MGM has parted ways with Universal Pictures for international film distribution.

In a joint press release, MGM has announced that Warner Bros. will distribute its upcoming movies overseas. However, the pact does not include “Bond 26,” the next chapter in the James Bond series, as well as director Chinonye Chukwu’s historical drama “Till” (set for Oct. 14) and “Women Talking” (Dec. 2). Universal Pictures International is handling the rollout for those films outside the U.S. as part of a previous distribution agreement between the two companies.

Under their former agreement, Universal had helped MGM steer pandemic-era releases like Ridley Scott’s starry crime drama “House of Gucci” to $100 million overseas, Paul Thomas Anderson’s coming-of-age story “Licorice Pizza” to $15 million (which is impressive since the movie only generated $17 million in the U.S.), and “No Time to Die,” the 25th Bond entry, to $613 million internationally. Prior to landing at Universal, Sony Pictures International distributed the first four 007 installments with Daniel Craig as the suave super-spy. With the new arrangement, Warner Bros. will be responsible for Bond 27 and beyond — though that may take a while. Bond’s long-time custodians Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have yet to announce a successor to Craig, who hung up his suit in “No Time to Die.”

Former MGM leaders Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, who were newly appointed as co-chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, arranged the deal with MGM’s chief operating officer Christopher Brearton. The partnership between MGM and Warner Bros. will begin with filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal thriller “Bones and All,” which opens Nov. 23, as well as Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut “Creed III,” which is scheduled for March 3, 2023.

Under the terms of the deal, MGM and Warner Bros. Picture Group will collaborate on marketing and advertising, publicity, film distribution and exhibitor relations on behalf of MGM’s future slate of theatrical releases outside North America (including China), with the team at Warners responsible for execution. The new agreement also includes worldwide physical home entertainment distribution on all newly released MGM titles.

In celebration of Ian McDiarmid’s birthday, Revenge of the Sith star Amy Allen shares a throwback photo of the Star Wars actor alongside a Force-sensitive Mickey Mouse. McDiarmid first appeared as the evil Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious in 1983’s Return of the Jedi (before being added to the 2004 DVD release of The Empire Strikes Back). In the original trilogy, the Emperor rules the Galactic Empire as his apprentice, Darth Vader, and the stormtroopers enforce order. George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels unveiled his past as the charismatic politician Sheev Palpatine, who operated as a Sith Lord in secret.

In Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Palpatine is presented as an altruistic and rational Galactic Senator from the planet Naboo—who’s actually behind the Trade Federation’s blockade and invasion of Naboo. This duplicity continues throughout the prequels as he orchestrates the Clone Wars, lures Anakin Skywalker to the dark side, and executes Order 66, extinguishing the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic. It’s in Return of the Jedi that Luke Skywalker redeems his father, who then seemingly puts an end to the Emperor and his Empire. Nearly four decades after McDiarmid’s Star Wars debut, he’s one of the most recognizable cinematic villains of all time.

Allen, who played Jedi Aayla Secura in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, recently took to Instagram to wish McDiarmid a happy 78th birthday. In the post, she thanks the actor for “being the nicest Emperor” while showing photos of him at Walt Disney World’s last annual Star Wars Weekends in 2015. Check it out below:

The image of McDiarmid alongside a robed Mickey Mouse is somewhat symbolic of the House of Mouse bringing Star Wars back to vibrant life. Following Disney’s $4 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, the sequel trilogy continued the stories of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, and even Palpatine. Piggybacking off of his Revenge of the Sith monologue about Darth Plagueis and cheating death, 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker reveals the Emperor was behind the First Order, cementing himself as the Skywalker saga’s overarching villain before being defeated by his granddaughter, Rey.

Although Disney’s Star Wars sequels have proven divisive, the franchise and its beloved characters have found new life on Disney+ with The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Obi-Wan Kenobi (not to mention the animated shows). For the latter’s season 1 finale, McDiarmid reprised his Palpatine role once again as a hologram telling Darth Vader to let his former master go. While the Emperor likely won’t appear in future movies, he could appear in the Disney+ show Andor, which takes place during his reign. Even if he doesn’t, the Emperor’s presence will always be felt, whether it is through The Mandalorian showing Imperial forces scrambling to assemble Palpatine’s clones or by fans remembering their time with McDiarmid at Disney World.

Source: The Official Aayla Secura/Instagram

Dwayne Johnson, producer and star of Black Adam, teases how the titular character’s unforgiving nature contrasts with fellow DCEU heroes.

Dwayne Johnson teases the extent of Black Adam’s brutality as he prepares to make his debut in the DC Extended Universe. The titular villain-turned-antihero’s debut is almost a decade in the making, with 2018’s Shazam! putting the hero’s nemesis on the backburner for a few years. Black Adam is set to reunite Jungle Cruise filmmaker Jaume Collet-Sera, who is directing the project, with Johnson serving as producer.

Once a slave from Kahndaq, Black Adam will follow the merciless killer as he re-enters society after being jailed for over 5,000 years. Though he previously abused his powers granted to him by Shazam, Black Adam is now on the Justice Society of America’s radar, as they attempt to reform his abilities for the betterment of society. The JSA will star Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate. Now, Johnson is opening up about Black Adam’s unforgiving and brutal nature, clearly in stark contrast to the typical DC hero.

During an interview with Variety, Johnson teases just how far Black Adam will go in achieving his goals. Johnson reveals that Black Adam refuses to hold back, even at the price of causing a gory scene. Although he may be helping the greater good, he will stop at nothing, even if it means killing someone. Check out Johnson’s full explanation of Black Adam’s temperament below:

“Superman won’t kill anybody. There’s a code that he lives by and he honors,” Johnson says. “Black Adam has a unique code of ethics too. He will not hesitate—and I like to have a little fun when I’m explaining this—to rip somebody in half.” Does that mean the actor is…kidding? “Literally, he’ll grab someone by the neck and by the thigh and then rip them up, tear them apart,” Johnson clarifies.

While it’s unclear whether his powers will ultimately be used for good, the film’s trailers point to a more reformed, tamed Black Adam, yet still merciless towards his victims. Previously, Johnson has hinted the origin story presented in Black Adam will justify the anti-hero’s actions, highlighting the loss of his family in drastically changing his mindset. Understanding that he will do anything in his power to protect his family, including ripping someone in half, suggests that throughout the film his character arc will turn him away from the dark side.

If this is just how brutal Black Adam can be, then the JSA has a lot of work ahead of them with reigning him in. The highly-anticipated JSA will see each character possessing their own set of powers, which will hopefully be enough to tame Black Adam in defeating the evil in Sabaac. As excitement builds for Black Adam, it’s clear that the antihero’s debut will majorly shake up the DCEU, as he is preparing to be a force to be reckoned with.

Source: Variety