Britt Hayes is a writer, movie lover, and sensible sweater enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. She watches too much TV and never eats her vegetables.
Britt Hayes
New Netflix Instant Releases: August 2016
It’s a little later than usual, but Netflix has finally announced their upcoming streaming releases for August — which is next week, by the way. Among this month’s offerings are new Netflix Original titles, like Baz Luhrmann’s series The Get Down and the animated adaptation of The Little Prince. As usual, there are several new films hitting the streaming library, including contemporary favorites like Blue Is the Warmest Color and No Country for Old Men. Read on for our full guide to August’s new Netflix Instant Releases.
‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ Officially Wraps Production With a Short Video
Filming on Star Wars: Episode VIII has been nearing an end for the past few weeks, as we’ve seen via set photos from director Rian Johnson and Daisy Ridley. As of today, Johnson has officially wrapped production on the upcoming sequel, sharing a very brief video featuring the final slate from the final shot in the film along with a special message of thanks to his cast and crew.
‘Jurassic World 2’ Rumored to Begin Production in Hawaii in 2017
Despite lukewarm reviews, Jurassic World made more than enough bank at the box office to guarantee a sequel. Universal recently set a 2018 release date for Jurassic World 2, with The Impossible director Juan Antonio Bayona taking over for Colin Trevorrow, who will still work on the screenplay with co-writer Derek Connolly. With just under two years until the next installment in the franchise hits theaters, we’ve been wondering when Bayona & Co. might get to work, and according to a new rumor, it won’t be long from now.
New Movie Releases: August 2016
After a pretty disappointing summer, our hopes are high (but not, like, too high) for August to swoop in and deliver at least one or two entertaining blockbusters before the season ends. Fueling that optimism is the release of Suicide Squad, David Ayer’s comic book villain team-up that promises to inject a little fun in the DC movie universe. Next month also brings a new stop-motion adventure from Laika, an R-rated animated movie about talking food (you know, for the grown-ups) and Meryl Streep’s latest Oscars power play. Read on for our complete guide to next month’s new movie releases.
We’re All Criminals Now: Sharing Netflix and HBO Go Passwords Is a Federal Crime
Chances are, you or someone you know either shares their Netflix and HBO Go passwords or benefits from using someone else’s account. It’s such a common occurrence that, when asked about it, even the CEO of HBO was like, “No big deal,” then he tipped his shades and sent out a memo with a shrug emoticon — okay, I made that last part up, but if even that guy doesn’t care, then what’s the problem? Oh, just a little something called Federal Law.
Mel Gibson Is Planning a ‘Passion of the Christ’ Sequel
Faith-based films have been riding a wildly successful wave for several years now, only recently stumbling a bit with the underwhelming box office returns for God’s Not Dead 2. And while that seemed to indicate that faithful audiences might not be too keen on sequels, Mel Gibson may very well prove that theory wrong as the actor and director is apparently plotting a sequel to The Passion of the Christ.
J.K. Simmons’ Commissioner Gordon Is Going to Be Ripped in ‘Justice League’
If you had any remaining doubt regarding Zack Snyder’s gritty and totally jacked aesthetic for the DC universe, look no further than J.K. Simmons. The Oscar-winning character actor is apparently getting totally ripped for Justice League, giving us a Commissioner Gordon unlike any we’ve seen before. If you were expecting the sensible sweater-wearing, gruff-yet-kindly law enforcement official you’ve come to know and admire, you’ll need to adjust those ideas accordingly.
Dwayne Johnson Reveals First Look at ‘Twisted’ New Hobbs in ‘Fast 8’
“Daddy’s gotta go to work” was the moment of Furious 7, with Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs Hulking-out of his cast and picking up the biggest machine gun you’ve ever seen — matched only by the size of his insane biceps. According to Johnson, we can expect a very different side of Hobbs when he returns for Fast 8, and you can get your first look at the Furious favorite courtesy of the actor himself (obviously).
Disney Considers Making Live-Action ‘The Little Mermaid’ Part of Your World
Disney’s live-action remakes have become just as inevitable as death and taxes — not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, considering how well The Jungle Book turned out (on the other hand, there’s that whole Alice in Wonderland thing…). And like that project, the studio may once again be setting up a competing live-action remake, this time turning their sights to The Little Mermaid.
Netflix to Officially Begin Streaming New Disney Films in September
Way back in 2012 (or at least it feels way back), Netflix and Disney struck a deal for all of Disney’s movies — including Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm — to stream exclusively on Netflix Instant. According to the terms of their agreement, the deal wouldn’t kick in until 2016, which just so happens to be the year in which we are currently living. As announced today, Netflix will officially begin streaming Disney films in September, but that doesn’t mean the studio’s entire library will magically appear in your Instant browser.
Jennifer Lawrence Rumored For ‘Ocean’s 11’ Reboot
That ol’ grain of salt goes without saying (seriously, we need a better phrase) for the latest report regarding the female-centric Ocean’s 11 sequel / reboot. Jennifer Lawrence may be reuniting with Hunger Games director Gary Ross for the upcoming project, which is being produced by original Ocean’s trilogy director Steven Soderbergh.
‘Star Wars’ Spinoff Casts Alden Ehrenreich as Young Han Solo
Following recent rumors that he had emerged as the front runner to play young Han Solo in the untitled Star Wars Story spinoff, Alden Ehrenreich has reportedly secured the role in Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s upcoming film. The news comes one day after Star Wars Day, May 4, when Miller shared a photo featuring Han Solo’s famous blaster gun, which seemed to indicate that a casting announcement might be imminent.