Latest news with #MidnightRun
Perth Now
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Anna Kendrick ready to return for Accountant 3
Anna Kendrick is keen to return for 'The Accountant 3'. The 39-year-old actress didn't reprise her role as Dana Cummings in the recently-released sequel but director Gavin O'Connor is planning a third movie and has already asked her to be part of it. Asked if there are plans for a third movie, lead star Ben Affleck - who plays autistic accountant Christian Wolff - told the New York Times newspaper: "That's a question I want to ask Bill [Dubuque, writer] and Gavin. I'm just waiting for another great script." Gavin said: "Bill and I have had some preliminary conversations. I am personally running from another puzzle movie, which we've done twice now. One thing we've talked about is the idea of bringing Anna Kendrick back. Maybe Christian can finally get the love that he deserves." Gavin's comment prompted Ben to joke that he and the team are hoping Anna "still likes" them, prompting the director to reveal he'd already discussed the return with the 'Pitch Perfect' star. He said: "Actually, Ben, she and I have been texting. She said she's a hundred percent in if we want." Ben replied: "Oh, beautiful. Then it's really down to you guys to mess it up." In another interview, Gavin explained Anna's character was never meant to be in the sequel because the "whole point" of the movie was the relationship between Christian and his brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) following their emotional reunion in the 2016 thriller. He told Entertainment Weekly: "We always wanted it to be three movies. "When Bill and I started talking about the second movie, it was very important that we didn't want a love story. We wanted a love story with brothers. We wanted to do a '48 Hours' or 'Midnight Run' kind of buddy picture... "I mean, how do I bring Anna into the second and then ignore her? The whole point was exploring the brothers and that emotional line between them. That was always the intention, so she was never going to be in the second." The filmmaker confirmed his planned third movie will likely feature a love story. He said: "Then the third movie, which is what the plan has always been, is for [Chris'] quest for love and connection to be consummated. I don't know what that's going to be yet, but that's the intention... "I'm going to probably do something that makes me interested to come to work every day and tell a story. And then, lastly, yes, if it's going to be Anna, Chris needs to find love and find connection and go off into the sunset. So it probably will be with Dana Cummings."
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Heads of State' trailer: Priyanka Chopra in full action mode as she rescues John Cena, Idris Elba
The wait is finally over as the trailer of ' Heads of State ' has been unveiled. The Prime Video film stars John Cena , Idris Elba , and Priyanka Chopra in the lead role. Directed by Ilya Naishuller, Heads of State is "about two government leaders who must set aside their rivalry to thwart a global conspiracy and save the world -- if they can work together," as per Deadline. Elba plays UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke, with Cena as U.S. President. When the duo become the targets of a powerful and ruthless foreign adversary -- who proves more than a match for the two leaders' security forces -- they are begrudgingly forced to rely on the only two people they can trust: each other. Along their journey to save the free world, they find a key ally in Noel Bisset, a brilliant MI6 agent played by Priyanka Chopra. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Scarlett Johansson, 40, Shows Off Her Real Size In A New Vacation Photos 33 Bridges Undo Heads of State – Official Trailer | Prime Video India Billed as Air Force One meets Midnight Run, the film was written by Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec and Harrison Query, from a story by Query. The film also stars Paddy Considine, Stephen Root , Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid and Sarah Niles. It will be released on July 2, 2025.
