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Jonathan Lipnicki is All Grown Up and Kicking Ass in “Circus Kane”

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Jonathan Lipnicki wants you to put your phone down when you watch Circus Kane.

It’s an ironic request considering the film revolves around a group of social media stars invited to witness the rebirth of a horror circus made famous by a man named Balthazar Kane, but the actor thinks it’s important.

“This is a roller coaster ride of a movie,” the actor points out.  “Things happen fast, and if you’re looking down at your phone, you’re going to miss something…maybe something important.  Watch the movie; Tweet about it later.”

Circus Kane is equal parts horror and comedy with something for everyone, and Lipnicki’s character, Scott, is right in the middle of everything.  The role afforded the actor to not only explore the horror genre from the inside, but also allowed him to show off some of the martial arts skills he’s been developing for years.  And it all started with a phone call from screenwriter James Cullen Bressack.

“I’d worked with James before on another movie called Limelight,” Lipnicki related.  “So, he calls me up and said, ‘I’ve written this thing about evil clowns; and there’s a role in it that makes me think of you.’  Then I get the script and start reading and the character is a total brat! I told James that I wasn’t sure if it was an insult or a compliment, but I was ready to take the job.”

As is the case with most independent films, there wasn’t a lot of time for rehearsals, but the producers knew they’d need a cohesive ensemble when they started filming Circus Kane.  So, the week before production was set to begin, they got the actors into a group and put them in an Escape Room.

“We had to work together, you know?  We had to be a team and collaborate,” he says, “and I think that went a long way to helping us once filming began.”

As I said before, the film centers on a group of social media stars who are invited to witness the rebirth of the infamous Circus Kane.  In a very House on Haunted Hill homage, the participants are promised $250,000 each, should they stay and survive the entire evening.  Of course, in horror films, things are never that easy, and the guy who sends the invitations never intends to pay.

One by one, the group is whittled away in campy horror fashion by killer clowns, deadly over-sized toys, and booby traps from hell.  Through it all, Lipnicki insists he was having the time of his life, especially when the production crew allowed him to incorporate his marital arts training into one of his big scenes.

“I got to help and really collaborate with the stunt men to incorporate some of the Jujitsu and Muay Thai that I’ve been studying for years into those scenes, man, and it was really cool that they trusted me to do that.”

It was a nice turn for the young star who still feels his role from Jerry Maguire looming over his shoulder some days.  In fact, the actor thanked me when I told him I intended to leave the subject completely out of the interview.  I will tell you that, at a pivotal point in Scott’s arc, another actor ad libbed the line “The human head weighs eight pounds” and Lipnicki admits they all had a good laugh about it on set.

So, will we be seeing more of Jonathan in horror?

“If I could just go from movie to movie for the rest of my life, I’d be perfectly happy,” the actor says, “and I’ve always been interested in the ‘horror space’ because it’s so varied with so many different elements.  Horror has some of the best and most dedicated fans and I love that.  It’s something I’d definitely want to do more of in the future.”

You can catch Jonathan Lipnicki in Circus Kane on demand!

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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