THUNDERBOLTS
THUNDERBOLTS
Thunderbolts* is a 2025 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the team Thunderbolts. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Jake Schreier from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, and stars an ensemble cast featuring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In the film, a group of antiheroes are caught in a deadly trap and forced to work together on a dangerous mission.
Marvel Studios first teased the formation of a Thunderbolts team within the MCU in 2021. The film was revealed to be in development in June 2022, when Schreier and Pearson were attached. The main cast was revealed in September, with additional casting through early 2023. Lee Sung Jin joined to rewrite the script by March 2023, one of several creatives who returned to work with Schreier from the Netflix series Beef (2023–present). Production was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, causing some cast changes in early 2024. Calo joined by then for further rewrites. Filming took place from February to June 2024 at Trilith Studios and Atlanta Metro Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and also on location in Utah and Kuala Lumpur.
Thunderbolts* premiered on April 22, 2025, at the Empire Leicester Square in London, England, and is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 2, as the final film of Phase Five of the MCU. The film received positive reviews from critics.
Premise
A group of antiheroes are caught in a deadly trap by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and are forced into a dangerous mission that could bring them redemption if they unite as a team.[3]
Cast
- Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova:
A member of the Thunderbolts who was trained in the Red Room as a Black Widow assassin.[4] Pugh said the character has been affected by the traumatic events of recent Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) projects, including the death of her adoptive sister Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019).[5] - Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes:
An enhanced super soldier with a cybernetic arm who is the de facto leader of the Thunderbolts.[4][6] Presumed killed in action during World War II, he reemerged in the present day as a brainwashed assassin before his programming was removed,[4] and has since been elected as a member of the United States Congress.[7] Stan compared Barnes to Jack Nicholson‘s character Randle McMurphy in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), saying they were both coming into a chaotic and degenerate group whose members need to be united.[8] - Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent:
An enhanced super soldier and member of the Thunderbolts. He is a former decorated Captain of the U.S. Army Rangers who was chosen by the U.S. government to become Steve Rogers‘s successor as Captain America before receiving an other than honorable discharge in the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).[4] - Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster:
A member of the Thunderbolts with photographic reflexes that allow her to mimic opponents’ fighting styles. She was formerly controlled by her father, Dreykov, to complete missions for the Red Room before being freed by Romanoff in the film Black Widow (2021).[4] - Lewis Pullman as Bob / Sentry / Void:
A superpowered individual who suffers from amnesia.[9] As the Void, a version of Sentry completely shrouded in shadows, he is invincible, spreads darkness, and can turn people into shadows.[10] - Geraldine Viswanathan as Mel: Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s assistant[11][12]
- David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian:
A member of the Thunderbolts who is the Russian super soldier counterpart to Captain America and a father-figure to Belova.[4] Harbour said the film further explores the complex relationship between Shostakov and Belova that was introduced in Black Widow. He noted that Belova cannot stand Shostakov, but she needs someone to help her feel complete and Shostakov is able to fill that role.[13] - Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr / Ghost:
A member of the Thunderbolts who can phase through objects.[4] John-Kamen said the film shows a different side of the character following her introduction in the film Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), with Ghost no longer in a constant state of molecular disequilibrium and able to control her powers with calmness and decisiveness.[14] - Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine:
A contessa and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),[4][15] who brings together the members of the Thunderbolts.[3] The film establishes de Fontaine as the one who bought Avengers Tower, now referred to as “Watchtower”, from Tony Stark in the film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).[16] Louis-Dreyfus described de Fontaine as someone who is “after power, control, and just generally she wants to kick ass in the Marvel Universe”.[17]
Additionally, Chris Bauer has been cast in an undisclosed role,[18] while Wendell Edward Pierce portrays a political figure.[19] Laurence Fishburne and Rachel Weisz are expected to reprise their respective MCU roles as Bill Foster and Melina Vostokoff.[20] There are conflicting reports about whether Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Thaddeus Ross from the film Captain America: Brave New World (2025).[21][22]
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THE SURFER
THE SURFER
The Surfer is a 2024 English-language psychological thriller written by Thomas Martin, directed by Lorcan Finnegan, and starring Nicolas Cage.[1][2][3]
The Surfer addresses the failures of perceived masculinity. The protagonist has lost everything he holds dear as a provider. His marriage, career, and authority as a father have crumbled into dust. He believes that reclaiming a source of childhood happiness will somehow fill that void. The Surfer will show his fractured family that he can still do the job and give them palpable security. The loathsome Scally preaches a similar message to the Bay Boys, but with a far more aggressive reach. Men have to be dominant, territorial, and unflinching when challenged. But you must first feel pain and worthlessness to claw your way back to an alpha position.
The Surfer had its world premiere in the Midnight Screenings section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2024, before its theatrical release by Roadside Attractions on 2 May 2025.
