Latest news with #ChapterFour
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Ballerina's Director Sees The New John Wick Universe Movie As Something Beyond A Spinoff Or Sequel
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. When it comes to discussing franchises, there is a vast lexicon of terms that can be used to describe different installments. We live in an age where there are far more than just simple sequels: there are spinoffs, prequels, crossovers, team-ups, capstones, legacyquels, reboots, retcons, and more. It provides modern filmmakers with a lot of creative options when it comes to adding to an existing canon, and it's something that director Len Wiseman very much appreciates when it came to making his new action movie Ballerina starring Ana de Armas. Ballerina is a title that expands the breadth of the ever-growing John Wick universe (which announced a number of other exciting in-the-works projects a few weeks ago), and it sits in an interesting position within the continuity. When I spoke with the film's director earlier this year during a press day at 87Eleven Action Design, he explained how the movie slots into the timeline of the action franchise and noted that it's something a bit different than your standard sequel or spinoff. Said Wiseman, It takes place between Chapter Three and Chapter Four. It was a fun journey to find how it, how it intertwines with three. It was also more interesting to me of like doing that than in say a spinoff, because it's really more of a parallel story within that same world during chapter three and also how John Wick intervenes with our timeline. So I was more attracted to that because it was not like a sequel or a spinoff. It was definitely in that world within the thing. More Ballerina! 'It's A Rush. It's Traumatic.' Ballerina's Director Discusses The Surprise Reaction Ana De Armas Had The First Time She Set Someone On Fire With A Flamethrower Audiences who have seen John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum have gotten an early look into the part of the canon world that will be further explored in Ballerina. In the 2019 movie, the titular Keanu Reeves character is looking for safe harbor as he is being hunted by every assassin on Earth, and he finds it in a theater with an old acquaintance known as The Director (Anjelica Huston). It's during the sequence at this location that we learn of a program that simultaneously trains young women to be both dancers and killers – and it's here that Ana de Armas's Eve Macarro enters the picture. The story in Ballerina essentially uses this sequence as a launching pad, and while it unfurls principally with Eve on a solo mission of personal vengeance, the plot also eventually sees her cross paths with the legendary Baba Yaga as he is gearing up for what audiences got to witness in 2023's John Wick: Chapter 4. It's a cool twist for fans who enjoying marathoning their favorite franchises in special watch orders. Further solidifying it within the John Wick franchise, Ballerina not only features Keanu Reeves' return as the world's most dangerous assassin and Anjelica Huston reprising her role as The Director, but it also has Ian McShane back as Winston Scott and Lance Reddick delivering is final performance as Continental Hotel concierge Charon. Long in the works, Ballerina will be arriving in theaters everywhere on June 6.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ugandan lawmakers pass bill to try civilians before military courts, defying concern and criticism
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan lawmakers on Tuesday passed a government-backed bill to authorize civilian trials in military courts, defying widespread criticism by opposition figures and others who called it a backward gesture. The contentious legislation was introduced earlier this year after the Supreme Court ruled that civilians can't be court-martialed, questioning the competence of untrained military officers to dispense justice. The bill states that civilians can be court-martialed if their alleged offenses are 'in support of or in association with persons subject to military law.' It also says that presiding officers must be qualified in law. But opposition figures, rights activists and others insist such legislation is an anti-democratic effort as the east African country heads into elections scheduled for 2026. They say the bill is a danger to everyone who opposes President Yoweri Museveni, an authoritarian leader who has held power in the east African country since 1986. Some members of the opposition walked out of the parliamentary chamber before the bill was passed, protesting what they said was an illegality. The legislation is an attempt to 'unconstitutionally grant judicial powers reserved for superior courts to subordinate military courts that have specialized jurisdiction to handle only military disciplinary offenses,' the Uganda-based rights group Chapter Four said in a statement. Museveni is expected to sign the bill within days. The president and his son, army commander Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, had condemned the Supreme Court's decision to effectively disband court-martials. Days after that ruling, government officials launched the process of introducing legislation to keep military courts active. Museveni said in a statement following the court's decision that 'the country is not governed by the judges.' He is expected to run again in polls set for January 2026. Many Ugandans expect an unpredictable political transition because the 80-year-old Museveni has no obvious successor within the ranks of the ruling National Resistance Movement party. Some observers fear that in future he may step aside in favor of Kainerugaba in a bloodless coup. Kainerugaba has asserted his wish to succeed his father as president. A long-time opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, has been jailed since November over alleged treason charges his lawyers say are politically motivated. Besigye, a qualified physician who retired from Uganda's military at the rank of colonel, is a former president of the Forum for Democratic Change party, for many years Uganda's most prominent opposition group. Uganda has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of political power since independence from the British in 1962. ____ Follow AP's Africa coverage at: Rodney Muhumuza, The Associated Press


