Alam Nyo Ba?

Way back in 2020, we heard that Francesca Gregorini, writer/director of the 2013 psychological thriller The Truth About Emanuel, was not happy about Servant, the Apple TV+ psychological thriller series that was created by Tony Basgallop and executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan. Gregorini was so upset about the show, and so convinced that it was a rip-off of her movie, that she hit Apple, Shyamalan, Basgallop, and the rest of the show’s executive producers and production companies with a copyright infringement lawsuit. While Servant has gone on to complete its four season run since Gregorini filed the lawsuit, Variety reports that the copyright trial got started this week and is expected to last for two weeks. What’s at stake? $81 million.

Jessica Biel and Kaya Scodelario star in The Truth About Emanuel, which told the following story: A troubled girl (Emanuel) becomes preoccupied with her mysterious new neighbor (Linda), who bears a striking resemblance to her dead mother. In offering to baby-sit Linda’s newborn, Emanuel unwittingly enters a fragile, fictional world, of which she becomes the gatekeeper. The twist is that Linda’s newborn is actually a doll, but Emanuel goes along with the act that it’s a real baby.

Starring Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Nell Tiger Free, and Rupert Grint, Servant is about a couple that has formed an emotional bond with a doll created to resemble their dead infant daughter and the nanny the couple hired to take care of it.

On the first day of the trial, Gregorgini’s lawyer showed “jurors clips of both projects during his opening statement. He argued that both depict a delusional mother who cares for a doll as though it is a real baby, and a nanny who is complicit in the delusion.” As the trial goes on, jurors will be watching The Truth About Emanuel and the first three episodes of Servant in their entirety.

The defense will be arguing that “Basgallop began developing the show years before The Truth About Emanuel was released, and that those involved with the show never drew on the film. … To prove copyright infringement, the plaintiff must show both substantial similarity and that the defendant had access to the infringed work.“

Do you think Francesca Gregorini has a case, or do The Truth About Emanuel and Servant just happen to be about similar subjects, with no copyright infringement involved? Share your thoughts on this lawsuit by leaving a comment below.

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Louis Leterrier has directed the action films The Transporter, Transporter 2, Unleashed, and Fast X, the action comedies The Brothers Grimsby and The Takedown, the mystery thriller Now You See Me, the fantasy adventure Clash of the Titans, and the comic book adaptation The Incredible Hulk (not to mention the TV shows The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and Lupin), and over the decades his films have racked up $2 billion at the box office. Last May, we learned that he’ll be directing and producing the film 11817, working from a screenplay by Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying), which will see him venturing into the sci-fi horror realm. That same month, it was announced that Kingsley Ben-Adir (Bob Marley: One Love) and Greta Lee (Past Lives) would be starring in the film… but now it looks like Ben-Adir has had to drop out, with Wagner Moura (Civil War) stepping in as his replacement.

Deadline has reiterated that Greta Lee is in the cast and revealed that Wagner Moura is in the cast with her, but their article has no mention of Kingsley Ben-Adir.

11817 will show us what happens when inexplicable forces trap a family of four inside their house indefinitely. As both modern luxuries and life or death essentials begin to run out, the family must learn how to be resourceful to survive and outsmart who – or what – is keeping them trapped…

Leterrier had this to say about the project: “Directing projects where the audience gets behind the characters has always been my focus. However complex, flawed, heroic, we identify with them as we live through their journey. It’s what excites me about 11817’s wholly original concept and the family at the heart of our story. This is an experience that movie audiences won’t forget.“

The film is coming our way from Leterrier’s Carrousel Studios, Rocket Science, Thank You Studios, Chernin Entertainment (A North Road Company), and 3 Arts Entertainment. Rocket Science is financing and will handle foreign sales, while CAA Media Finance represents the North American rights. Leterrier will be producing alongside Thomas Benski and Omar Sy for Carrousel Studios, as well as Lars Sylvest for Thank You Studios, Kori Adelson for Chernin Entertainment, Oly Obst of 3 Arts Entertainment, Thorsten Schumacher for Rocket Science, and Joe Neurauter. Cecile Gaget serves as an executive producer for Carrousel Studios.

Are you interested in seeing a Louis Leterrier sci-fi horror film that stars Greta Lee and Wagner Moura? Share your thoughts on 11817 by leaving a comment below.

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Jagged Edge Productions and ITN Studios are building The Twisted Childhood Universe, which will consist of horror movies inspired by children’s stories. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 got the universe started, paving the way for Bambi: The Reckoning, Pinocchio: Unstrung, Alice the Mad, and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare (not to mention Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3), building up to the crossover movie Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. Iconic Events Releasing intended to bring Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare to theatres for three days only, from January 13th through the 15th – but the movie has proven to be so successful that it’s theatrical run has been extended through next Thursday, January 23rd!

