to the Emmy-sweeping series, even if he ends up not being involved:
The big incentive for me would have been not to do more Watchmen but to work with that same group of artists, and they’ve all scattered to the wind. So I hope there’s more Watchmen. It’s one of those rare comic books that transcends what people think when you say ‘comics.’ The idea can hold real cultural conversations or deep dives into American history, or criticisms of, of law and order — those things are evergreen. I really feel like that space is now open for others to come and play in, and I really look forward to what they do with it.
Doom Patrol
Talking to Collider, Matt Bomer teases where Larry is headed for the rest of the season:
I don’t think it would be a season of Doom Patrol, if all of the characters didn’t have to get personal, at some point. Throughout the season, working with LGBTQ acceptance, mental illness, body image, PTSD, abuse, and all those things. When we find Larry, he’s living in closer harmony with the negative spirit inside of him. He learns that his estranged, youngest son has recently committed suicide, and that leads him to try to reconnect with the surviving son, only to be forced to deal with the generational damage that he’s done to his family. And so, there are these incredibly abstract scenes, that are, so filled with pathos, where Larry is seeing his son, for the first time, but he’s 1960s Larry, in the prime of his life, and doing a scene with this son, who’s much older than he is now, and he’s seeing him for the first time, since he was a little child. So, you can imagine how painful and moving that is for him and, hopefully, for the audience.
Lovecraft Country
HBO has released the synopses for the first five episodes of Lovecraft Country.
Season 1, Episode 1: “Sundown”
Veteran and pulp-fiction aficionado Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) travels from the Jim Crow South to his South Side of Chicago hometown in search of his missing father Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams). After recruiting his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) and childhood friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) to join him, the trio sets out for “Ardham,” MA, where they think Montrose may have gone looking for insight into Atticus’ late mother’s ancestry. As they journey across the Midwest, Tic, Leti, and George encounter dangers lurking at every turn, especially after sundown.
Teleplay by Misha Green; directed by Yann Demange.
Season 1, Episode 2: “Whitey’s on the Moon”
Inexplicably recovered from their terrifying night, Leti and George luxuriate in their new surroundings, while Atticus grows suspicious of their Ardham Lodge hosts – Christina Braithwhite (Abbey Lee) and her elusive father Samuel (Tony Goldwyn) – who unveil cryptic plans for Atticus’ role in their upcoming “Sons of Adam” ceremony. Later, after Tic, Leti, and George stumble upon a clue that could lead them to Montrose, each takes an unwelcome walk down memory lane.
Teleplay by Misha Green; directed by Daniel Sackheim.
Season 1, Episode 3: “Holy Ghost”
Hoping to mend her relationship with her sister Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku), Leti turns a ramshackle Victorian on Chicago’s North Side into a boarding house – an endeavour that stokes neighbourhood racism and awakens dormant spirits stuck in the house. Meanwhile, Atticus remains burdened by a guilty conscience as George’s wife Hippolyta (Aunjanue Ellis) presses him for the full story of what happened in Ardham.
Teleplay by Misha Green; directed by Daniel Sackheim.
Season 1, Episode 4: “A History of Violence”
After Christina mysteriously shows up at her doorstep, Leti confronts Atticus about his plan to surreptitiously return to Florida. Later, in search of missing pages to a crucial text, Leti, Tic, and Montrose head to Boston, with Hippolyta and Diana (Jada Harris) along for the ride. Back in Chicago, a handsome stranger nurses Ruby’s disappointment over a squandered job opportunity.
Teleplay by Misha Green; Story by Wes Taylor; directed by Victoria Mahoney.
Season 1, Episode 5 “Strange Case”
After making a devil’s bargain with William, Ruby steps into the charmed shoes of a white woman, but her transformation only fortifies her resentment of the racial divide. A betrayal by Montrose unleashes Atticus’ pent up rage, leaving Leti deeply disturbed and sending Montrose into the comforting arms of his secret lover.
Teleplay by Misha Green and Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton; directed by Cheryl Dunye.
Agents of SHIELD
Finally, Kora auditions for Agents of SHIELD by searing a hole through Deke in the trailer for next week’s episode, “Brand New Day.”
Banner art by Jim Cooke.