Newsweek
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
John Cena and Idris Elba Reunite in Buddy Action Comedy 'Heads of State'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Amazon just released an explosive and hilarious trailer for "Heads of State," starring John Cena and Idris Elba. Described as "Air Force One" meets "Midnight Run", the film sets up both stars as heads of state who barely survive an assassination attempt and go on an adventure to save the free world. You can watch the trailer below. Read More: 'The Matrix' to be Re-Released In Theaters With Epic New Version "Heads of State" is directed by Ilya Naishuller, known for 2015's "Hardcore Henry" and 2021's "Nobody". The official logline of "Heads of State" reads, "The UK Prime Minister (Idris Elba) and US President (John Cena) have a public rivalry that risks their countries' alliance. But when they become targets of a powerful enemy, they're forced to rely on each other as they go on a wild, multinational run. Allied with Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), they must find a way to thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world." John Cena and Idris Elba in "Heads of State". John Cena and Idris Elba in "Heads of State". Amazon Studios Anyone who saw 2021's "The Suicide Squad" understands the potential of another Cena/Elba team-up. Elba starred as team leader Bloodsport in the superhero film, while Cena played Peacemaker. The rivalry between the two starts immediately when it becomes clear that both of them have been chosen because of their similar skill sets. In the case of Cena, the success of "The Suicide Squad" helped lead him to the spinoff series "Peacemaker," whose second season releases on Max this August. While we're guaranteed to see more of Cena as Peacemaker, so far it seems doubtful we'll see Elba return as the marksman Bloodsport. In spite of being James Gunn's apparent springboard into becoming co-head of DC Studios, "The Suicide Squad" will apparently not be getting a sequel. At least that's what Gunn told Collider in 2023. Instead, certain characters from "The Suicide Squad" would continue to pop up in the DCU, such as in "Peacemaker" as well as the animated series "Creature Commandos". There's also the spinoff series "Waller," however, that seems to have hit some snags during development. "Waller" was originally meant to release before Season 2 of "Peacemaker," but plans apparently changed. Along with Cena, Elba, and Jonas, "Heads of State" stars Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid, Stephen Root, Sarah Niles, Richard Coyle, and Paddy Considine. The film releases on Amazon Prime Video on July 2, 2025. More Movies: 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Trailer Reveals Bloody First Look Oscar-Winning Actress Says No to Ryan Gosling's 'Star Wars' Movie
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘It's like doing three movies at once': Robert De Niro on his thrilling TV debut – as America's saviour
Art mirrors life on the Netflix show Zero Day, a tense political thriller for Donald Trump's second term. There are mobs on the street and far-right trolls on TV. There's a billionaire making mischief and a state of uproar in Congress. Robert De Niro stars as ex-president George Mullen, whisked out of retirement to investigate a crippling cyber-attack. Mullen is dogged and courageous, but he's a man of the past, not quite on his mettle. His daughter thinks he's out of touch. 'The world has changed in ways he doesn't understand,' says his wife. I'm excited to talk to De Niro about Zero Day and its real-world echoes. The show's politics are what drew him to the project. The actor has made no secret of his disgust and loathing for Trump. But our Zoom interview comes with constraints. Netflix have requested that there be 'no personal or political questions' and have dispatched a pair of publicists to serve as chaperones. Even ex-presidents and movie stars have to work within a wider system. Sometimes it gives them freedom. At other times, maybe not. De Niro beams in from his home in New York. He looks the very ideal of an 81-year-old man: trim and handsome, with platinum hair and professorial specs. There is a potted fern by his head and a barking dog at his feet. One good thing about making Zero Day was that it kept him close to his infant daughter Gia, the youngest of his seven children. At his age, he has learned to choose his roles more carefully. 'I had another thing offered to me over in eastern Europe recently. It was a terrific script but I couldn't make it work and one of the sticking points was the location.' New York shoots are the best, he says. 'It's important, it helps, especially with kids and so on.' Everyone will have their favourite De Niro performance, whether it's silken Vito Corleone or toxic Jake LaMotta; the harried bounty hunter from Midnight Run or the traumatised Green Beret from The Deer Hunter. Naturally, the actor has his own favourites. Yesterday he was at a school fundraiser and the other parents – all much younger than him – were clamouring to discuss his role in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, which was nice and strange, because there is no way of predicting which films will last and which won't. 'I mean, we always liked that script,' he says. 'We thought it was special. Marty and myself, and Paul Schrader who wrote it. But after that you never know. So there's [Taxi Driver], obviously, but there are other ones, too. The Godfather II, Raging Bull, King of Comedy. Everything I did with Marty Scorsese. Roland Joffe's The Mission. David O Russell, Barry Levinson.' He shrugs. 'I've been lucky to work with these great directors.' Zero Day is no Taxi Driver, but it makes for a fine autumn flourish. Netflix's thriller was devised by a pair of political journalists – the New York Times correspondent Michael S Schmidt and former NBC producer Noah Oppenheim – and depicts a United States that can be switched on and off like a light. Shadowy malware knocks out the air traffic control system and redirects trains on to the same stretch of track. The country panics, conspiracy theories abound and the crisis plays out over six precision-tooled episodes. It's a big, glossy production with myriad subplots and an ensemble cast. But De Niro is the linchpin and brings the whole thing back to centre. He's always thought of himself as a big-screen actor but knows TV has changed and figured this might be a good time to dive in. The average film shoot can feel like a sprint; this felt more akin to a marathon. 'It's like doing three features at once,' he says. 'I likened it to being in the Channel between France and England and looking back. I can't see France any more and I can't see England. So I've got to keep swimming, staying up with the scenes, the endless information, the thrust of the story. Stay ahead of it, stay on it. So it was a whole other kind of experience for me.' His hero, George Mullen, is a one-term president who bowed out in the wake of a family bereavement. He's imperfect but decent; an old-school public servant. 'I had the idea of a president who was trusted, well-liked, and who told the truth as much as he could,' says De Niro. 'He's a person who tries to be straightforward. Who has no agenda other than to do the right thing.' I ask if Mullen is based on anyone in particular and he says that no, he's really not; maybe Joe Biden very slightly. I say that he reminded me more of Jimmy Carter, a much respected commander-in-chief, and he accepts that there may be some truth in that. 'Well, Carter was a great president. He was a good person, a kind person, empathetic. No one really gave him credit until the end. But that was important to me, that he was a good person. I didn't know this [at the time] but I watched interviews about him that say he was also a little standoffish, an outsider in certain ways, and that's interesting to me, too.' One president whom Mullen emphatically doesn't resemble is Donald Trump. De Niro despises Trump on an almost visceral level. He has been one of the man's most outspoken public critics. He's called him a pig and a punk and a con artist and a dog. He's called him a jerk and a mutt, a real-estate hustler and a two-bit playboy. But today he's saying nothing. He is courteous but seems wary. The publicists ping me a message suggesting I return my focus to the show. The best artists – the best actors – are hot-wired to their times. De Niro, arguably more than any other living actor, embodied the turbulent last decades of the American century. His golden years were entwined with Vietnam and Watergate, spiking crime rates and a borderline bankrupt New York City. So he's familiar with political instability, with division and anger and a sense of chaos. But I get the impression that the situation under Trump (the tariffs, cuts and firings; the repurposing of the federal government) is different. More than that, I suspect he thinks it's without precedent. 'Well, I'd ask you that,' he shoots back. 'Do you think it is?' 'I think it is,' I tell him. 'But I don't have your reach of history.' 'Yeah, you're a lot younger than me.' He pauses. 'But it is unprecedented. It is. It just is. As we all know.' Is he hopeful or despairing? 'I'm not despairing, because I always look at the bright side and hope that things will right themselves and that people will appreciate goodness and empathy and will try to do the right thing. So I can't help but think that.' Another pause. 'Some people look at [things] differently. They have different values. That's disturbing to me. I don't understand it. But I just have to look at things in an optimistic way.' De Niro's Zoom window is minimised and one of the publicists drops in. 'Sorry to interrupt,' she says. 'But can you just bring it back to show questions?' Michael S Schmidt – Zero Day's co-creator – is still on staff at the New York Times. Last month he filed a story about the president's threatened reprisals against his perceived enemies. Schmidt and his co-writer Glenn Thrush contacted more than two dozen of Trump's most vehement public critics. Almost all, they said, now declined to speak up in case it made them a target. I mention this article to De Niro and make one last attempt. 'I'm wondering,' I say, 'if you're now feeling you need to be more careful about what you say.' He has no time to answer. The publicist pitches in. 'No, no, no. Sorry, Xan, I'm really sorry but we agreed this. Can we just go back to the show because we don't have much time.' And that is the end of our Trump conversation – inasmuch as it ever became one at all. I've had car-crash interviews in the past and I'm unsure this quite qualifies as one. It's too polite and well-managed; the tone is faintly apologetic. It's not even clear who is in the driving seat here. Is it the actor's decision not to discuss Trump with the press or does his contract have him muzzled? Either way it begs an obvious question. If De Niro – a world-famous two-time Oscar-winning millionaire – no longer feels he is able to speak out, one wonders who in the US does. In Zero Day, De Niro effectively plays the role of backstop, the US's last line of defence. President Mullen's Secret Service codename is Legend. Colleagues describe him as a knight in shining armour. He is old and exhausted, but his values are sound and he's still up for a fight. We need heroes like that, says De Niro, both on TV and in films. 'And in the real world, yeah, of course.' Zero Day is on Netflix from 20 February. • The headline of this article was amended on 7 February 2025. Robert De Niro's character in Zero Day is a former US president, not a current one as an earlier version said.