Written and directed by Scott Chambers, who is also producing all of these Twisted Childhood movies, the film follows Wendy Darling as she strikes out in an attempt to rescue her brother Michael from “the clutches of the evil Peter Pan.” Along the way she meets Tinkerbell, who in this twisted version of the story will be seen taking heroine, convinced that it’s pixie dust.

Martin Portlock (Scream of the Wolf) plays Peter Pan and is joined in the cast by Megan Placito (Doctors) as Wendy Darling and Kit Green (The Blazing Cannons) as Tinkerbell. Also in the cast are Peter Desouza-Feighoney (The Popes Exorcist), Nicholas Woodeson (Skyfall), Kierston Wareing (Fish Tank), Olumide Olorunfemi (Venom: Let There Be Carnage), Teresa Banham (No One Gets Out Alive), Charity Kase (RuPaul’s Drag Race UK), and Campbell Wallace (Anne). It has already been confirmed that Portlock and Placito will be reprising the roles of Peter Pan and Wendy Darling in Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, which also feature the likes of Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Owl, Piglet, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, Bambi, The Mad Hatter, and Tinkerbell.

Chambers produced Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare alongside Rhys Frake-Waterfield, the director of the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey films. 

Are you glad to hear that Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare is going to be playing on the big screen a week longer than expected? Let us know what you think of its theatrical run being extended – and if you have seen the movie, tell us what you thought of it.

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John Lithgow (Conclave) and Geoffrey Rush (Shine) star in the psychological horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen, which will be getting a theatrical release, courtesy of IFC Films, on March 7th – and with that date swiftly approaching, a batch of stills from the film have arrived online, and along with a poster. You can take a look at the images here in this article.

Directed by James Ashcroft, who made his feature directorial debut with the 2021 horror thriller Coming Home in the Dark, The Rule of Jenny Pen has the following synopsis: Arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen (Rush) suffers a near-fatal stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed and confined to a retirement home. Resistant to the staff and distant from his friendly roommate, Mortensen soon clashes with seemingly gentle resident Dave Crealy (Lithgow) who secretly terrorizes the home with a sadistic game called “The Rule of Jenny Pen” while wielding his dementia doll as an instrument of cruelty. What begins as childish torment quickly escalates into far more sinister and disturbing incidents. When Mortensen’s pleas to the staff go unanswered, he takes it upon himself to put an end to Crealy’s reign of terror. Ashcroft also wrote the screenplay with Eli Kent and Owen Marshall.

Catherine Fitzgerald and Orlando Stewart produced the film, with James Ashcroft executive producing alongside Eli Kent, John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Gotto, Nicholas Lazo, and Samuel Zimmerman.

The concept of John Lithgow using a doll to torment Geoffrey Rush in their shared retirement home sounds like a recipe for a good time to me, so I look forward to checking out The Rule of Jenny Pen. Legendary author Stephen King said this was one of the best movies he has watched in the last year, and Alex Billington of First Showing said it’s the birth of a new horror icon – but is that icon Lithgow’s character Dave Crealy, the creepy doll itself, or are they a package deal?

The Rule of Jenny Pen will be making its way to the Shudder streaming service after its theatrical run. Does this movie seem interesting to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Ever since James Wan and Leigh Whannell introduced a little horror to the world with Saw, they have become exciting names in the horror genre. Mr. Whannell continues to impress from his directorial debut in the world of supernatural frights with Insidious: Chapter 3. From his excellent Upgrade to the wonderfully suspenseful and expertly crafted The Invisible Man – an absolute favorite of mine. And now, he brings us the impressive Wolf Man, the filmmaker’s take on the 1941 classic starring Claude Rains. Thankfully, Whannell offers up a terrific cast that includes Christorpher Abbott, Julia Garner, and Matilda Firth. And frankly, this one is such a personal take on the story that it struck a chord with this viewer.

Recently, we spoke to the cast, as well as executive producer Beatriz Sequeira. We also sat down for the first of our two-part interview with the man of the hour, Leigh Whannell. I sat down with Julia Garner – who you can look for in the upcoming Madonna biopic Who’s That Girl and The Fantastic Four: First Steps as the Silver Surfer. Julia brings a quiet strength to her performance as Charlotte in Wolf Man. It’s an impressive performance. And as for her co-star, the wonderfully talented Christopher Abbott, he spoke about taking on such a challenging character, both physically and mentally. Whannell impressed me with his casting choices here. It’s a very believable family portrayal, which makes the movie all the more chilling.

And finally, I spoke with executive producer Beatriz Squeira. Having talked to her before about last year’s effective, Speak No Evil, it was terrific to discuss classic monster tales. As well as what she is looking forward to when it comes to bringing frights to the big screen. And of course, sitting down with Leigh Whannell is always a joy. For part one of our conversation, we focus mainly on the film and the cast itself. Leigh, who co-wrote Wolf Man with his wife Corbett Tuck, brings a very personal touch with this take on this classic Universal movie monster. And it’s all the more involving because of it.

