Remember Quibi? The short-lived, bite-sized entertainment experiment gave us some horror gems including a brand new horror anthology series from Sam Raimi, most of which is currently unavailable to watch anywhere. But there’s good news for one of Quibi’s projects this week, as Veena Sud’s series “The Stranger” has found new life as a Hulu feature film.

Written and directed by Veena Sud (The Lie, Seven Seconds, The Killing), Quibi’s “The Stranger” has been recut into a feature film, and it’s coming to Hulu on April 15, 2024.

In The Stranger, “New to Los Angeles, rideshare driver Clare (Maika Monroe, star of It Follows and Neon’s upcoming Longlegs) picks up Carl (Dane DeHaan, recently seen in Oppenheimer and star of HBO’s The Staircase) from a home deep in the Hollywood Hills. What begins as a routine ride turns into Clare’s worst nightmare: a twelve-hour fight for survival through the city’s seedy underbelly. Carl is not the passenger Clare thought he was, and Clare is not easy prey. Avan Jogia (Victorious, Now Apocalypse) also stars in this thriller.”

The filmmaker said in a personal statement this week, “For artists and creatives in the industry, the right to own one’s work has been a decades-long struggle. From the creation of United Artists in 1919, to Paul Newman, Barbra Streisand, and Sidney Poitier establishing First Artists in 1969, and to Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas founding American Zoetrope, artists have strived to find ways to navigate this industry while maintaining copyright ownership and creative integrity. Copyright ownership allows the artist to continue to advocate for projects we’ve poured our blood, sweat, and tears into when others, such as studios and distributors, have moved on. It keeps the work alive in the face of a “market” that is focused on making as much money as possible and sacrificing quality artistic storytelling. That’s my job as an artist, as all artists know, to fight for the life of my work.

“So when Jeffrey Katzenberg offered copyright ownership as one of the perks of doing a Quibi TV series with The Stranger, I couldn’t resist. At the time, Quibi allowed artists to co-own the copyright to our work, and this right – which I wasn’t able to secure for any of my other projects – has allowed me the freedom to “self distribute” in the vein of indie filmmakers and advocate to find alternate ways to showcase my TV series. Filmmakers and creators who are able to tell stories that may not survive a fickle marketplace must have alternate ways to get our work out in a world that’s hungry for it. And, the world is hungry for good material.

“I did not let The Killing die, even when they tried to kill it twice. I bring that same determination and perseverance to The Stranger. Although the courageous and cool Quibi experiment didn’t work, I know my film is important to get out there. It’s a story about justified female rage and vengeance in this current moment where we as women have so much to be angry about. A fitting story for today’s world.

“So, here I am today presenting my creation, my owned work, into a newly re-cut feature film: The Stranger, premiering April 15, exclusively on Hulu.”

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Fresh off the box office success of Evil Dead Rise last year, Lee Cronin has formed a new production outfit titled Doppelgängers, and he’s also inked a deal with New Line Cinema.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news this afternoon.

According to the site, Doppelgängers will be focused on “genre fare,” and Cronin has formed the outfit alongside John Keville and Macdara Kelleher of Wild Atlantic Pictures.

The idea behind the Doppelgängers banner is to develop genre film and television projects for Lee Cronin to write, direct and produce alongside Keville and Kelleher.

THR’s report continues, “The company is starting hot out of the gate, signing a first-look deal with New Line Cinema for its feature film projects.”

Cronin said of the New Line pact, “Following a wonderful journey working on Evil Dead Rise, the brilliant team at New Line Cinema have offered us the perfect home for the movies we want to bring to life on the big screen. We couldn’t be more thrilled to continue building our relationship with them.”

Last we heard, Lee Cronin’s next movie will be an aquatic horror film titled Thaw, which is set up at New Line. The film is “set years after the polar ice caps have melted and the sea levels have risen. The story centers on a group of survivors at sea searching for a new home.

“Their prayers are answered with the discovery of an inhabitable town; until, that is, they encounter a new nightmare living just below the water’s surface.”

Stay tuned for more from Lee Cronin in the near future. The next installment in the Evil Dead franchise, meanwhile, will be directed by French filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček (Infested).

‘Evil Dead Rise’

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Legendary’s epic-sized Monsterverse returns to the big screen on March 29 with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and tickets for the Kaiju showdown are on sale now!

In celebration, check out a brand new legacy trailer below, which recaps the 10-year history of the big screen Monsterverse. And find brand new official posters underneath.

Rebecca Hall is back as Dr. Ilene Andrews with Brian Tyree Henry also returning as Bernie Hayes, and they’ll be joined in Godzilla x Kong by Dan Stevens (The Guest).

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is the thrilling fifth film in the Monsterverse series and sees the legendary Titans Godzilla and Kong team up to face a world-ending threat so terrifying that neither could survive alone.

Adam Wingard (who previously helmed Godzilla vs. Kong) directs Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which features a screenplay by Terry Rossio (Godzilla vs. Kong, the Pirates of the Caribbean series) and Simon Barrett (You’re Next) and Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight”), from a story by Rossio & Wingard & Barrett.

