Patriot Pictures, XYZ Films, and Wayward Entertainment have officially announced the upcoming release of writer-director Nick Cassavetes’ revenge thriller “God is a Bullet”. The film stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jamie Foxx, January Jones, and Maika Monroe. It’s set to hit theaters June 23rd. See below for the official press announcement and the first-look poster….

Los Angeles, CA –-Patriot Pictures and XYZ Films have brought on Wayward Entertainment to release GOD IS A BULLET, screenplay written and directed by critically-acclaimed director Nick Cassavetes, for a wide release exclusively in US theaters on June 23, 2023. The action thriller stars Maika Monroe, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Karl Glusman, January Jones, Paul Johansson, David Thornton and Jamie Foxx. The film will expand to a digital release in the US on July 11, 2023.  

Inspired by true events and based on the best-selling novel “God Is A Bullet” written by Boston Teran, the film is produced by Michael Mendelsohn from Patriot Pictures and Donald V. Allen. Kim H. Winther and Jim Steele are co-producing. Executive producing is Natalie Perrotta, Paul Johansson, Sidney Kimmel, Jamie Foxx, Chuck Pacheco, Jim Steele, Santiago García Galván. Mendelsohn’s Union Patriot Capital Management fully financed the film. 

The film follows detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who finds his ex-wife murdered and his daughter kidnapped by an insidious cult. Bob takes matters into his own hands and infiltrates the secretive cult to try to save his daughter. With the help of the cult’s only female victim escapee, Case Hardin (Maika Monroe), Bob and Case go down the rabbit hole with The Ferryman (Jamie Foxx) to save his daughter and find closure for Case from the cult – and its maniacal leader (Glusman) – that took so much away from her. 

Patriot Pictures Michael Mendelson states “We are looking forward to working with Wayward and are so excited that GOD IS A BULLET will be hitting theaters nationwide this summer. Audiences are back and want to see films that keep them on the edge. Nick and I, with an amazing, multi-national cast and crew, are excited to release a badass, action-packed revenge classic, made to be enjoyed on the big screen.” 

Nick Cassavetes added “I’ve been trying to tell this great story for the last 18+ years. It’s tough, violent, has two flawed and fantastic characters, and absolutely pulls no punches. I love it! There’s nothing else out there like it, not even close!” 

XYZ Films is handling global sales for the Patriot Pictures production. XYZ and Patriot previously collaborated on SYNCHONIC (TIFF 2019) starring Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie, CUT THROAT CITY (SXSW 2020) starring Ethan Hawke and Wesley Snipes and the Sundance world premiere (2021) entry PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND starring Nicolas Cage.

Astute horror movie aficionados may remember a 2005 film called “Boogeyman”. It wasn’t well-recieved by critics, but it did earn enough money for two straight-to-video sequels. Anyway, the upcoming chiller “The Boogeyman” isn’t connected to those three films in any way. This one is a film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1973 short story of the same name. It comes from director Rob Savage and is taken from a story conceived by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the duo who wrote “A Quiet Place”.

“The Boogeyman” follows two sisters (Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair) who have been emotionally devastated by the recent death of their mother. The hurting young girls haven’t gotten much support from their grieving father (Chris Messina). The struggling family soon find themselves being preyed upon by a malevolent spirit who targets their pain and feeds on their crippling feelings of loss. There seems to be some compelling themes at work even if the trailer puts off a pretty conventional horror vibe. I’m interested to see how it turns out.

“The Boogeyman” opens in theaters on June 2nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

“White Bird” is an upcoming inspirational war drama from director Marc Forster (“Finding Neverland”, “World War Z”, “A Man Called Otto”). It’s written by Mark Bomback and is an adaptation of R. J. Palacio’s 2019 graphic novel of the same name. The film is being called a spin-off and a companion piece to the 2017 coming-of-age drama “Wonder”. The first trailer has been released by Lionsgate and reveals a warm-hearted period film packed with a powerful message.

The trailer shows Bryce Gheisar reprising his role as Julian Albans, the school bully from “Wonder” who was expelled from his former school. Julian is payed a visit by his grandmother from Paris (played by Helen Mirren) who shares the story of her childhood in Nazi-occupied France. Through it Julian learns a valuable life lesson. He learns that a little kindness and empathy can go a long way. The film also stars Gillian Anderson, Ariella Glaser, and Orlando Schwerdt.

“White Bird” lands in theaters August 18th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

How’s this for giving a classic Universal monster movie a fresh reintroduction? “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” from Norwegian director André Øvredal gives us a new look at Dracula but from an older perspective. Written for the screen by Bragi F. Schut and Zak Olkewicz, the film is based on “The Captain’s Log”, a chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel “Dracula”. The first trailer gives us an exciting first taste of what we can expect from what might be a surprise horror hit of the year.

Corey Hawkins, David Dastmalchian, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, and Javier Botet star in this period horror story set aboard a merchant ship sailing across the high seas. But wouldn’t you know it, there’s some particularly deadly cargo onboard. Soon the ship’s captain (Cunningham), his first mate (Dastmalchian), the ship’s doctor (Hawkins), and a stowaway (Franciosi) find themselves trapped aboard their vessel fighting for their lives. The trailer looks terrific, from its period production design to the cool makeup and effects. I love the look of it and it seems ready-made for the big screen.

“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” sails into theaters on August 11th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Still riding high off the success of “John Wick: Chapter 4”, Lionsgate Television and Thunder Road Pictures have revealed the new teaser posters for the upcoming spin-off miniseries titled “The Continental”. The three-part series will stream exclusively on Peacock this September and is helmed by showrunners Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward.

The title refers to the “chain” of hotels in the John Wick movies that serve as a safe haven for members of the criminal underworld. They each have their individual owners, but they operate under the authority of the High Table, a council of twelve crime lords that govern the underworld’s most powerful syndicates. The New York Continental is ran by Winston Scott (played in the movies by the great Ian McShane). The miniseries is set in the 1970s and will show how a younger Winston (played by Colin Woodell) came to run the New York Continental.

It’ll be interesting to see how this turns out considering it’s a story set within the John Wick universe that won’t feature the eponymous character or it’s star, Keanu Reeves. It’s also not being directed by Chad Stahelski who has led all four feature films. So there are plenty of questions. But there is also lots of potential. The John Wick universe is a rich and vibrant world filled with colorful and charismatic characters. There’s so much to explore. And what better place to start than the Continental Hotel.

Are you excited for “The Continental”? Will you be watching it this Fall? What do you think of the new posters?

Netflix has a new movie scheduled for Mother’s Day, and it’s a far cry from some soft and lathery family drama or rom-com. “The Mother” looks to be a full-on action thriller that sees Jennifer Lopez coming face-to-face with the old life she tried to put behind her. The film is directed by Niki Caro (“Whale Rider”, “Mulan”) and also stars Joseph Fiennes, Gael García Bernal, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, and Paul Raci. The new trailer gives us a really good taste of what we have to look forward to.

Lopez plays a mother who comes out of hiding to find her kidnapped daughter. After cutting a deal with the FBI following a botched mission that left several agents dead, her character went off the grid in order to protect her young daughter. Years pass and her now 12-year-old daughter is taken by enemies from her past. She immediately goes on the hunt and will do anything to get her little girl back. I like the look and sound of this. Sure, there are elements of the story that ring familiar. But I love seeing J-Lo letting loose like this.

“The Mother” premieres on Netflix May 12th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.