The Independent
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Ugandan lawmakers pass bill to try civilians before military courts, defying concern and criticism
Ugandan lawmakers on Tuesday passed a government-backed bill to authorize civilian trials in military courts, defying widespread criticism by opposition figures and others who called it a backward gesture. The contentious legislation was introduced earlier this year after the Supreme Court ruled that civilians can't be court-martialed, questioning the competence of untrained military officers to dispense justice. The bill states that civilians can be court-martialed if their alleged offenses are 'in support of or in association with persons subject to military law.' It also says that presiding officers must be qualified in law. But opposition figures, rights activists and others insist such legislation is an anti-democratic effort as the east African country heads into elections scheduled for 2026. They say the bill is a danger to everyone who opposes President Yoweri Museveni, an authoritarian leader who has held power in the east African country since 1986. Some members of the opposition walked out of the parliamentary chamber before the bill was passed, protesting what they said was an illegality. The legislation is an attempt to 'unconstitutionally grant judicial powers reserved for superior courts to subordinate military courts that have specialized jurisdiction to handle only military disciplinary offenses,' the Uganda-based rights group Chapter Four said in a statement. Museveni is expected to sign the bill within days. The president and his son, army commander Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, had condemned the Supreme Court's decision to effectively disband court-martials. Days after that ruling, government officials launched the process of introducing legislation to keep military courts active. Museveni said in a statement following the court's decision that 'the country is not governed by the judges.' He is expected to run again in polls set for January 2026. Many Ugandans expect an unpredictable political transition because the 80-year-old Museveni has no obvious successor within the ranks of the ruling National Resistance Movement party. Some observers fear that in future he may step aside in favor of Kainerugaba in a bloodless coup. Kainerugaba has asserted his wish to succeed his father as president. A long-time opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, has been jailed since November over alleged treason charges his lawyers say are politically motivated. Besigye, a qualified physician who retired from Uganda's military at the rank of colonel, is a former president of the Forum for Democratic Change party, for many years Uganda's most prominent opposition group. Uganda has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of political power since independence from the British in 1962. ____

Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ugandan lawmakers pass bill to try civilians before military courts, defying concern and criticism
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan lawmakers on Tuesday passed a government-backed bill to authorize civilian trials in military courts, defying widespread criticism by opposition figures and others who called it a backward gesture. The contentious legislation was introduced earlier this year after the Supreme Court ruled that civilians can't be court-martialed, questioning the competence of untrained military officers to dispense justice. The bill states that civilians can be court-martialed if their alleged offenses are 'in support of or in association with persons subject to military law.' It also says that presiding officers must be qualified in law. But opposition figures, rights activists and others insist such legislation is an anti-democratic effort as the east African country heads into elections scheduled for 2026. They say the bill is a danger to everyone who opposes President Yoweri Museveni, an authoritarian leader who has held power in the east African country since 1986. Some members of the opposition walked out of the parliamentary chamber before the bill was passed, protesting what they said was an illegality. The legislation is an attempt to 'unconstitutionally grant judicial powers reserved for superior courts to subordinate military courts that have specialized jurisdiction to handle only military disciplinary offenses,' the Uganda-based rights group Chapter Four said in a statement. Museveni is expected to sign the bill within days. The president and his son, army commander Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, had condemned the Supreme Court's decision to effectively disband court-martials. Days after that ruling, government officials launched the process of introducing legislation to keep military courts active. Museveni said in a statement following the court's decision that 'the country is not governed by the judges.' He is expected to run again in polls set for January 2026. Many Ugandans expect an unpredictable political transition because the 80-year-old Museveni has no obvious successor within the ranks of the ruling National Resistance Movement party. Some observers fear that in future he may step aside in favor of Kainerugaba in a bloodless coup. Kainerugaba has asserted his wish to succeed his father as president. A long-time opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, has been jailed since November over alleged treason charges his lawyers say are politically motivated. Besigye, a qualified physician who retired from Uganda's military at the rank of colonel, is a former president of the Forum for Democratic Change party, for many years Uganda's most prominent opposition group. Uganda has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of political power since independence from the British in 1962. ____ Follow AP's Africa coverage at:


Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ugandan lawmakers pass bill to try civilians before military courts, defying concern and criticism
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan lawmakers on Tuesday passed a government-backed bill to authorize civilian trials in military courts, defying widespread criticism by opposition figures and others who called it a backward gesture. The contentious legislation was introduced earlier this year after the Supreme Court ruled that civilians can't be court-martialed, questioning the competence of untrained military officers to dispense justice. The bill states that civilians can be court-martialed if their alleged offenses are 'in support of or in association with persons subject to military law.' It also says that presiding officers must be qualified in law. But opposition figures, rights activists and others insist such legislation is an anti-democratic effort as the east African country heads into elections scheduled for 2026. They say the bill is a danger to everyone who opposes President Yoweri Museveni, an authoritarian leader who has held power in the east African country since 1986. Some members of the opposition walked out of the parliamentary chamber before the bill was passed, protesting what they said was an illegality. The legislation is an attempt to 'unconstitutionally grant judicial powers reserved for superior courts to subordinate military courts that have specialized jurisdiction to handle only military disciplinary offenses,' the Uganda-based rights group Chapter Four said in a statement. Museveni is expected to sign the bill within days. The president and his son, army commander Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, had condemned the Supreme Court's decision to effectively disband court-martials. Days after that ruling, government officials launched the process of introducing legislation to keep military courts active. Museveni said in a statement following the court's decision that 'the country is not governed by the judges.' He is expected to run again in polls set for January 2026. Many Ugandans expect an unpredictable political transition because the 80-year-old Museveni has no obvious successor within the ranks of the ruling National Resistance Movement party. Some observers fear that in future he may step aside in favor of Kainerugaba in a bloodless coup. Kainerugaba has asserted his wish to succeed his father as president. A long-time opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, has been jailed since November over alleged treason charges his lawyers say are politically motivated. Besigye, a qualified physician who retired from Uganda's military at the rank of colonel, is a former president of the Forum for Democratic Change party, for many years Uganda's most prominent opposition group. Uganda has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of political power since independence from the British in 1962. ____ Follow AP's Africa coverage at: