News

Akela Cooper (M3GAN, Malignant, The Nun 2) has been set to adapt the screenplay for a new Universal horror movie based on a Colin Bannon-penned short story, Don’t Look. Per Deadline, the mysterious new horror film will star Janelle Monáe (Glass Onion, Antebellum).

Don’t Look is based on Colin Bannon’s unpublished short story, giving us not a single clue in terms of plot, and the logline for the Universal feature remains under wraps at this time.

Bannon is on a hot streak. Last month, the writer made a Universal deal for his horror short story Long Lost, produced by Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon for Genre Pictures, Scott Glassgold, and his Ground Control Entertainment. That feature film adaptation is said to be “In the vein of What Lies Beneath and Rosemary’s Baby, telling the story of a recently married woman whose life is...

Exclusive: Universal has pre-emptively purchased the short story thriller package Don’t Look, with Janelle Monáe in talks to star.

Akela Cooper is set to adapt the screenplay based on the short story by Colin Bannon.

Monáe is in talks to produce through her Wondaland Pictures’ first-look deal with Universal Pictures, along with Scott Glassgold’s Ground Control. They are keeping the logline under wraps, based on Bannon’s unpublished short story.

Bannon is fresh from making a Universal deal for his horror short story Long Lost, produced by Steven Spielberg, Simon Kinberg and Glassgold. Glassgold and Cooper teamed on the short story sale It’s Over to Sony Pictures, with Glassgold and Roy Lee producing.

The short story deal brokering was led by Verve, its second of the day in a turbulent week after the Sony deal for Cola Wars.

“Nothing is what it seems.” A seemingly offhand remark made early in Don’t Look Now is slowly revealed to be the theme around which the film revolves.

Nicolas Roeg’s directorial efforts may not have always connected with audiences immediately, but his impressionistic approach has aged like fine wine. Don’t Look Now, in particular, was decades ahead of its time upon its release in 1973.

The screenplay — written by Allan Scott and Chris Bryant (The Awakening), based on a 1971 short story by Daphne du Maurier — analyzes the psychological effects of trauma through a horror lens; a motif we’ve seen explored many times over in recent years, from Ari Aster’s filmography to David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy.

Following the tragic drowning of their young daughter, architect John Baxter and bereaved wife Laura travel from their English country home to Venice to oversee the restoration of a church. After a...

New Delhi, Sep 19 (Ians) Virat Kohli has unfollowed him and consumer electronics brand boAT has withdrawn its sponsorship of his India tour, which was to begin on Saturday, September 23, with a performance on Cordelia Cruises, Mumbai. So, who is Shubh?

The Punjab-born, Brampton, Canada-based 26-year-old rapper Shubhneet Singh waded into controversy on a day when India-Canadian ties hit rock bottom after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused “Indian agents” of perpetrating the June 23 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar at a gurudwara in Surrey, Vancouver.

In an Instagram post captioned ‘Pray for Punjab’, along with two folded hands emojis, this baby-faced follower of the late Sidhu Moosewala ran a map of India without the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and the North-East on it.

His fans are shocked, especially Kohli, who had some time back responded to a song posted by Subh on Instagram, saying: “My favourite artist...

New Delhi, Sep 19 (Ians) Virat Kohli has unfollowed him and consumer electronics brand boAT has withdrawn its sponsorship of his India tour, which was to begin on Saturday, September 23, with a performance on Cordelia Cruises, Mumbai. So, who is Shubh?

The Punjab-born, Brampton, Canada-based 26-year-old rapper Shubhneet Singh waded into controversy on a day when India-Canadian ties hit rock bottom after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused “Indian agents” of perpetrating the June 23 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar at a gurudwara in Surrey, Vancouver.

In an Instagram post captioned ‘Pray for Punjab’, along with two folded hands emojis, this baby-faced follower of the late Sidhu Moosewala ran a map of India without the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and the North-East on it.

His fans are shocked, especially Kohli, who had some time back responded to a song posted by Subh on Instagram, saying: “My favourite artist...

The Criterion Collection is celebrating Halloween with a brand new lineup of horror releases this October, and we’ve got the full scoop straight from Criterion’s website.

Coming this October, “three Pre-code chillers from a master of the morbid; a gothic supernatural tale; & a haunting modern-day fable of cultural dislocation in NYC.”

Those films are Freaks, The Unknown and The Mystic, packaged together in Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers; The Others (2001); and Nanny (2022). Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers will first be added to the Criterion Collection on October 17, followed by Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others on October 24 and Nikyatu Jusu’s Nanny on October 31.

Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers:

“The world is a carnival of criminality, corruption, and psychosexual strangeness in the twisted pre-Code shockers of Tod Browning. Early Hollywood’s edgiest auteur, Browning drew on his experiences as a circus performer to create subversive pulp entertainments set amid the world of traveling sideshows,...

