The week’s most popular and intriguing movie news in brief.
The Regime’ Teaser: Kate Winslet’s Chancellor Finds Fascination in Matthias Schoenaerts’ Butcher in HBO Limited Series
UPDATED: HBO’s latest release, “The Regime,” has just unveiled its official trailer, giving viewers a glimpse into the intense narrative starring Kate Winslet as an authoritarian Chancellor battling to maintain control amid a disconnection from reality. Matthias Schoenaerts joins the cast as the Butcher, alongside Guillaume Gallienne, Andrea Riseborough, Martha Plimpton, and Hugh Grant. Catch the new trailer above and revisit the previous teaser below.
PREVIOUSLY, Dec. 20, 2023: In a gripping teaser, Kate Winslet, also an executive producer, sets the tone for “The Regime,” formerly known as “The Palace,” promising a revealing portrayal of a nation’s growth under her leadership. The six-episode limited series, helmed by Succession’s Will Tracy and Frank Rich, with Stephen Frears directing, offers a riveting glimpse into the inner workings of a modern European regime on the brink of collapse. Set to debut on Sunday, March 3 at 9 pm on HBO and HBO Max, the show boasts an ensemble cast featuring Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Guillaume Gallienne, Andrea Riseborough, Martha Plimpton, and Hugh Grant.
Tracy, the mastermind behind the script, takes on the role of writer, showrunner, and executive producer, with Rich, Tracey Seaward, Winslet, Frears, and Jessica Hobbs also at the helm. Collaborating with a talented team of writers including Seth Reiss, Sarah DeLappe, Gary Shteyngart, Jen Spyra, and Juli Weiner, the series promises to captivate audiences with its compelling narrative and stellar performances.
Sonic Universe Broadens Its Horizons: Knuckles Takes Center Stage!
Paramount Pictures has unveiled the inaugural trailer for the upcoming “Knuckles” series, set to delve deeper into the universe of the “Sonic the Hedgehog” films. This six-episode saga follows Knuckles (portrayed by Idris Elba) on an intense journey of self-discovery, as he mentors and educates his apprentice Wade (played by Adam Pally) in the ways of the Echidna warrior.
Positioned between the release of 2022’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” and the eagerly anticipated “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” this project, presented by Jio Cinema, serves as a vital link to the forthcoming film. Notably, the series reunites pivotal members of the creative team behind the previous movies, including director Jeff Fowler and executive producers Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, John Whittington, Toru Nakahara, and Idris Elba.
Conceived for television by John Whittington and Toby Ascher, with Whittington now at the helm, the series features Whittington as the head writer, responsible for crafting both the series and its pilot episode. Brian Schacter and James Madejski also contribute to the show.
The ensemble cast of “Knuckles” includes Stockard Channing, Edi Patterson, Scott Mescudi, Ellie Taylor, Julian Barratt, Rory McCann, Cary Elwes, Christopher Lloyd, Paul Scheer, and Rob Huebel. Additionally, special guest appearances by Ben Schwartz and Tika Sumpter will see them reprise their roles as Sonic and Maddie, respectively. Colleen O’Shaughnessy, known for her portrayal of Tails, will return as a special guest star.
Art Directors Guild Awards Honor ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Poor Things,’ and ‘Saltburn’
“Poor Things, Oppenheimer, and Saltburn emerged victorious at the Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) Awards, securing accolades in the fantasy, period, and contemporary live action feature categories, respectively, during the 28th ADG Awards ceremony held on Saturday at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Ovation Hollywood.
Both Poor Things and Oppenheimer have garnered additional Oscar nominations for production design, joining Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Napoleon in contention for the prestigious award, all of which were also recognized by the ADG in their respective categories.
Recent history shows a correlation between the ADG’s period film award and the subsequent Oscar for production design, with winners such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2020) and Mank (2021). Similarly, fantasy category winners Black Panther (2019) and Dune (2022) have also clinched the production design Oscar. Last year, while eventual Oscar winner All Quiet on the Western Front was nominated in the period film category, Babylon claimed the ADG Award in that segment. Additional ADG Award recipients on Saturday included Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Beef, The Last of Us, Succession, Reservation Dogs, The Great, and Taylor Swift’s “I Can See You.”
During the event, Mimi Leder received the Cinematic Imagery Award, while David Lowery, Greg Papalia, Wynn P. Thomas, and Francine West were honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards. The late Lawrence G. Paull was posthumously inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame.
Host Max Greenfield added flair to the evening, appearing on stage dressed as Ken from Barbie and dancing to “Murder on the Dance Floor” from Saltburn.
Feature Film Categories
PERIOD FEATURE FILM
Asteroid City – Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen
Killers of the Flower Moon – Production Designer: Jack Fisk
Maestro – Production Designer: Kevin Thompson
Napoleon – Production Designer: Arthur Max
Oppenheimer – Production Designer: Ruth De Jong (WINNER)
FANTASY FEATURE FILM
Barbie – Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood
The Creator – Production Designer: James Clyne
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Production Designer: Beth Mickle
Poor Things – Production Designers: James Price, Shona Heath (WINNER)
Wonka – Production Designer: Nathan Crowley
CONTEMPORARY FEATURE FILM
Beau is Afraid – Production Designer: Fiona Crombie
John Wick: Chapter 4 – Production Designer: Kevin Kavanaugh
The Killer – Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Production Designer: Gary Freeman
Saltburn – Production Designer: Suzie Davies (WINNER)
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
The Boy and the Heron – Art Director: Yoji Takeshige
Elemental – Production Designer: Don Shank
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Production Designer: Patrick O’Keefe (WINNER)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Production Designer: Guillaume Aretos
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – Production Designer: Yashar Kassai
Television Categories
ONE-HOUR PERIOD SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
The Crown: “Sleep Dearie Sleep” – Production Designer: Martin Childs
The Gilded Age: “His Grace the Duke,” “Close Enough to Touch,” “Warning Shots” – Production Designer: Bob Shaw
The Great: “You the People,” “Fun,” “Peter and the Wolf” – Production Designer: Francesca di Mottola (WINNER)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: “Susan” – Production Designer: Bill Groom
Perry Mason: “Chapter Eleven” – Production Designer: Keith Cunningham
ONE-HOUR FANTASY SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
For All Mankind: “The Bear Hug” – Production Designer: Seth Reed
The Last of Us: “Infected” – Production Designer: John Paino (WINNER)
Loki: “Ouroboros” – Production Designer: Kasra Farahani
The Mandalorian: “Chapter 23: The Spies” – Production Designers: Doug Chiang, Andrew L. Jones
Silo: “Machines” – Production Designer: Gavin Bocquet
ONE-HOUR CONTEMPORARY SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
Fargo: “Trials and Tribulations” – Production Designer: Trevor Smith
The Morning Show: “The Kármán Line,” “Ghost in the Machine,” “Love Island” – Production Designer: Nelson Coates
Poker Face: “Escape From Shit Mountain” – Production Designer: Judy Rhee
Succession: “America Decides” – Production Designer: Stephen Carter (WINNER)
Yellowjackets: “Digestif” – Production Designer: Margot Ready
TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
All the Light We Cannot See – Production Designer: Simon Elliott
A Murder at the End of the World – Production Designer: Alex DiGerlando
Beef – Production Designer: Grace Yun (WINNER)
Daisy Jones & The Six – Production Designer: Jessica Kender
Lessons in Chemistry – Production Designer: Cat Smith
HALF HOUR SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
The Bear: “Omelette” – Production Designer: Merje Veski
Only Murders in the Building: “Sitzprobe,” “Opening Night” – Production Designer: Patrick Howe
Our Flag Means Death: “Impossible Birds,” “Red Flags,” “Man on Fire” – Production Designer: Ra Vincent