Wolf Man opens this Friday and I recommend seeing it with a crowd. It’s tense, scary, and even heartbreaking. It’s yet another solid feature from one of genre’s most exciting voices. Check out our review HERE.

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We had heard that director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers were planning to create a cinematic universe with the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey films and other horror movies inspired by children’s stories, like Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, Bambi: The Reckoning, and Pinocchio Unstrung. Then, Jagged Edge Productions and ITN Studios officially announced that this cinematic universe, which is being referred to as The Twisted Childhood Universe, is building up to the crossover movie Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, which will be released in 2025. Chambers has said that the Mad Hatter will be one of the “worst of the worst” in Poohniverse, and during an interview with Screen Rant he took a moment to talk about the Mad Hatter horror movie Alice the Mad, as well as the upcoming Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 – which is actually a Tigger solo movie!

When asked about what’s coming up next for the Twisted Childhood Universe, Chambers said, “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3: Tigger’s Return, which is going to be a Tigger standalone film because everyone responded quite well to Tigger, so he’s going to get a standalone. Then the next one I think I’m going to direct is Alice the Mad. And at the minute, I’m enjoying exploring the idea that basically it’s set at an escorting agency, which is called the White Rabbit. And Alice is an escort, which is a sex worker, and the Mad Hatter becomes obsessed with her. And for me, the references are a film called Opera, a little bit of Maniac with Elijah Wood, and a bit of MaXXXine in there maybe as well. I’m excited for that.“

A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh and the characters in it lapsed into the public domain at the start of 2023, and that’s how Frake-Waterfield and Chambers were able to make these movies happen, no permission required. In the build-up to the release of the first movie, the filmmaker explained to Variety that Pooh and Piglet (go) on a rampage after being abandoned by a college-bound Christopher Robin. “Christopher Robin is pulled away from them, and he’s not [given] them food, it’s made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult. Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral. So they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey.”

Matt Leslie, writer/producer of Summer of 84, wrote the screenplay for the second movie, working from a story he crafted with Frake-Waterfield. Here’s the synopsis for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2: Deep within the 100-Acre-Wood, a destructive rage grows as Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Owl, and Tigger find their home and their lives endangered after Christopher Robin revealed their existence. Not wanting to live in the shadows any longer, the group decides to take the fight to the town of Ashdown, home of Christopher Robin, leaving a bloody trail of death and mayhem in their wake. Winnie and his savage friends will show everyone that they are deadlier, stronger, and smarter than anyone could ever imagine and get their revenge on Christopher Robin, once and for all.

We’ve previously heard that Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 will have a bigger budget than either of its predecessors, and “will introduce new characters from the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories, including Rabbit, the heffalumps and the woozles.” Heffalumps are animals that resemble elephants and woozles are critters that leave tracks in the snow. In the source material, they’re both imaginary. Some adaptations have depicted woozles as villainous, weasel-like creatures that steal honey.

Are you looking forward to Alice the Mad and/or Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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When news broke that various children’s properties would enter the public domain and be made into cheap horror movies, most of us expected films that would straight to DVD or Streaming. And while that is the case for many of these releases, not the case with the Poohniverse. Starting with Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, this cinematic universe has found success with its brief theatrical runs. So much so that we’re being treated to a whole slate of films that include Bambi, Winnie the Pooh and Pinochio. The latest entry, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, releases in theaters for only three days (just like the Blood and Honey films) so be sure to check it out in theaters if you want more. My review will go up the night of release.

I was excited to chat with director of Neverland Nightmare (and star of Blood and Honey 2), Scott Chambers to discuss all things Poohniverse. What surprised me the most was that the first Blood and Honey was simply one of dozens of horror films that they made that year. Its viral success has allowed the filmmakers to focus on less projects; all of them leading to an Avengers-style teamup film which is set to be released next year. I’m really impressed with the sheer determination of Chambers in getting these films done. This also served as the first interview where the person ended up being a fan of my work, so that was a real “pinch me” moment. Scott also offered to kill me off in a future Poohniverse film so here’s hoping that actually comes to fruition. Like any horror fan, the dream is to be killed on screen in a horror film. Check out the rest of the interview in the embedded video above!

Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare plot:

The newest entry into the Poohniverse follows Wendy Darling as she strikes out in an attempt to rescue her brother Michael from the clutches of the evil Peter Pan who intends to send him to Neverland. Along the way she meets a twisted Tinkerbell, who is hooked on what she thinks is fairy dust.

From Jagged Edge Productions and ITN Studios, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare arrives in theaters for three days only starting January 13, 2025 until January 15, 2025 only from Iconic Events Releasing. Buy your tickets now at Iconic Events.

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