Cast
- Nicolas Cage as the Surfer
- Julian McMahon as Scally
- Nic Cassim as the Bum
- Miranda Tapsell as the Photographer
- Alexander Bertrand as Pitbull
- Justin Rosniak as the Cop
- Rahel Romahn as the Estate Agent
- Finn Little as the Kid[4]
- Charlotte Maggi as Jenny
Production
Nicolas Cage‘s casting in the film was announced in May 2023.[5] The film is an Australian and Irish co-production. It was produced by Tea Shop Productions, Arenamedia, Lovely Productions, and Gramercy Park Media, with support from Australia’s Screenwest.[6] In October and November 2023, it was reported that Cage was filming scenes in Yallingup.[7][8][9] Principal photography concluded in December 2023.[6]
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ROSARIO
ROSARIO
Rosario is an upcoming American horror film directed by Felipe Vargas in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Emeraude Toubia, David Dastmalchian, José Zúñiga, Diana Lein and Paul Ben-Victor.
Stockbroker Rosario “Rosie” Fuentes returns to her deceased grandmother’s New York apartment. While sorting through her grandmother’s belongings, Rosario discovers a hidden chamber with occult artifacts tied to dark rituals. Rosario begins to be plagued by supernatural events and “must confront her family’s buried secrets and the price of abandoning her roots.” She’s forced to spend the night with her grandmother’s corpse as she waits for an ambulance to arrive during a snowstorm.
Cast
- Emeraude Toubia as Rosario
- David Dastmalchian
- José Zúñiga
- Diana Lein
- Paul Ben-Victor
- Guillermo García
- Isabella Hoyos
Production
Development
In October 2023, it was reported that a high-concept horror film titled Rosario was in development by director Felipe Vargas in his feature directorial debut, and with David Dastmalchian, José Zúñiga, Diana Lein, Paul Ben-Victor, and Emeraude Toubia starring. Principal photography began in mid-November 2023 in Bogotá.[1]
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RUST
RUST
Rust is a 2024 American Western film written and directed by Joel Souza. It stars Alec Baldwin (who also produced and co-wrote the story with Souza), Patrick Scott McDermott, Josh Hopkins, Frances Fisher, and Travis Fimmel.[2] The film gained notoriety for a shooting incident in 2021, wherein cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally killed when a live round was discharged from a prop revolver that Baldwin was using. It premiered at the Polish film festival Camerimage on November 20, 2024, and is scheduled for a theatrical release on May 2, 2025.
Premise
In the 1880s, in Kansas, elderly outlaw Harland Rust comes out of hiding to rescue his 13-year-old nephew Lucas Hollister, after he is sentenced to hang for an accidental killing. Now fugitives, the pair must outrun the vicious bounty hunter Fenton “Preacher” Lang.[3][4]
Cast
- Alec Baldwin as Harland Rust, an elderly outlaw
- Patrick Scott McDermott as Lucas Hollister, Rust’s nephew.[5] Brady Noon was initially cast as Lucas, but when production was delayed for over a year, his other commitments made him unable to re-commit to the role.[6]
- Travis Fimmel as Fenton “Preacher” Lang, a bounty hunter after Rust
- Frances Fisher as Lucas’ grandaunt
- Jake Busey as Drum Parker[7]
- Josh Hopkins as Wood Helm, a sheriff. Jensen Ackles was originally cast as Helm before being replaced by Hopkins because the delayed production caused scheduling conflicts.[8][9]
- Devon Werkheiser as Boone LaFontaine[10]
Production
Development
In May 2020, it was announced that Alec Baldwin would produce and star in Rust, a Western based on a story he created with writer and director Joel Souza.[3] Baldwin told The Hollywood Reporter that he was elated to work with Souza after missing the opportunity to star in Crown Vic (2019). He compared the screenplay to the film Unforgiven (1992), and said a true story inspired it. When asked about his gun slinging and horse riding skills, he said: “They’re always at the ready. I’m an actor of the old school. So if you read my resume, my motorcycle riding, my French, juggling, my horseback riding, my gunplay—is all right at my fingertips.”[11]
In October 2021, production was suspended after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot when a gun being used as a prop was fired by Baldwin during the preparation for a scene; the same round injured Souza. Several lawsuits were filed, and eventually, manslaughter charges were filed against Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.[12][13][14] Filming finally restarted in April 2023 and was completed soon after. Gutierrez-Reed was ultimately found guilty, but Baldwin was acquitted.[15][16][17][18]
Rust was being produced on a $6–7 million budget and described as a “passion project” for Baldwin.[19][20][21] The film’s distribution rights were sold to The Avenue for $2 million during pre-production.[22] Travis Fimmel, Brady Noon, and Frances Fisher joined the cast in September 2021,[23] with Jensen Ackles being cast the following month.[24] The production involved approximately 150 crew members, half local, 22 principal, and 230 background actors from New Mexico.[25][26] The production had a filming schedule of 21 days.[22][27] Filming began in New Mexico on October 6, 2021.[28]
Shooting incident
On the morning of October 21, 2021, which was to be the twelfth day of filming, seven unionized members of the film’s camera crew collected their belongings at approximately 6:30 a.m. MT in a walkout.[29] They claim they were told to leave the set, with a producer threatening to call the police, and were replaced.[30][31] According to a statement given to TheWrap by an anonymous insider, several crew members took some prop guns off-set that day, including the firearm involved in the incident, to pass the time shooting at beer cans with live ammunition.[32] After a lunch break, the prop guns had been returned.[32] It is not clear if the firearms were checked again.[33] On October 26, the Santa Fe County district attorney said these claims were still unconfirmed.[34]