Reservation Dogs: “Deer Lady” – Production Designer: Brandon Tonner-Connolly (WINNER)
What We Do in the Shadows: “A Weekend at Morrigan Manor” – Production Designer: Shayne Fox
MULTI-CAMERA SERIES
Bob Heart Abishola: “Twerk O’ Clock” – Production Designer: Francoise Cherry-Cohen
Bunk’d: “The Glitching Hour” – Production Designer: Kelly Hogan
The Conners: “Road Trip and Guilt Trip” – Production Designer: Jerry Dunn
Frasier: “Moving In” – Production Designer: Glenda Rovello (WINNER)
That 90’s Show: “Free Leia” – Production Designer: Greg J. Grande
VARIETY OR REALITY SERIES
A Black Lady Sketch Show: “I’m Clapping From My Puss,” “What Kind of Medicine Does Dr. King Practice?,” “Peek-A-Boob, Your Titty’s Out” – Production Designers: Cindy Chao, Michele Yu
History of the World, Part II: “VIII” – Production Designer: Monica Sotto
RuPaul’s Drag Race: “Blame it on the Edit” – Production Designer: Gianna Costa
Saturday Night Live: “Jenna Ortega/The 1975,” “Nate Bargatze/Foo Fighters” – Production Designers: Keith Ian Raywood, Akira Yoshimura, N. Joseph DeTullio
Squid Game: The Challenge: “War” – Production Designers: Mathieu Weekes, Benjamin Norman (WINNER)
VARIETY SPECIAL
76th Annual Tony Awards – Production Designer: Steve Bass
80th Golden Globe Awards – Production Designer: Brian Stonestreet (WINNER)
Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer – Production Designer: Bruce Ryan
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas – Production Designer: Misty Buckley
The Weeknd: Live at Sofi Stadium – Production Designer: Es Devlin
COMMERCIALS
Apple: The New Macbook Pro: “Scary Fast” – Production Designer: François Audouy (WINNER – TIE)
Booking.com: “Somewhere, Anywhere,” The Musical – Production Designer: Florencia Martin (WINNER – TIE)
Dom Perignon: “Lady Gaga – The Labor of Creation” – Production Designer: Dylan Kahn Giorgio
Armani: “Armani Si” – Production Designer: Annie Beauchamp
M&M’s: “Ma&Ya’s” – Production Designer: Natalie Groce
SHORT FORMAT & MUSIC VIDEOS
Apple: “The Underdogs: Swiped Mac” – Production Designer: Jason Hougaard
boygenius: “the film” – Production Designer: Jen Dunlap
Lana Del Rey featuring Jon Batiste: “Candy Necklace” – Production Designer: Brandon Mendez
Miley Cyrus: “River” – Production Designer: Kurt Gefke
Taylor Swift: “I Can See You” – Production Designer: Ethan Tobman (WINNER)
Sophie Turner and Kit Harington Reunite for Horror Film
Sophie Turner and Kit Harington, known for their roles as Sansa Stark and Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, are joining forces once more for a new horror movie titled “The Dreadful,” as reported by Deadline.
In this Gothic horror tale, Turner portrays Anne, a solitary figure living on the outskirts of society with her mother-in-law during the War of the Roses, a period that heavily influenced George R.R. Martin’s writing of the Song of Ice and Fire series, upon which Game of Thrones is based. Harington’s character is teased as “a man from their past,” according to the movie’s brief description provided by Deadline. Natasha Kermani, known for her work on the horror film “Lucky” and a segment of Shudder’s “V/H/S/85,” will write and direct the film.
Turner’s recent credits include the film “Do Revenge” and the HBO miniseries “The Staircase,” with her upcoming role in the British crime series “Joan” as the notorious criminal “Godmother” Joan Hannington. Harington has been busy with projects like the TV series “Extrapolations” and “Lot No. 249,” along with the films “Blood for Dust” and “Baby Ruby.” Additionally, he portrayed Dane Whitman, also known as the Black Knight, in Marvel’s “Eternals,” hinting at potential future involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Last year, George R.R. Martin confirmed that Harington was collaborating with HBO on a Jon Snow spinoff series. Meanwhile, fans can anticipate his return in season 3 of “Industry.”