“This latest entry in the Monsterverse franchise follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an all-new cinematic adventure, pitting the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence – and our own. The epic new film will delve further into the histories of these Titans, their origins, and the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.”

Kaylee Hottle (Godzilla vs. Kong), Alex Ferns (The Batman, “Chernobyl”) and Fala Chen (“Irma Vep,” Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) also star.

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A horror movie set in an Italian convent with a title like Immaculate communicates all there is to know about the plot. A young American nun, Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney), travels to her new post in the remote countryside, only to discover she’s miraculously pregnant soon after taking her vows. Director Michael Mohan and screenwriter Andrew Lobel pack in the Italian horror influences, with Suspiria largely presiding over this religious horror entry and blasphemous imagery in spades. But the film’s breakneck plotting, inert jump scare overreliance, and familiar tropes undermine a fierce performance by its lead.

Despite the stunning, labyrinthine, and ornate halls of the sprawling convent, the cast of characters in Immaculate is rather small. The sweet fish-out-of-water Sister Cecilia instantly bonds with Father Sal (Álvaro Morte) and the feisty Sister Gwen (Benedetta Porcaroli) yet draws angry stares from Sister Mary (Simona Tabasco). Toss in a few eccentric or stern Church elders, and you have a small pool of suspects and allies when inferring what’s ahead for the heroine. While Mohan does push the gore and edgy religious imagery, it’s fairly easy to stay a step ahead of the events, as well as the jump scares that come frequently and without tension or impact.

Photo Credit: NEON

That’s not helped by the sparse script. Immaculate zips through its 90-minute runtime as if it’s going to be late for Sunday service, rushing through the pregnancy trimesters to get to a gonzo finale. Trimesters serve as chapter markers for the horror progression here, with the film hurling past alarming pregnancy side effects instead of letting them sink in.

The lack of connective tissue between each major plot point doesn’t do the movie any favors, either. There’s a minimalist approach to the overarching horror that works, but less so when it comes to its blank-slate characters. Sister Cecilia has no identity before her arrival, save for a single childhood accident that left her dead for seven minutes. That her life is now dedicated solely to Christ means that it’s the only thing that defines her at all, save for her immaculate conception. That also extends to the supporting characters; Sister Gwen’s sole defining trait is that she fled to the Church to escape an abusive relationship. It’s less a means to flesh out this world or its characters and more a specific detail contributing to the plot or its forward momentum.

While Mohan draws inspiration from Italian horror to establish a welcome Gothic horror atmosphere, Immaculate doesn’t lean hard enough into its influences. There are bursts of shocking violence and bloodletting, but Mohan waits to unleash the full insanity for the film’s final minutes. Instead, the buildup getting there relies more on attempting to invert Rosemary’s Baby or even The Omen for its scathing critique of the Church. Look for a blatant hat tip to New French Extremity, too.

Sydney Sweeney is this familiar religious horror movie’s saving grace. Sister Cecilia is a doe-eyed innocent whose unlikely circumstances force her into a tremendously satisfying arc. She attempts to outmaneuver a powerful foe, and when things really go off the rails, Sweeney plunges headfirst into a primal ferocity that leads to one bold, crowd-cheering conclusion.

It’s not enough to pull Immaculate back from the brink, though. A handsome production, great lead, and daring approach to religious iconography get offset by pacing that makes this effort feel as though it’s playing at double the speed, without any room to let its audience breathe. Familiar tropes and an inability to break free from its influences suffocate all of what works about Immaculate.

Immaculate made its World Premiere at SXSW and releases in theaters on March 22, 2024.

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Tom Hardy will be back as Venom in Sony’s upcoming Venom 3 later this year, which now has an official title and a brand new release date. It’s titled Venom: The Last Dance.

Previously set for November 8, the movie will now hit theaters on October 25, 2024. Yes, you’ll now be able to see Venom’s big screen return in the days before Halloween!

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange), Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”), and Clark Backo (“Letterkenny”) will star alongside Tom Hardy in Venom: The Last Dance.

Venom and Venom 2 writer Kelly Marcel will be directing the third movie.

In addition to writing, Kelly Marcel also produced the first two Venom movies. She’s on board to produce Venom 3 as well, and Marcel also wrote the screenplay for the new film.

Deadline reports, “Plot details are unknown other than Hardy returning as the lethal protector Venom following the first two films grossing a combined $1.36 billion worldwide at the box-office. It is also unknown who will be joining Hardy from previous films or if any characters from the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters will be joining the film.”

Ruben Fleischer directed Venom, with Andy Serkis directing Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The 2021 sequel saw Tom Hardy’s Venom do battle with Woody Harrelson’s Carnage. The sequel also made it clear that these Venom movies are taking place within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, so we expect to see some more connections in the upcoming third movie.

Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, and Hutch Parker are also producing Venom 3.

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