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Juan Carlos Medina on Directing “The Limehouse Golem”

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Juan Carlos Medina first received the script for The Limehouse Golem back in 2012, and he was immediately taken by the storytelling in the mysterious period piece.

“It’s my favorite kind of story,” the director admits.  “To me, it’s about a journey from innocence.  We were able to show the most beautiful and darkest sides of society at that time.”

The Limehouse Golem takes place in 19th century London.  A brutal killer is on the loose and a young woman (Olivia Cooke) has been accused of killing her husband in an unrelated (or is it?) murder.  As all the pieces on the game board move into place, we slowly discover that no one is truly innocent.

It’s a wonderful mystery that recalls the films we saw from Hammer Studios in the 1960s, a fact that Medina relishes.

“I’m obsessed with the films of that time,” he says.  “I’ve always kind of liked those stories that are romantic and slightly baroque in their designs.  I wanted the film to be eccentric, over the top, and most of all, very creepy.”

For better or worse, that meant that his entire cast had to strap into this emotional roller coaster and commit to the challenges he presented to them.  Thankfully, they agreed, though they might not have realized what they were in for in the beginning.

Of Cooke’s commitment, he says, “She was really a trooper.  She fought through everything, met every emotional and physical challenge.  I’m very proud of her work on the film.”

Meanwhile, Douglas Booth, in the role of music hall star Dan Leno, faced a different kind of challenge.

“With Douglas, he has mostly played these very handsome, very clean characters, but life in the music halls and this kind of environment would prematurely age anyone,” Medina explains.  “So, we pushed to make him seem almost ugly by comparison…emaciated….brought down by the world that he was living in.  And once we had the look in place, he had to embody the exhausted life and expectations of a performer at that time.”

Still, there was one more element that had to come to life in order for Medina’s vision with the film to be realized.

“I worked the hardest on creating this world in the beginning,” Juan Carlos said.  “This environment informs everything about how the story is told.  So, that world had to be real for the actors, for their characters to walk through.  There was a lot going on in the social and political climate at the time and the environment had to reflect all of that.”

Medina succeeds beautifully with this environment, and the piece has a whole.  It’s an impressive bit of work, especially considering that this is only Medina’s fourth major credit as a director that’s listed on IMDb.

You can see The Limehouse Golem in theaters and on demand on September 8, 2017.  Check out the trailer below!

 

TITLE: THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM
IN THEATERS AND AVAILABLE ON VOD AND DIGITAL HD: September 8, 2017
DIRECTOR: Juan Carlos Medina
WRITERS: Jane Goldman, based on the novel “Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem” by Peter Ackroyd
CAST: Bill Nighy, Olivia Cooke, Douglas Booth, Daniel Mays, and Eddie Marsan
SYNOPSIS: The city of London is gripped with fear as a serial killer – dubbed The Limehouse Golem – is on the loose and leaving cryptic messages written in his victim’s blood. With few leads and increasing public pressure, Scotland Yard assigns the case to Inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy) – a seasoned detective with a troubled past and a sneaking suspicion he’s being set up to fail. Faced with a long list of suspects, including music hall star Dan Leno (Douglas Booth), Kildare must get help from a witness who has legal troubles of her own (Olivia Cooke), so he can stop the murders and bring the killer to justice.
GENRE: Thriller
DISTRIBUTOR: RLJ Entertainment

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The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location

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beetlejuice in Hawaii Movie

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s sequels to hit movies weren’t as linear as they are today. It was more like “let’s re-do the situation but in a different location.” Remember Speed 2, or National Lampoon’s European Vacation? Even Aliens, as good as it is, follows a lot of the plot points of the original; people stuck on a ship, an android, a little girl in peril instead of a cat. So it makes sense that one of the most popular supernatural comedies of all time, Beetlejuice would follow the same pattern.

In 1991 Tim Burton was interested in doing a sequel to his 1988 original, it was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian:

“The Deetz family moves to Hawaii to develop a resort. Construction begins, and it’s quickly discovered that the hotel will be sitting on top of an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice comes in to save the day.”

Burton liked the script but wanted some re-writes so he asked then-hot screenwriter Daniel Waters who had just got done contributing to Heathers. He passed on the opportunity so producer David Geffen offered it to Troop Beverly Hills scribe Pamela Norris to no avail.

Eventually, Warner Bros. asked Kevin Smith to punch up Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, he scoffed at the idea, saying, “Didn’t we say all we needed to say in the first Beetlejuice? Must we go tropical?”

Nine years later the sequel was killed. The studio said Winona Ryder was now too old for the part and an entire re-cast needed to happen. But Burton never gave up, there were a lot of directions he wanted to take his characters, including a Disney crossover.

“We talked about lots of different things,” the director said in Entertainment Weekly. “That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted MansionBeetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up.”

Fast-forward to 2011 when another script was pitched for a sequel. This time the writer of Burton’s Dark Shadows,  Seth Grahame-Smith was hired and he wanted to make sure the story wasn’t a cash-grabbing remake or reboot. Four years later, in 2015, a script was approved with both Ryder and Keaton saying they would return to their respective roles. In 2017 that script was revamped and then eventually shelved in 2019.

During the time the sequel script was being tossed around in Hollywood, in 2016 an artist named Alex Murillo posted what looked like one-sheets for a Beetlejuice sequel. Although they were fabricated and had no affiliation with Warner Bros. people thought they were real.

Perhaps the virality of the artwork sparked interest in a Beetlejuice sequel once again, and finally, it was confirmed in 2022 Beetlejuice 2 had a green light from a script written by Wednesday writers  Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The star of that series Jenna Ortega signed on to the new movie with filming starting in 2023. It was also confirmed that Danny Elfman would return to do the score.

Burton and Keaton agreed that the new film titled Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice wouldn’t rely on CGI or other other forms of technology. They wanted the film to feel “handmade.” The film wrapped in November 2023.

It’s been over three decades to come up with a sequel to Beetlejuice. Hopefully, since they said aloha to Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian there has been enough time and creativity to ensure Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will not only honor the characters, but fans of the original.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will open theatrically on September 6.

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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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