HBO’s latest hit series The Last of Us now officially has a soundtrack for its first season, a massive, 66-song compilation of all the music scoring the post-apocalyptic tale. Check it out below.

After working on the original The Last of Us video game, composer Gustavo Santaolalla returns for the HBO series, joined by fellow artist David Fleming. In an upcoming interview with Consequence, Santaolalla describes his approach to the soundtrack, saying, “The process of adapting, it was more in a way like craftwork than actually a new creation, because the themes were there, those things are there, like the characters, it wasn’t about creating a new job, it wasn’t about finding what is interesting. For example, in seeing how Pascal and Bella, they’re different than the actors that played the voices, but at the same time, they keep the soul of the characters intact.”

While...

Belfast and The Power Of The Dog lead the way on the film side with seven nominations each.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominations for the 2022 Golden Globes, following a year of controversies for the organisation.

Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast and Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog lead the way on the film side, with seven nominations each including best drama.

Don’t Look Up, King Richard, Licorice Pizza and West Side Story follow with four nominations apeice.

The HFPA has been heavily criticised for the lack of diversity in its membership which emerged this year,...

A country house. A quarrelling couple. A swimming pool. An infant floating face down. The Blazing World makes clear reference to Don’t Look Now in its opener, only this time we have an operatic score and Udo Kier standing next to a black hole, beckoning the dead infant’s young sister to follow him to an alternate dimension. It makes a pretty strong impression, setting the tone for a film that makes a show of its high production values.

Things progress quite nicely hereafter, albeit for just 20 minutes or so. Carlson Young gives a good performance as Margaret Winter, the surviving infant who is now a young woman, and she has chemistry with her parents, the still quarrelling Alice (Vinessa Shaw) and Tom (Dermot Mulroney). Those production values give it a good look, too. Offbeat camera angles are paired with stylish grading and full-bodied colours, creating frames that can be genuinely painterly,...

A day after London’s Covid-19-canceled BFI Flare festival dedicated to Lgbtiq+ cinema was due to begin, organizers have outlined a plan for a digital edition, dubbed BFI Flare at Home, to run through the British Film Institute’s BFI Player application. Festivalgoers will be invited to screen a number of BFI Flare’s planned shorts and features from March 20th through March 29th, with those who had booked tickets offered a special deal on a subscription to the BFI Player service, and general audiences given a two-week trial.

“BFI Flare is a very special and long standing festival with a loyal and dedicated following,” the BFI’s director of festivals Tricia Tuttle said in a statement. “When the decision was made to cancel the ‘live’ festival the team knew that they wanted to share some elements of BFI Flare digitally to celebrate the spirit of BFI Flare and...

Don't Look, a new feature length horror film that was successfully crowdfunded by over 500 backers from across the country, began shooting on location last week in Berks County, Pa, and we have more details plus a few behind-the-scenes photos.

From the Press Release:

Don't Look, the story of five friends, an inherited farm, a secret past, and a bloody wrath, is being filmed on location on a 100-acre farm in Robeson Township, Pennsylvania.

The location includes a lake, boathouse, forest, cornfields, apple orchards, cow pasture, century-old cabins, barns, and other facilities that help frame the frightening story.

Produced by Enuff Productions, Inc., Don't Look is directed by Bryan Killay. The project has assembled a strong production and acting crew from New York, Los Angeles, and the Pennsylvania area. The film stars Bella Plotkin, Lindsay Difulvio, Luciana Faulhaber, Jeff Berg, Curtis K. Case, and Javier E. Gomez.

The executive producers are Jessica Boucher,...

Luciana Faulhaber was born the youngest to a single mom in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil where she quickly learned to fend for herself. After moving to New York to study upon receiving full academic scholarship to Fordham University, she would eventually take a job teaching underprivileged kids and those with special needs until she was summoned by the universe to the arts. Faulhaber would appear in Iron Man 3 and shot for Vogue Italia before she would be cast in The Night Crew by filmmaker Christian Sesma (Check out 'I'm Not Like That No More'). The actioner about a group of rag tag bounty hunters features Luke Goss (Hellboy 2), Bokeem Woodbine (Southland), co-writer Paul Sloan and Machete himself Danny Trejo where according to Sesma, “lots of sh*t get's blown up”. LatinoBuzz spoke to the carioca about her work and her role as 'Rose'.

LatinoBuzz: When did the acting thing hit you? And why do you Have to do this?