The Guardian
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘It's like doing three movies at once': Robert De Niro on his thrilling TV debut – as the US president
Art mirrors life on the Netflix show Zero Day, a tense political thriller for Donald Trump's second term. There are mobs on the street and far-right trolls on TV. There's a billionaire making mischief and a state of uproar in Congress. Robert De Niro stars as ex-president George Mullen, whisked out of retirement to investigate a crippling cyberattack. Mullen is dogged and courageous, but he's a man of the past, not quite on his mettle. His daughter thinks he's out of touch. 'The world has changed in ways he doesn't understand,' says his wife. I'm excited to talk to De Niro about Zero Day and its real-world echoes. The show's politics are what drew him to the project. The actor has made no secret of his disgust and loathing for Trump. But our Zoom interview comes with constraints. Netflix have requested that there be 'no personal or political questions' and have dispatched a pair of publicists to serve as chaperones. Even ex-presidents and movie stars have to work within a wider system. Sometimes it gives them freedom. At other times, maybe not. De Niro beams in from his home in New York. He looks the very ideal of an 81-year-old man: trim and handsome, with platinum hair and professorial specs. There is a potted fern by his head and a barking dog at his feet. One good thing about making Zero Day was that it kept him close to his infant daughter Gia, the youngest of his seven children. At his age, he has learned to choose his roles more carefully. 'I had another thing offered to me over in eastern Europe recently. It was a terrific script but I couldn't make it work and one of the sticking points was the location.' New York shoots are the best, he says. 'It's important, it helps, especially with kids and so on.' Everyone will have their favourite De Niro performance, whether it's silken Vito Corleone or toxic Jake LaMotta; the harried bounty hunter from Midnight Run or the traumatised Green Beret from The Deer Hunter. Naturally, the actor has his own favourites. Yesterday he was at a school fundraiser and the other parents – all much younger than him – were clamouring to discuss his role in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, which was nice and strange, because there is no way of predicting which films will last and which won't. 'I mean, we always liked that script,' he says. 'We thought it was special. Marty and myself, and Paul Schrader who wrote it. But after that you never know. So there's [Taxi Driver], obviously, but there are other ones, too. The Godfather II, Raging Bull, King of Comedy. Everything I did with Marty Scorsese. Roland Joffe's The Mission. David O Russell, Barry Levinson.' He shrugs. 'I've been lucky to work with these great directors.' Zero Day is no Taxi Driver, but it makes for a fine autumn flourish. Netflix's thriller was devised by a pair of political journalists – the New York Times correspondent Michael S Schmidt and former NBC producer Noah Oppenheim – and depicts a United States that can be switched on and off like a light. Shadowy malware knocks out the air traffic control system and redirects trains on to the same stretch of track. The country panics, conspiracy theories abound and the crisis plays out over six precision-tooled episodes. It's a big, glossy production with myriad subplots and an ensemble cast. But De Niro is the linchpin and brings the whole thing back to centre. He's always thought of himself as a big-screen actor but knows TV has changed and figured this might be a good time to dive in. The average film shoot can feel like a sprint; this felt more akin to a marathon. 'It's like doing three features at once,' he says. 'I likened it to being in the Channel between France and England and looking back. I can't see France any more and I can't see England. So I've got to keep swimming, staying up with the scenes, the endless information, the thrust of the story. Stay ahead of it, stay on it. So it was a whole other kind of experience for me.' His hero, George Mullen, is a one-term president who bowed out in the wake of a family bereavement. He's imperfect but decent; an old-school public servant. 'I had the idea of a president who was trusted, well-liked, and who told the truth as much as he could,' says De Niro. 