Later that day, the cast and crew rehearsed a gunfight inside a Bonanza Creek Ranch church. Firearms and ammunition were retrieved from a locked safe, and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed placed three guns for filming on a cart.[29] Among them were a plastic gun that could not shoot live ammunition, a modified weapon that could not fire any ammunition, and a solid-frame .45 Colt revolver replica made by Pietta.[29][35][36][37]
According to a search warrant, Gutierrez-Reed briefly checked the guns before assistant director David Halls took the Pietta revolver from the prop cart and handed it to Baldwin.[38][39] In a subsequent affidavit, Halls said the safety protocol regarding this firearm was such that he would open the loading gate of the revolver and rotate the cylinder to expose the chambers so he could inspect them himself. According to the affidavit, Halls said he did not check all cylinder chambers but recalled seeing three rounds in the cylinder at the time. After the shooting, Halls said in the affidavit, Gutierrez-Reed retrieved the weapon and opened it, and Halls said that he saw four rounds, which were blanks, and one which could have been the remaining shell of a discharged live round.[40] In the warrant, it is further stated that Halls announced the term “cold gun”, meaning that it did not contain live rounds.[38] Halls’s lawyer, Lisa Torraco, later sought to assert that he did not take the gun off the cart and hand it to Baldwin as reported, but when pressed by a reporter to be clear, she refused to repeat that assertion.[41]
B-camera operator Reid Russell was situated on a camera dolly, looking at a monitor with Hutchins and Souza both nearby. The scene involved Baldwin’s character removing a gun from its holster and pointing it toward the camera.[29][33] The trio behind the monitor was two feet (0.6 m) from the firearm’s muzzle, and none of them wore protective gear such as noise-canceling headphones or safety goggles.[29]
The trio behind the monitor began repositioning the camera to remove a shadow, and Baldwin explained to the crew how he planned to draw the firearm.[33] He said, “So, I guess I’m gonna take this out, pull it, and go, ‘Bang!'”[29] He removed it from the holster, and the revolver discharged a single time. Baldwin denied pulling the trigger of the gun, while ABC News described a later FBI report stating that the gun could only fire if the trigger were pulled.[42][43] Halls was quoted by his attorney Lisa Torraco as saying that Baldwin did not pull the trigger, and that Baldwin’s finger was never within the trigger guard during the incident.[44] When the gun fired, the projectile approached the three behind the monitor. It struck Hutchins in the chest, traveled through her body, and then hit Souza in the shoulder.[30][38][45] Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell called 9-1-1 at 1:46 p.m. MT, and emergency crews appeared three minutes later.[29] Footage of the incident was not recorded.[35]
Hutchins was flown by helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she was pronounced dead.[46] Souza was treated by EMS and transported by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, where he was admitted and released by the following morning.[47]
As a result of the incident, production on Rust was suspended indefinitely,[46] though co-producer Anjul Nigam was confident the film would resume production once the investigation ended. However, Nigam later clarified that he meant to express optimism and hope, rather than confidence, as he stated that many involved in the production hope to honor Hutchins by completing her final work.[48][49]
Spider bite incident
In November 2021, weeks after the shooting incident, lamp operator and pipe rigger Jason Miller was bitten in the arm by a brown recluse spider while closing the set. Miller suffered necrosis and sepsis. He was hospitalized and underwent multiple surgeries to avoid amputation of his arm.[50][51][52]
Resumed production
In October 2022, the Hutchins family settled the lawsuit,[53] with filming set to resume in January 2023 in California, with Matthew Hutchins, Halyna’s husband, as an executive producer.[54][55] Many of the film’s crew gave mixed reactions towards the news, with some supporting it and planning on resuming their work on it, but others condemning the decision and deciding not to return.[56] On January 18, filming was delayed again after New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies decided to charge Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter.[57] In February 2023, it was reported that filming would resume in spring 2023 with Souza directing and Bianca Cline as cinematographer. Grant Hill was added as producer.[58] The new shooting location was reported to be Yellowstone Film Ranch in Livingston, Montana.[59] Producers stated that the use of working weapons or ammunition would be prohibited.[58]
Production of the film resumed on April 20, 2023.[5][12] The same day, it was reported that prosecutors had informed Baldwin that the charges against him were being dropped, and the new, updated cast was released.[13] Meanwhile, Patrick Scott McDermott was confirmed to have replaced Noon.[6] By May 2023, Jensen Ackles left because of scheduling conflicts; Josh Hopkins plays a new character.[9] On April 24, 2023, Baldwin returned to the set to finish filming his scenes,[60] with the production concluding on May 22, 2023.[14]
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#Thunderbolts #TheSurfer #Rosario #Rust
