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Express Tribune
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Regé-Jean Page to produce and potentially star in ‘Funny You Should Ask' series for Apple
Regé-Jean Page is set to executive produce and is expected to star in the Apple TV adaptation of Funny You Should Ask, based on the bestselling novel by Elissa Sussman. The project, currently in development, comes from Tomorrow Studios, with Page and producing partner Emily Brown attached via their A Mighty Stranger Production banner. The romantic drama follows a young journalist who interviews a Hollywood icon — a role Page is poised to play — and reconnects with him a decade later. Rachel Alter is adapting the novel for the screen and will also serve as executive producer alongside Page, Brown, Robin Schwartz, Carolyn Daucher, and the production team at Tomorrow Studios. This marks Page's anticipated return to television since his breakout role as Simon Basset in Bridgerton. The role in Funny You Should Ask is particularly fitting, as the fictional movie star is the latest James Bond ,a part Page has long been favoured to play by fans. If greenlit, it would bring Page back into the romantic spotlight with a contemporary edge. Published in 2022, the novel follows a young journalist tasked with interviewing a famous Hollywood actor who has just been cast as the new James Bond. Their interview sparks unexpected chemistry, leading to a weekend that changes everything. Ten years later, they reunite, forcing them both to confront what really happened between them and what it still means. Page's recent credits include Black Bag, The Gray Man, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
The Hindu
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Ballerina' movie review: Ana de Armas is spectacular in a middling ‘John Wick' spin-off
Following her stints in action films like No Time to Die and The Gray Man, Ana de Armas gets to bring bullet-spewing, flame-throwing, grenade-exploding mayhem upon a gazillion men in Ballerina. Still, it seems her most formidable triumph comes from the fact that her character Eve Macarro refuses to be just a 'female John Wick.' Female assassins aren't really hot commodity for studios at the moment (must one blame Black Widow?), but Lionsgate persistently selling it as a John Wick film ('From the World of John Wick' prefixes the title) isn't unjustified either. The Babayaga casts a long, unmatchable shadow, which is why it's quite something to see Eve end up standing on her own feet. Could we say the same about the film? Unfortunately, Ballerina may not survive that face-off. Ballerina begins by telling us who Eve is, and the film justifiably takes the necessary time for this crucial backstory. After Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), the vicious leader of the Cult, killed her father, a young Eve (Victoria Comte) trains to become a ballerina assassin with the Ruska Roma in New York, under the care of the Director (Anjelica Huston, reprising her character from John Wick: Chapter 3) and Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), a mentor at the establishment. 12 years later, Eve is a killing machine who, as one would expect, crosses paths with the Cultists who killed her father and seeks vengeance, a quest that introduces us to an unknown world where it seems like Eve might be out of her depths. From here, director Len Wiseman's film, written by John Wick 3 & 4 scribe Shay Hatten, goes full throttle as we flip through some grand action set pieces. Be it the fight sequence inside The Continental (where we are introduced to Norman Reedus' Daniel Pine, whose story further pushes Eve to seek vengeance) or the long climactic sequence in a snowy riverside village, there's seamless and innovative action choreography. However, what truly sells this action is how Armas' Eve is written. Right at the beginning, Nogi teaches Eve to embrace her slight frame and the weaknesses she naturally carries. And so, Eve relies upon speed, spatial awareness, fluid body movements and impeccable accuracy. While she struggles to best her enemies initially, she finds her peak momentum during a spectacular fight at an ammunition store, and it's quite riveting to see an assassin who grows into herself. It also helps that Armas plays Eve with a perceptible wide-eyedness. A ballerina key toy becomes a symbol of how Eve looks at her life under the Ruska Roma. She yearns for freedom and to win over her fate, as she tells John Wick in a scene, but also to seek the truth of what happened to her father (interestingly, her Latin tattoo translates to 'Light amidst darkness,' while her father's tattoo denoted self-conquest). 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' (English) Director: Len Wiseman Cast: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Norman Reedus Runtime: 125 minutes Storyline: A young assassin takes on a secret cult to avenge her father's death The issue with Ballerina is that, in attempting to stay true to the world of John Wick while also carving an identity of its own, the film falls in line with the notion many confuse John Wick to be: a trigger-happy adrenaline junky's wet dream. John Wick is more; these were narratives propelled by the rage, grief and world-weariness behind Keanu Reeves' sulky, cold eyes. There's very little of that going for Ballerina, as Armas' character is thrust into action set pieces even before she can hold control of the frames. While it is unfair to wish Eve fit like a glove in a world John took four films to get accustomed to, Ballerina's attempts at establishing the dynamics between the protagonist and the secondary characters, like Winston, the Director, or even the Chancellor, are hardly effective; all we get are some juvenile exchanges. Surely, one cannot pit a two-hour film against a three-episode series when it comes to character development, but the thought of characters from The Continentaldoes arise, especially when you meet the present-day Winston (Ian McShane) and Charon (the late Lance Reddick). Also, if that series moved away from Chad Stahelski's John Wick films, Ballerina attempts to be at the more pulpier extreme. The simplicity of the plot isn't the question here — the John Wick films didn't work for their plot — but a lack of ambition. It's absurd how contrived and convenient the world of Ballerina seems for the newbie protagonist. She fights hundreds of Cultists with guns and flamethrowers, uses ice-skating shoes as shurikens, and throws grenades in close quarters (and somehow keeps her head), and while all that riveting action impresses you in the moment, the effect hardly lingers. Instead, what you are left wondering is how John Wick's appearance fits into the larger scheme of things, since the film is set between the events of the third and fourth John Wick films. Seems like John somehow found time for this side quest even when he was declared excommunicado. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is currently running in theatres
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Billy Bob Thornton says he is not a part of Hollywood
Actor Billy Bob Thornton , who is known for his work in 'Fargo', 'The Gray Man' and others, has said that he doesn't belong to Hollywood. The actor said that he doesn't consider himself to be part of Hollywood, reports 'Female First UK'. The 69-year-old actor has enjoyed huge success in the movie business, starring in films such as 'A Simple Plan', 'Armageddon' and 'Friday Night Lights', but he tries to distance himself from the Hollywood scene. He told 'People' magazine, "I don't talk about politics and stuff with people. I just kind of stay out of it all. I'm not really much of a part of Hollywood, as you say. I'm at home with the family, or I'm in a recording studio or on the road or making this. Those are the things I do, and I just kind of mind my own business". As per 'Female First UK', Billy Bob plays Tommy Norris, a landman for an oil company, in the Paramount series Landman, and he's enjoyed playing the character more than he initially imagined. The actor said, "It's almost like a few characters I've played boiled into one. He's like the guy from Goliath, Bad Santa, it's like he doesn't suffer fools, but he also has some fun every now and then. I'm just basically playing who I would be if I were a landman". Billy Bob previously confessed that he feels "nervous" watching himself on screen. The actor revealed that he's tried to avoid seeing himself in Landman, even though he's been widely praised for his performance. He told 'Extra', "I get nervous watching myself, so I haven't actually seen them myself". Landman was created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, and Taylor actually wrote the show with Bill Bob in mind. The actor shared, "I had done a cameo for Taylor in '1883'. I just went down to Fort Worth and did this cameo in '1883'. When were at the premiere of that in Las Vegas, he said, 'Listen, I'm writing this show with your voice called 'Landman'. He goes, 'I think you're really going to dig this'. So he had told me about it a couple of years before we actually started filming and I got really excited when he sent me the first couple of scripts. It kind of fits like a glove". Landman : Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Hamm and Ali Larter Starrer Landman Official Trailer
USA Today
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
In fiery 'Ballerina,' Ana de Armas is more than 'a female John Wick'
In fiery 'Ballerina,' Ana de Armas is more than 'a female John Wick' Show Caption Hide Caption 'Ballerina': Ana de Armas faces Keanu Reeves in 'John Wick' spinoff Ana de Armas plays a dancer-turned-assassin on a mission of revenge and Keanu Reeves makes an appearance as John Wick in the action movie "Ballerina." LAS VEGAS – Ana de Armas sobbed the first time she set a guy on fire. Her assassin character in the 'John Wick' franchise spinoff 'Ballerina' (in theaters June 6) uses all manner of weaponry when dealing with various villains, including a flamethrower. Before filming a rather fiery sequence, de Armas had a harrowing moment rehearsing with a stuntman where she felt the reality of the fiction they were creating. 'He's standing in front of me and I'm like, 'OK, easy. Just going to do it,' and, of course, he's performing,' de Armas recalls. 'But I dropped the thing and started crying because he is burning. It was not a good image. 'I had to unzip the (fireproof) onesie that they put on me and go for a walk. He came and showed me he was OK. But the first impression was really intense. I was not prepared for that. And then I burned like 106 people,' she adds with a proud smile. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox After "little tastes" of action in 'Ghosted' and 'The Gray Man,' plus one memorable sequence in the James Bond movie 'No Time to Die,' de Armas, 37, wanted more in her movie career. The Oscar-nominated actress got way more with 'Ballerina.' In the film, Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) is brought up as a dancer and killer in the criminal Ruska Roma organization after the tragic death of her father when she was a child. Eve is unleashed on the underworld, but when she discovers the cult that killed her dad, she goes rogue on a violent mission of vengeance that ultimately puts her at odds with Wick (Keanu Reeves) himself. 'This is a character with a very strong conviction, or you could say also she's very stubborn,' de Armas says of Eve. 'Most of the movie's about revenge, but then in the end, there's a beautiful twist about trying to change someone else's life.' Franchise regular Ian McShane sees the addition of de Armas to the 'Wick' world as 'a gift. She's lovely, she's talented and she can act. What more can you ask?' And Reeves loves watching her 'be heroic' as Eve, like John, fights powers beyond her control. 'It's cool to see Ana have that opportunity to have the John Wick challenge of 'Against all odds!' and 'Another kind of revenge!' ' he says. However, it was extremely important to both de Armas and director Len Wiseman that Eve not be 'a female John Wick.' The filmmaker wanted her to be dynamic but also deal with the fact that de Armas isn't going to look unstoppable going up against, say, a 6-foot-3 assassin. 