Latest news with #WunmiMosaku
Gizmodo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The Latest ‘Sinners' Deleted Scene Showcases a New Musical Number
As Ryan Coogler's Sinners is now available to rent or buy on digital, and its Blu-ray release date approaches, some of the special features have started to trickle out. Last week, a deleted scene showed the construction of Smoke and Stack's juke joint—a fluidly edited montage without dialogue that's entertaining to watch, but ultimately feels kind of superfluous. The most recent deleted scene release, however, is more illuminating, putting a spotlight on Delroy Lindo's Delta Slim as he takes a solo turn at the piano. The song is 'My Preachin' and in the extended shot, Delta Slim sings in profile close to the camera as Miles Caton's Sammie 'Preacher Boy' Moore watches admiringly in the background. You can also spot Pearline (Jayne Lawson) and Mary (Wunmi Mosaku) listening closely too. It's a slower, moodier moment tinged with mischief—maybe the sort of song Delta Slim would tend to launch into at the end of a long, boozy night, rather than while the party is still fully raging, as it would be at this moment in Sinners. Even though it was probably cut for pacing reasons, the scene is still a powerful one, tying into Sinners' themes about how music acts as a bridge between generations and enables emotional expressiveness, whether you happen to be a human or a vampire. It's also quite a lovely showcase for the veteran actor before his character makes his heroic last stand in act three. Sinners' physical release arrives July 8 on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K; you can rent or buy it now on digital platforms.
Daily Record
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Netflix show with 100% rating that critics are calling 'incredible'
The twelve-part series dropped on Netflix back in 2024 and it's safe to say viewers have been left seriously impressed with raving Google reviews. Netflix now boasts an extensive library of TV series and films available at the touch of a button. The popular streaming giant has hosted some of the most buzzworthy series of recent years. However, there's one hidden gem that might have flown under your radar, Scavengers Reign. This twelve-episode series landed on Netflix in 2024, starring talents such as Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, Rob Stephenson, and Alia Shawkat. Prior to its Netflix debut, it premiered on HBO Max in October 2023, reports Surrey Live. But what's it all about? Scavengers Reign is an animated sci-fi spectacle charting the cosmic escapades of survivors from a cargo ship that crash-lands on an extraterrestrial world. Initially, the survivors are scattered, forced to acclimatise to an environment teeming with strange and perilous wildlife. Key characters include Azi, a survivor, her robotic companion Levi, and fellow castaways Sam and Ursula. A brief description states: "Created by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, the remaining crew of a damaged interstellar freighter ship find themselves stranded on a beautiful, yet unforgiving alien planet where they must survive long enough to escape or be rescued. As the survivors struggle to locate their downed ship and missing crewmates, their new home reveals a hostile world allowed to thrive without human interference." Scavengers Reign has taken the viewing world by storm, with online praise pouring in for its cutting-edge creativity and detailed artistry. The show has achieved perfect scores across review platforms, boasting a dazzling 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and an impressive 4.8-star rating on Google Reviews. One enthusiast beamed, "This show is incredible. The creativity and attention to detail is strikingly innovative. The immersive, otherworldly atmosphere that you experience as a viewer is unprecedented. Everything feels so alive. The creatures and landscape designs are absolutely breathtaking, and the gorgeous artwork and animation is masterfully done. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that most of the show was hand-drawn, which is very impressive!". Another viewer was equally swept away, expressing, "Scavengers Reign is a mesmerising masterpiece that caught me completely off guard when I stumbled upon it on Netflix. From the very first moment, it pulled me into its hauntingly beautiful world and hasn't let go since." On Rotten Tomatoes, one individual praised, "This is one the greatest animated shows I have ever watched. The art style was beautiful, and the story was gripping. Please give this a Season 2!", mirroring a sentiment that appeared multiple times in reviews. Echoing the voices of many, another commenter added, "Absolute brilliant! What a creative way to tell a story. Love it. We need a second season of this show." The clamouring calls from fans for a sequel season highlight the show's phenomenal success. Unfotunately, it was disclosed that the series would not be returning for another instalment. Last year, the revelation left fans deeply gutted. The show's creator Joe Bennett broke the news on social media, giving followers a glimpse of what might have been if the series had continued. His post on social media stated: "As of right now, Scavengers Reign is not being renewed for a second season. I wanted to let everyone know directly because I really love our fanbase, they've been such champions for the show, and I don't want to leave everyone hanging. "We've had to fight tooth and nail every step of the way to get this show made, starting all the way back in 2016 with the Scavengers short film to the release of the first season last year." Joe also took the opportunity to thank those who backed the series and the team behind its creation. He concluded: "But this is not the end. There is more story to be told, we are ready to make another season, and we produced in-house at Green Street a teaser for what was going to come in the second season. Thanks again to everyone who watched and supported the show."
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Wunmi Mosaku on Why ‘Sinners' Is the ‘Greatest Love Story Ever Told'
'Sinners' is one of those rare modern blockbusters that fans are dissecting on a near literary level. There have been paragraphs dedicated to its symbolism, social media threads about its cultural themes, and hours of podcasts delving into lines and scenes. Wunmi Mosaku isn't exactly seeking out the takes. 'I haven't gone searching for anything because I'm very mistrustful of the internet and I'm scared of what I might see,' Mosaku said in a video call from her Los Angeles home. Mosaku's stirring performance as the hoodoo healer Annie is the soulful core of 'Sinners.' The fact that it's Mosaku, 38, in the role seems fitting: The film is a period horror-drama centered on romance as well as a meditation on grief and a musical. Her acting résumé reflects each element. Mosaku has played a time-space agent ('Loki'), multiple strong-willed detectives ('Luther,' 'Passenger') and an immigrant mother in mourning ('Damilola, Our Loved Boy,' which won her a BAFTA Television Award in Britain). A few of her biggest roles — like a singer fighting Jim Crow-era maledictions in the series 'Lovecraft Country,' and a South Sudanese refugee battling a night witch in the film 'His House,' both from 2020 — are part of the post-'Get Out' strain of popular horror that evokes racial anxieties. At times Mosaku has drawn on her own experience as a Nigerian who immigrated at a year old to Manchester, England, and felt distanced from her family's Yoruba heritage. To play Annie, she studied how to be a woman in the Mississippi Delta, preparation that ultimately led to learning more about her ancestry because hoodoo is related to Ifa, the Yoruba religion. 'I discovered a part of myself, a part of my ancestry through looking into Annie,' she said. Mosaku spoke more about navigating her Nigerian and British roots, playing grieving mothers, and differentiating Michael B. Jordan's roles in 'Sinners.' These are edited excerpts from the conversation. The first piece of the script you read was the seven-page scene where Smoke reunites with Annie. Did that inform how you approached the role? First of all, my response was, my goodness, Ryan Coogler is an incredible writer who understands humanity and the power of love, and connection, and forgiveness, and grief, and joy and faith. I just felt like it was so perfectly written. Then Ryan spoke me through the story of 'Sinners.' I read this scene thinking it was going to be one thing: the greatest love story ever told. 'Sinners' is that. It has so much beautiful love, whether it's Annie and Smoke or Annie and Elijah. Mary and Stack. There's so much love. I was really kind of taken aback by this genre-bending story he told me. I was excited. I was in from the moment I heard that Ryan Coogler was doing a movie. I didn't need to read the seven pages. I noticed in your answer that you differentiate Annie and Elijah and Annie and Smoke. Because Smoke is his representative. Smoke is his smoke and mirrors. It's his outward persona. And Elijah is the person that she knows and loves, and she can see through it all. At the end of the movie, she calls him by his name again and says, I don't want any of that Smoke to get on her. For me, that's the reason there's a difference between Smoke and Elijah. You've spoken a bit about navigating this role in relation to your Nigerian and Yoruba heritage. Have you had to navigate your Britishness? Culturally, you have to learn about the person you're playing. Louisiana, the bayou, hoodoo — this is what forms her as a person. It's going to form the way she eats, the way talks, the way she walks, the way she navigates the world. I had to learn that. But I feel like unless you are that, you would have to learn that, right? I think as a dark-skinned woman who's grown up in the U.K. there will be similarities of feeling. There is obviously an ancestral cellular memory that African Americans will have, but I have the ancestral memory of colonization and assimilation. These are things that are in the film, too. But I would never claim to know exactly what it feels like because I'm definitely aware my accent gives me some sort of privilege sometimes when people can hear me. But you don't always get a chance to advocate for yourself. After winning the BAFTA, you spoke about sometimes thinking it might be your career's precipice. You've been in a bunch of projects since then. Does that feeling ever go away? I don't think that feeling will ever go away for me, and I don't know if it's a bad thing that it doesn't go away. It makes me feel grounded and not to take anything for granted. It's not about the awards; obviously it's about the work. The BAFTA doesn't feel like the precipice that it probably was a long time ago. Now that feels like a milestone in a journey. The idea of assimilation pops up a few times in your work. How did you work though that theme for 'Sinners'? It's deeply personal, isn't it? I was born in Nigeria, raised in Manchester. There's just so many things lost because I'm only interacting with my immediate family and my Nigerian community. Everything gets watered down in a way. My Yoruba teacher said to me, 'Oh, I don't go to the market anymore.' I said, 'What do you mean?' He's like, 'I'm married now.' I'm like, 'What?' He's like, 'Oh, no, no. That's just a cultural thing.' Once you're married, the only men at the market are either sellers, they're not married or their wife isn't well. Like that's just not a done thing. All these rules and social expectations and unwritten rules I don't know. So when talking about assimilation, it breaks my heart. I wish I knew all that I have lost. I've lost my language. I do Yoruba twice a week. I've been doing it for five years. It's still difficult. That's why I found playing Annie so profound because with hoodoo — I knew nothing about Ifa, and hoodoo is a derivative of Ifa. I discovered a part of myself, a part of my ancestry through looking into her and trying to fill her space. Actually she filled a part of me because I had a deeper understanding of the people I am from. Your characters from 'Damilola, Our Loved Boy' (2016) and 'Sinners' both deal with the loss of a child. How have you changed between those roles? I'm a mother now. I know more now, just in general. I know I know nothing, and I know I know so much more. I've lived more, and I've experienced more. It'd be interesting to go back and watch that performance, being who I am right now, where I am right now. I don't know if that would be an interesting thing to do or would it be torturous. You've spoken a while back about your family being skeptical about going into acting. Have they come around? My mom and my sisters were never skeptical. They were like, 'You do you.' My dad has definitely come around. But yeah, this is it. This is what I do. There's no going back. There is expanding and there's transforming, but there's no going back.
Forbes
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Sinners,' ‘Accountant 2,' ‘Minecraft,' ‘Star Wars' 4-Way Box Office Race
The final weekend of April and the last weekend of 2025 before summer season gets underway sees a fascinating four-way race at the box office. Returning hits Sinners and The Minecraft Movie face off against newcomer The Accountant 2 and re-release Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Wunmi Mosaku, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Caton star in "Sinners." Sinners is eyeing a sophomore $20-25 million this weekend in North America, a terrific hold that puts it atop the box office again before summer movie season kicks off next weekend with Marvel's Thunderbolts*. You can read Erik Kain's review of Sinners here. Meanwhile, Minecraft looks to add around $20 million or more to its own domestic haul as well, climbing toward at least $775 million worldwide and with a chance at $800 million through end of business Sunday. Entering the fray as the previously presumed frontrunner for the weekend box office crown, The Accountant 2 should land somewhere around $20-25 million stateside, but this film's primary target demo is also where Sinners and the fourth contender (which I'll get to momentarily) play heavily, so we'll see how that situation shakes out. The big surprise entry in the weekend box office race is Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, celebrating its twenty-year anniversary in style with a probable $20 million performance. Where the math really gets interesting is, if any one film between Sinners, The Accountant 2, and Revenge of the Sith breaks out heavily with the action-leaning male demographic, then it could win the weekend and push The Accountant 2 into third place behind the Star Wars prequel. Meanwhile, the above scenario could benefit The Minecraft Movie if the three other films split their primary demographic equally enough for them all to land right around $20-22 million but let Minecraft build a winning consensus with the broader mainstream audience. On the other hand, the better Revenge of the Sith plays – say a second or even surprise-first place finish -- the more likely it is Minecraft might wind up in fourth place after all. This brings into focus just how close the weekend matchups could be, and just a couple of million dollars might separate positions one through four on the charts. Should Sinners win a decisive victory this weekend, or even finish a close second, that raises the question of whether it could eat into the following weekend's summer movie season launch of Thunderbolts*. Not that there's any chance of Sinners topping Thunderbolts* for the crown on that first May domestic weekend of the year, but rather that a strong third-weekend hold by Sinners of around $15 million would come at the expense of Thunderbolts* and could make the difference between hitting $70 million or not. On the other hand, the growing list of good and popular options at the box office seems to be encouraging audiences and, as they say, a rising tide lifts all boats. Usually. So in this case, it's arguable that the better Sinners and other films perform, the better it will be in the long run for everybody, including the superheroes/supervillains of Thunderbolts*, since audience enthusiasm translates into more visits to multiplexes. Sinners has become a breakout hit precisely because it delivers so much of what audiences want from original new storytelling, as compared/contrasted to what viewers want from returning and/or beloved franchises. Jeff Conway spoke with the film's writer-director Ryan Coogler, and his Proximity Media co-founders Zinzi Coogler & Sev Ohanian, about how and why the film won its first box office weekend, so be sure to check out that conversation. While there's plenty of room for anything to happen, there's also plenty of evidence that while things will be close, the likely outcomes seem to be shaping up already as we get through Friday. Sinners looks to win the weekend, followed closely by The Accountant, with The Minecraft Movie in third place and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith a very close fourth. We've essentially got two two-way races, then, and I feel Sinners and Minecraft have the slight edges necessary to squeeze out victories in their respective head-to-head matchups. If either flips the other way, I'd expect it to be Minecraft and Star Wars trading places by a razor-thin margin. The good news is, these are all good movies offering very different viewing experiences that should be rewarded with a combined $90-100 million domestic box office gross to end the spring and usher in the summer.