'He's a person who tries to be straightforward. Who has no agenda other than to do the right thing.' I ask if Mullen is based on anyone in particular and he says that no, he's really not; maybe Joe Biden very slightly. I say that he reminded me more of Jimmy Carter, a much respected commander-in-chief, and he accepts that there may be some truth in that. 'Well, Carter was a great president. He was a good person, a kind person, empathetic. No one really gave him credit until the end. But that was important to me, that he was a good person. I didn't know this [at the time] but I watched interviews about him that say he was also a little standoffish, an outsider in certain ways, and that's interesting to me, too.' One president whom Mullen emphatically doesn't resemble is Donald Trump. De Niro despises Trump on an almost visceral level. He has been one of the man's most outspoken public critics. He's called him a pig and a punk and a con artist and a dog. He's called him a jerk and a mutt, a real-estate hustler and a two-bit playboy. But today he's saying nothing. He is courteous but seems wary. The publicists ping me a message suggesting I return my focus to the show. The best artists – the best actors – are hot-wired to their times. De Niro, arguably more than any other living actor, embodied the turbulent last decades of the American century. His golden years were entwined with Vietnam and Watergate, spiking crime rates and a borderline bankrupt New York City. So he's familiar with political instability, with division and anger and a sense of chaos. But I get the impression that the situation under Trump (the tariffs, cuts and firings; the repurposing of the federal government) is different. More than that, I suspect he thinks it's without precedent. 'Well, I'd ask you that,' he shoots back. 'Do you think it is?' 'I think it is,' I tell him. 'But I don't have your reach of history.' 'Yeah, you're a lot younger than me.' He pauses. 'But it is unprecedented. It is. It just is. As we all know.' Is he hopeful or despairing? 'I'm not despairing, because I always look at the bright side and hope that things will right themselves and that people will appreciate goodness and empathy and will try to do the right thing. So I can't help but think that.' Another pause. 'Some people look at [things] differently. They have different values. That's disturbing to me. I don't understand it. But I just have to look at things in an optimistic way.' De Niro's Zoom window is minimised and one of the publicists drops in. 'Sorry to interrupt,' she says. 'But can you just bring it back to show questions?' Michael S Schmidt – Zero Day's co-creator – is still on staff at the New York Times. Last month he filed a story about the president's threatened reprisals against his perceived enemies. Schmidt and his co-writer Glenn Thrush contacted more than two dozen of Trump's most vehement public critics. Almost all, they said, now declined to speak up in case it made them a target. I mention this article to De Niro and make one last attempt. 'I'm wondering,' I say, 'if you're now feeling you need to be more careful about what you say.' He has no time to answer. The publicist pitches in. 'No, no, no. Sorry, Xan, I'm really sorry but we agreed this. Can we just go back to the show because we don't have much time.' And that is the end of our Trump conversation – inasmuch as it ever became one at all. I've had car-crash interviews in the past and I'm unsure this quite qualifies as one. It's too polite and well-managed; the tone is faintly apologetic. It's not even clear who is in the driving seat here. Is it the actor's decision not to discuss Trump with the press or does his contract have him muzzled? Either way it begs an obvious question. If De Niro – a world-famous two-time Oscar-winning millionaire – no longer feels he is able to speak out, one wonders who in the US does. In Zero Day, De Niro effectively plays the role of backstop, the US's last line of defence. President Mullen's Secret Service codename is Legend. Colleagues describe him as a knight in shining armour. He is old and exhausted, but his values are sound and he's still up for a fight. We need heroes like that, says De Niro, both on TV and in films. 'And in the real world, yeah, of course.' Zero Day is on Netflix from 20 February.