'We wanted to play the reality. Unless she's thinking more clever about how that fight unfolds, she is going to get her ass kicked,' Wiseman says. 'You see action movies where a female lead is just plowing through all these huge dudes, and me as an audience member just loving action, I go, 'Really?' So I was glad that Ana's like, 'Oh, no. Yeah, I should get thrashed.' ' That meant coming up with a signature style for Eve: In the Ruska Roma, she's taught to 'fight like a girl,' which means she needs to adapt, to improvise and to cheat. 'We thought about that line a lot, and it's like, are people going to take it right?' de Armas says. In creating the character's action choreography, de Armas leaned into her disadvantages. 'I wanted every kick and every punch, and every time I get slammed against the wall or whatever's happening, it hurts,' the actress said. 'She gets tired and she's overwhelmed and they keep coming at her. And the only thing that keeps her going is the motivation that she has.' But Eve is also extremely crafty and can make any object dangerous. She uses dinner plates, forks and candleholders in brawls, duct tapes a knife to a gun (so she can stab one bad guy while shooting another in the face) and, in the super-cool flamethrower faceoff, does damage with a firehose. (Which needed no extra practice, for the record. 'That I did on the spot on the day,' de Armas reports.) Wiseman came up with one of de Armas' favorite off-the-wall weapons: an ice skate that Eve sticks her hand in and uses like a boxing glove on an enemy. 'That could either be really lame and stupid or really cool and brutal,' the director says. The actress recalls the pitch: 'I was like, 'What did you just say?' ' she says with a laugh. 'It was really crazy when he thought of it, but then it all made sense. It's painful to even watch it.' De Armas 'never imagined' that her acting career was going to take this action-packed path, she says, and with 'Ballerina,' she got what she asked for – and more. 'After going through this, I was pretty satisfied.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The First Time Ana De Armas Met Keanu Reeves, He Showed Her Choreo From The First John Wick. A Decade Later, They're Starring In Ballerina Together
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The John Wick franchise became more than just a saga following Keanu Reeves' title assassin when it delivered the Peacock subscription-exclusive prequel series The Continental in 2023. Now we're about to enter spinoff territory again with the 2025 movie release of Ballerina, which stars Ana de Armas in the lead role. This time though, Reeves gets to partake in this side quest as John Wick, although this didn't mark the first time he and de Armas met. A decade ago, the former showed the latter choreography from the first John Wick movie. Ana de Armas, who has previous action experience from No Time to Die, The Gray Man and Ghosted, reflected on that experience while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She and Keanu Reeves first worked together on Knock Knock, and after they made each other's acquaintance, he showed off some of the moves he'd done for John Wick, which hadn't been released yet. In de Armas' words: The first time we met, we were at lunch, and he told us the story about John Wick. Like, he had just wrapped the first John got up from the chair in the middle of the restaurant and started doing one of the choreos in front of everybody. I was like 'Well, he looks excited.' More Ballerina Stories Tom Cruise Has Seen Ballerina, And He Did Not Hold Back About Ana De Armas' New Movie I Wasn't Sure What To Expect From Ballerina Until I Saw Ana De Armas Break Some Plates With Another Woman's Face (And Talk About The Insane Stuntwork She Went Through) As well he should have been! While Keanu Reeves had no idea at the time that John Wick would spawn a popular franchise, the action choreography alone was enough to make it stand out from the crowd. So Ana de Armas and everyone else in that restaurant got a special tease for what was to come, and man, I wish I could've been there. When John Wick was released in October 2014, it was met with positive critical reception and made $86 million worldwide, somewhere around three-four times its budget. Chapter 2 was greenlit a few months later, and the rest is history. Now the time has come to spotlight Ana de Armas' Eve Macarro in Ballerina, as we'll see her training to exact revenge on the people who killed her father. That will include her clashing with John Wick, and de Armas went on to explain just how much these movies mean to Keanu Reeves, whom she's now worked with three times (they also co-starred in Exposed): These kinds of movies, I mean, this is his happy place. This is what he likes to do. He loves rehearsing, he loves martial so generous too when he goes to set, and he knows you're trying to figure it out. So, he gives you your time, and he just steps back, he's never imposing anything. And then when you're ready, he's like 'I'm coming for you.' Ballerina takes place between the events of the third and fourth John Wick movies. As such, we'll find Reeves' character after he was found by The Bowery King, but before he started carrying out his mission of vengeance against The High Table. Although John Wick: Chapter 5 is in development, if it doesn't get off the ground it's entirely possible Ballerina will be the last time we see him playing the character since Chapter 4 ended with him being presumed dead. But ultimately Ballerina is Ana de Armas' platform to shine on, and her other co-stars include Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane, the late Lance Reddick, Gabriel Byrne and Norman Reedus, among others. The action flick, which arrives in theaters on June 6, was directed by Len Wiseman and written by Shay Hatten, and John Wick helmer Chad Stahelski oversaw the reshoots, although he'll go uncredited for that work.