Luciana: I always kept creative through childhood and college. My parents have always been supportive of the arts as a hobby. So I went on to have a serious degree and become a teacher. One day the father of one of my students walks by my classroom and asked if I wanted to be in a commercial. I joked and said "why not? Have you seen my salary?" It turned out to be a national commercial which got me into the actors union. I remembered getting that letter unexpectedly from SAG in the mail and I couldn't remember the last time I was that happy. Next day I decide to join a conservatory acting school at nights after work and ended up being taught by the brilliant Bill Esper. Six months later my life was upside down. I called it quits on the job, the ivy league graduate degree and the picket fence life that was never for me. That was truly a new beginning.

LatinoBuzz: Something I always ask, what does being Latina in this industry mean to you? What do you want to see more from Latinos in film?

Luciana: T here is a difference between Latinos in film and films about Latinos. The Latino population is reaching a 50% mark in the make up of America and we buy more movie tickets than any other ethnic group. That should be represented on screen. As a teacher I learned that most of this Latino generation is an English speaker, general classroom educated, who dream of being more than the stereotypical maid and drug dealers we end up representing on screen. That is old news. It's time the industry catches up. This is an era of a the Latino generation that is in search of that American dream. Latinos are everywhere, in every profession, and that should be reflected on the screen. I would like to see a time where we wouldn't just fill a quota but be considered for any role.

LatinoBuzz: Tell me about your role in The Night Crew.

Luciana: I play 'Rose' in The Night Crew. She is the only female member of the 'Crew' and fits in like one of the boys. Rose is a true fighter. She is tough, relentless and keeps the boys in check so expect lots of action and gun play from this one. But Rose also has another side of her that is feminine and womanly which she keeps guarded and protected until she falls in love with one of the crew members. For the sake of the Crew they try to keep those feelings at bay but love must always prevail. At least I believe so and fortunately so does Paul Sloan and Christian Sesma the writers of The Night Crew. I got really lucky with this character. She gets to show all sides of the same person and there is nothing more human than that. I can't get over how blessed I am to be working with this team. Christian Sesma, A.J Rickert-Epstein and Luke Goss are just a brilliant team. It has been a wonderful learning and collaborative experience and indie film gives you space for that.

LatinoBuzz: I remember that it was a short window from audition to shooting The Night Crew. How did you adjust?

Luciana: Yes! The phone call was quite a surprise. I was ready to hop on a plane to spend Thanksgiving with my amazing American family at Plow Farms in Plowville, Pa when it happened. This is where we will be shooting our feature Don't Look next year. We successfully Kickstarted for. I canceled the same morning I was suppose to fly out and jokingly told Christian he took me off the plane. It was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. Then I called Mama Brenda, my sis Lindsay and my family in Brazil to tell them all the good news. The hardest part was to be good on Thanksgiving and not jump on the delicious meal my friends cooked up for us. I was so excited I barely slept those few days before we hit the road to Palm Springs where we are shooting now.

LatinoBuzz: You have to pick a director, co-star and story. Go!

Luciana: Oh man that is so hard! The list would go on and on. I was so lucky this year to work with people like my amazing friend Shane Black and Robert Downey Jr, Ben Kingsley, Alec Smight, Ted Danson, Georgia Fox, George Eads and now Christian Sesma, Danny Trejo, Luke Goss, Bokeem Woodbine and Paul Sloan. I am over the moon and to them I would like to say thank you for being part of my journey. In the hopes this lucky streak continues, I would love to work with people like Wes Anderson, Jose Padilha, Quentin Tarantino and James Wan.

These guys have such an unique style I think would be a wonderful and freeing experience. Now in terms of co-stars this might make me sound like a big nerd but I would have loved to dance with Fred Astaire and dream of finding love in a black and white picture. I also want to make movies in Brazil. We are expanding in talent, experience and opportunity and I want to be part of telling the stories of my people. Brazilians are amongst the top 5 highest immigration groups here in America.

LatinoBuzz: What's your theme song? (And it can't be 'Girl from Ipanema'!)

Luciana: I have one for each moment just like a movie. But I particularly enjoy music that carries a female voice. Girl power stuff really. Lorde's last album is one I have played a bunch this year and Taylor Swifts (Red) has played everyday this year (I do love her stuff, 'have to admit!). I also love the indie stuff with Vampire Weekend, Phoenix and other bands a such. However, what I like most is discovering new music and I'm lucky some of my friends are amazing at it like Kaylin Lee Clinton. Her new album Painted Road is also on repeat on my list.

LatinoBuzz: “Five years from now Luciana will be...”

Luciana: A household name. Making multiple movies a year, on a TV show, doing more charity work to use her powers for good. Having her mom and sis here whenever they missed each other. Then she gets to go home to her family: the love of her life, Spike the dog and a kid or two. That to me would be having it all!

Keep up with Luciana at http://www.lucianafaulhaber.com/ and The Night Crew on the Fb page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nightcrew/177404398973101

Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook .