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In The Martial Artist, when Mma rising star Ibby "The Prince" Bakran shines in a local fight, the world’s largest promotion company offers him a deal he can’t refuse. Consumed with the limelight and all it has to offer, Ibby burns the candle at both ends, and soon his fighting takes its own hit.

As his star begins to fade, he points the finger at everyone but himself, becoming withdrawn and pulling away from his family who never wanted him to fight. With nowhere else to turn, he travels to his homeland to find answers from his estranged grandfather. In the majestic mountains of Pakistan, Ibby works to find his what he’s lost; but first he must face his biggest opponent yet: himself.

Shaz Khan plays Ibby, with Iron Man star Faran Tahir taking on the role of his grandfather, Dada. Last week, we got to sit...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is very unique when it comes to its portrayal of comic book characters. On the one hand, it's capable of creating three-dimensional heroes that make mistakes, don't always keep their cool, are hunted by the demons of their past, and yet they manage to set an example to everybody else by saving the day countless times. On the other hand, they can also craft a one-dimensional villain with no outstanding motivations other than the caricaturesque "I want to rule the world" trope.

Granted, there are some big exceptions in the form of Kingpin, Thanos, Killmonger, The Vulture, and a few others. But more often than not, we remember an MCU project because of the hero and not its antagonistic counterpart.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is a perfect example since it was widely criticized for its portrayal of the murderous robot. Granted, it was always going to...

WandaVision concluded with the original Vision, rebuilt by S.W.O.R.D. to do as they command, attempting to kill Wanda Maximoff and his Hex double. The latter seemingly restored his doppelganger's memories during their clash, prompting the presumably emotionless "White Vision" to fly away to parts unknown.

Marvel Studios and Marvel Television will continue that story in Disney+'s upcoming Vision series, and there's a great deal of intrigue surrounding the project.

We know that James Spader will return as Ultron, while it's been widely reported that the Disney+ series will adapt elements of West Coast Avengers and Tom King's Vision series. There have even been rumblings that we'll see James D'Arcy and Kerry Condon play human versions of Edwin Jarvis and F.R.I.D.A.Y.

By far one of the most intriguing additions to the cast is Iron Man star Faran Tahir. He starred...

Get ready for a movie that’s going to blow your mind! Shaz Khan is stepping into the director’s chair with his first film, The Martial Artist, hitting theaters on April 4, 2025. This film is all set to shake up the fight film scene. It’s a visually captivating and emotionally charged story about an Mma fighter’s path to self-discovery, mixing Eastern and Western influences while exploring themes like ambition, redemption, and personal growth.

In a world where fight films often stick to the same old patterns, The Martial Artist breaks the mold with its gritty, bold, and innovative style. Shaz Khan aims to craft a film that resonates not just locally but also with audiences around the globe. “This isn’t just about throwing punches. It’s about challenging the norm and introducing something fresh that reflects the struggles we face today,” Khan shares.

The trailer has already created a buzz,...

The HBO series The Franchise gave a satirical behind-the-scenes look at the making of a film that was part of a larger superhero franchise, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC film universes. Ruaridh Mollica had a recurring role on the show, playing a character named Jaz Cox. HBO ended up cancelling The Franchise after just one season – and now, Mollica is moving on from a project that poked fun at superhero franchises to joining a superhero franchise. Deadline reports that Mollica will be entering the MCU with a role in Marvel’s Disney+ series that is either called Vision or Vision Quest.

Deadline’s sources told them that Mollica will be playing a character named Tucker, but some MCU fans aren’t buying it. The speculation going around is that Mollica will actually be playing an older version of Tommy Maximoff, one of the twin sons Wanda Maximoff...

The Vision series has added another intriguing member to its expanding cast. A report from Deadlineannounced that Ruaridh Mollica has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a recurring role in the Disney+ show. Ironically, the actor most recently appeared in the HBO original series The Franchise, which parodies the chaotic productions of giant superhero blockbusters. The Vision series will serve as the second spinoff to WandaVision, taking place after the events of the final episode, which saw the newly resurrected Vision fly off and leave Westview.

The report from the news outlet also states that Mollica will play a character named Tucker. Like most MCU projects currently in development, details about "Tucker" are being kept under wraps. Paul Bettany will reprise his role as Vision on his journey to regain his humanity, and the cast is rounded out with some familiar faces (and voices), with James Spader returning to voice...

Jac Schaeffer was originally going to take charge of Vision (which may or may not still be called Vision Quest) but moved on from the series to focus on Agatha All Along.

Vision is still expected to form part of the WandaVision "trilogy," though it feels like these shows are all building to the long-rumoured Scarlet Witch movie. If so, we'd bet on that adapting elements from Avengers: The Children's Crusade, as Wanda, Vision, Billy, and Tommy finally reunite.

Nexus Point News has spotted an update to cinematographer Christopher Ross' online résumé in which he lists Vision Quest as one of his upcoming projects. Interestingly, he also names the show's directors.

Showrunner Terry Matalas (Star Trek: Picard) will be part of the team stepping behind the camera, as will his 12 Monkeys collaborator, Christopher J. Byrne (American Gods).

Perhaps the most intriguing addition to Vision is Vincenzo Natali. Best known for...

Paul Bettany's Vision spinoff will reportedly feature an actor from HBO's superhero spoof series The Franchise. Ruaridh Mollica will be a regular in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe show.

Deadline reports that Mollica will play a character named Tucker in the Vision series, but other details about the role have not yet been revealed to the public.Vision will star Paul Bettany, James Spader (the McU's Ultron), Todd Stashwick, as well as the recently cast Faran Tahir, who played the villainous Raza in Robert Downey Jr.'s first Iron Man film back in 2008.

RelatedHasbro and Legendary Team Up for Magic: The Gathering Movie and TV Universe

Big news has been revealed for Magic: The Gathering fans.

Exact details about the Vision series' plot are being kept under wraps, but it is believed to take place after the events of WandaVision, showing Scarlet Witch's love interest as he tries to...

Marvel Studios' planned Vision series has added another new cast member, and there's already speculation that the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have found its Tommy Maximoff, aka Speed.

Deadline reports that The Franchise and Too Rough actor Ruaridh Mollica has joined the WandaVision spin-off as a character named "Tucker."

Though this Tucker might well be a completely different character, previous rumors have suggested that the Vision series will introduce Billy Maximoff's (Joe Locke) brother, who the newly powered-up Wiccan set off to locate alongside "Ghost Agatha" in the season finale of Agatha All Along.

At 25, Mollica is a little older than Locke (21), but he could convincingly play a teenager.

The untitled Vision project - which may or may not end up being called Vision Quest - has been described as "the third part of a trilogy that started with WandaVision and continues in Agatha All Along."

We found out last...

Exclusive: After recurring on HBO’s The Franchise, which spoofed Marvel-like superhero movies, Ruaridh Mollica is stepping into the MCU with a series regular role in the Marvel superhero series for Disney+ Vision, sources tell Deadline.

The Vision spinoff, headlined by Paul Bettany, is said to take place after the events in WandaVision where the character made a return after Thanos killed him in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. The new series is believed to follow Vision (Bettany) as he tries to regain his memory and humanity.

Mollica will play a character named Tucker. In addition to Bettany, he joins previously cast James Spader, who reprises his MCU role of Ultron, Todd Stashwick, and Faran Tahir, who will reprise the role of Raza.

Vision is the second WandaVision spinoff, following the recent buzzy release Agatha All Along. Next on Marvel’s Disney+ slate is the March debut of Daredevil: Born Again.

By returning to the MCU in 2026's upcoming Vision series, one unexpected Iron Man actor will break a huge Marvel Studios record which is about to be set by two returning characters in 2025. As the second spinoff from 2021's WandaVision series, there is a lot of anticipation for the Vision series, which will catch up with Paul Bettany's White Vision following his reawakening by Sword and battle in Westview. Excitement has grown after the hiring of Star Trek: Picard's Terry Matalas as showrunner and confirmation that several MCU actors will be reprising their roles.

While the Vision series will put the titular synthezoid front-and-center, James Spader was also confirmed to be returning as Ultron in August 2024. Ultron had a key role in Vision's development in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, so the tyrannical robot could play a huge role as the villain of the Vision series, but...

There are many forgotten characters from the McU's past that fans are desperate to see return to the big (or small) screen. That list includes surprisingly popular characters, like W'Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya), Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell). One such name is returning for the upcoming Vision Quest Disney+ series. However, we'll forgive you for not immediately remembering who they are.

Per Deadline, Faran Tahir will reprize his long forgotten MCU role in Vision Quest. Tahir actually played the McU's first on-screen villain (providing you don't count The Incredible Hulk as cannon) in Iron Man, way back in 2008. Faran Tahir played Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization who kidnapped Tony Stark. If anything, Raza is responsible for the entire MCU, as him holding Stark hostage caused the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist to build his first prototype "in a cave... with a box of scraps.

It looks like development on Marvel Studios’ “Vision Quest” TV series. Casting is most definitely underway, as we now have learned that another familiar face is joining the series.

Read More: The 75 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2025

According to Deadline, Faran Tahir has signed on to appear in Marvel Studios’ “Vision Quest.” Tahir is no stranger to the MCU, having previously appeared as a villain in “Iron Man” way back in 2008.

Continue reading ‘Vision Quest’: ‘Iron Man’ Actor Faran Tahir To Reprise His Role In Marvel Studios’ Upcoming Series at The Playlist.

Actor Faran Tahir is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Disney+ series ‘Vision Quest,’ a spinoff from WandaVision. Tahir will reprise his role as Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization, a character he first played in 2008’s Iron Man. This marks Tahir’s first MCU appearance in nearly two decades, making his return a noteworthy moment for fans of the franchise.

Raza’s story was last seen in Iron Man, where he orchestrated Tony Stark’s kidnapping to force the creation of a Jericho missile. Although the character appeared to meet his end in the film, the MCU has shown time and again that death isn’t always permanent.

The series will follow Vision, played by Paul Bettany, as he attempts to regain his memories and redefine his purpose after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and WandaVision.

In addition to Bettany and Tahir,...

Marvel Studios is set to bring back a villain from the very first MCU movie for the upcoming Disney+ Vision series - but probably not the one you're expecting.

Deadline reports that Faran Tahir will return as Raza, the ruthless leader of the 10 Rings terrorist group who targetted Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in 2008's Iron Man. Raza appeared to meet his end at the hands of Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), but it's worth noting that we didn't actually see him die when Stane sent his men into the tent to finish off his former ally.

We have no idea why Marvel is utilizing this particular character for the WandaVision spin-off, but it might have something to do with Stark's involvement in Vision's creation. It's also entirely possible that Raza is dead, and will only appear in flashbacks or as some kind of illusion or construct.

The untitled...

The Vision (Paul Bettany) was last seen flying off near the end of "WandaVision," but he will be headlining his own Disney+ series in 2026. Time will tell if "Vision" (the final title has not been confirmed at this time) can recapture the success of last year's "WandaVision" spin-off, "Agatha All Along."

It was previously confirmed that the Vision TV series would be bringing back the titular android's creator, the also robotic Ultron (James Spader). Now, Deadline reports that another Iron Man foe will be returning from (seeming) death. Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane? Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko? Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian? Nope! Instead, Faran Tahir is playing Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar, last seen in the very first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie: "Iron Man."

To quote the Vision's late brother-in-law Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), "You didn't see that coming?" Well, Pietro, I did not!

Raza is simultaneously an obscure yet pivotal character — without him,...

Vision Quest will feature the return of a surprising Iron Man villain. The upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe series will follow Vision (Paul Bettany) after the events of WandaVision and will see James Spader playing Ultron again as well.

Deadline has now revealed that Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist cell that tried to kill Tony Stark, will also be in Vision Quest. Faran Tahir will be reprising the role that he first played in the 2008 Iron Man movie.

More to come...

Source: Deadline...

Marvel Studios’ upcoming Vision series with Paul Bettany is going back to the source code: Faran Tahir is joining the show as Raza, the role he originated in the studio’s first feature film, 2008’s “Iron Man.”

Bettany is returning as the ghostly white version of the synthezoid he first played in the 2015 film “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and James Spader is reprising his role from “Age of Ultron” as the titular villainous AI. Todd Stashwick (“Star Trek: Picard”) is also playing an unspecified character.

Resurrecting Tahir’s character nearly 20 years after he first appeared will mark the longest gap between appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. That’s an even more impressive feat considering that Raza — best known for kidnapping Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, the inciting incident that leads Start to become Iron Man — was seemingly killed halfway through “Iron Man” by the film’s main villain,...

Disney+’s Vision series is bringing back another familiar face from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Faran Tahir will reprise his role as villain Raza in the upcoming Marvel TV show, a role he played in the original 2008 Iron Man movie, our sister site Deadline reports. In that film, Raza was the leader of the terrorist group known as Ten Rings who imprisoned Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. Raza was betrayed and seemingly killed by Jeff Bridges’ Obadiah Stane — but we all know death is merely a state of mind when it comes to comic books.

More from TVLineCould Potential...

Deadline reports that Faran Tahir is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Marvel’s upcoming Vision series. He will reprise the role of Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings who kidnapped Tony Stark in the original Iron Man movie. I think this might set a new MCU record for the longest stretch between appearances.

Not much is known about the Vision series at this time. Paul Bettany will naturally be returning as Vision, but the series will also include James Spader as Ultron. Beyond brief mentions, we haven’t seen Ultron in any live-action MCU project since his introduction in Avengers: Age of Ultron ten years ago. Todd Stashwick has also joined the cast, and while it’s not known who he will be playing, previous reports have stated that he will be “an assassin who is on the trail of the android and the technology he possesses.

Faran Tahir is returning to the MCU after many years away!

The actor has just been revealed to be the latest cast in the upcoming Vision series set for Disney+, according to Deadline, reprising a role he hasn’t played in nearly two decades.

Faran first appeared in the Marvel universe in 2008′s Iron Man movie, playing the villain Raza, leader of the terrorist organization the 10 Rings who tried to kill Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) in the MCU kickoff movie.

Keep reading to find out more…

While details on the upcoming series, it is believed to be centered on Vision (Paul Bettany) trying to regain his memory and humanity.

If you missed it, Paul and Faran aren’t the only actors returning to the MCU to reprise their roles once again. Find out who else is coming back!

The upcoming series, tentatively titled Vision Quest, is set to begin filming this year,...

You know when you get a small part in a movie that nobody expects to do that well, but ends up launching the biggest franchise in history, and you reprise the role two decades later? No, we don't either, but someone who is about to find out is Faran Tahir, who has just been cast — according to Deadline — in Marvel Studios’ Vision Quest: a highly anticipated WandaVision spin-off series for Disney+ which will star Paul Bettany as the titular character. Tahir is reprising his role as Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization who first appeared in 2008’s Iron Man (which was later fleshed-out and expanded in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Now, given that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been to space, other universes, and more, it's nice to see it going full circle in a small way here. Tahir has also previously...

Big casting news has been revealed for the upcoming Vision Quest series in the works at Disney+. The series will bring back an actor from the very first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie to reprise his role nearly two decades later.

Per Deadline, it has been revealed that actor Faran Tahir (Star Trek) is set to appear in Vision Quest, a WandaVision spinoff series led by Paul Bettany. Tahir played the villainous terrorist, Raza, in Robert Downey Jr.'s first Iron Man film in 2008, and given the character's fate, he hasn't been seen in the MCU since. Reportedly, Tahir is reprising his role as Raza, but it's not yet clear how he will be factored into the story. The series is expected to follow Bettany's Vision as he attempts to heal following the events of Avengers: Infinity War and WandaVision.

Image via Marvel Studios

Related 'Flattered and Insulted at the...

Exclusive: Faran Tahir will appear in the Paul Bettany-led series Vision Quest, a WandaVision spinoff series for Disney+, sources confirm to Deadline.

Tahir will reprise the role of the villainous Raza, leader of the terrorist organization the 10 Rings who tried to kill Tony Stark in Iron Man.

Details are scarce on the new project, but as we previously reported, the Marvel Vision spinoff has been in development at Disney+ since 2022 and was picked up to series in May. It is believed to be centered on Vision (Bettany) as he tries to regain his memory and humanity. After Thanos killed him in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, Vision returned in 2021’s WandaVision.

In addition to Bettany returning to the role he has played in three Marvel films and in WandaVision, James Spader will reprise his MCU role of Ultron. Todd Stashwick will also appear in an undisclosed role.

"Fighting is not about a system... It is working in harmony with nature's laws – to express who you really are." Um, sure? I guess so? Odysseus Entertainment has revealed the official trailer for a movie called The Martial Artist, starring and directed by Pakistani-American actor Shaz Khan. Yet another exceptionally generic film about a Mma fighter and how hard it is to be successful in this sport. An Mma fighter destined for greatness must face his biggest rival yet: himself. Shaz Khan stars as Ibby "The Prince" Bakran, a fighter who is about to achieve greatness when he's offered a deal by a major promoter. As his star begins to fade, he points the finger at everyone but himself, becoming withdrawn and puling away from his family who never wanted him to fight. So he returns to Pakistan to "find what he's lost." The cast also includes Sanam Saeed, Babar Peerzada,...

Undeniably, two of Hollywood's most iconic action heroes and unforgettable leading men are Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, with both illustrious actors being staples on the silver screen for decades. The duo first skyrocketed to prominence in the '70s, with Stallone becoming a household name when he starred as Rocky Balboa in the Oscar-winning sports drama Rocky and Schwarzenegger serving as the focus for the critically acclaimed docudrama Pumping Iron.

The 1980s saw the cinema legends take on some of their most beloved action heroes, as Stallone went on to portray lone wolf soldier John Rambo while reprising his role as Balboa and Schwarzenegger dazzling moviegoers all across the world as the Terminator and in hits like Commando and Predator. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the two legends would join forces on the screen, finally giving audiences what they wanted in the 2013 action thriller Escape Plan...

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone have always been in competition with each other, something both action heroes will openly admit to. However, when working on the 2013 prison-set action thriller Escape Plan , it seems they competed with each other in a whole new way when starring alongside each other.

The friendly rivalry between Schwarzenegger and Stallone is the stuff of movie legend, with one particular incident leading to the former tricking the latter to sign up to star in the terrible Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. However, as director Mikael Hfstrm explained while promoting his new movie, Slingshot, when working with the pair, they were incredibly sweet when it came to one particular competition between them.

Escape Plan RActionMysteryThriller Where to Watchstreamrentbuy

*Availability in US Release Date October 9, 2013Director Mikael HfstrmCast Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caviezel, faran tahir, Amy Ryan, Sam NeillRuntime 116Main Genre ActionWriters Miles Chapman, Jason KellerTagline No one breaks out alone.

Billy Magnussen & Peter Sarsgaard lead the cast in the timely & satirical film Coup!, exploring class warfare dynamics in a 1918 setting. The duo enjoyed working with the directors, finding a balance between intellectual and playful aspects in their approach to the story. Despite a short shooting schedule, Magnussen & Sarsgaard embraced the spontaneity of the process to capture the complex dynamic of their characters.

Billy Magnussen and Peter Sarsgaard find themselves on opposing sides of a brewing war between classes in Coup!. Magnussen has enjoyed a steady rise to stardom over the past few years, starring in everything from Disney's live-action Aladdin remake, with a spinoff focused on his character Prince Anders in the works, as well as The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, Daniel Craig's final James Bond outing No Time to Die and the Jake Gyllenhaal-led Road House remake. Sarsgaard is a Golden Globe-nominated star known for...

‘Kneecap’, the name of the Irish hip hop group, and the music biopic about — and starring — the groundbreaking trio, opens today on 700+ screens, following up a U.S. tour last fall and leading into another one.

The hybrid documentary, which was a buzzy Sundance title when Sony Pictures Classics nabbed it, recently swept the Galway Film Fleadh and was named Ireland’s Oscar International Feature submission.

Written and directed by Rich Peppiatt, it features group members — Naoise Ó Cairealláin “Móglaí Bap”; Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh “Mo Chara”; and JJ Ó Dochartaigh “Dj Provaí” as themselves, but it’s scripted, and actors, including Michael Fassbender, play their younger selves and family members. With Josie Walker, Fionnuala Flaherty, Jessica Reynolds, Adam Best and Simone Kirby.

The film follows Belfast schoolteacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed “low-life scum” Naoise and Liam Og. When they come together as three, the needle drops on...

Peter Sarsgaard gives Billy Magnussen a bitter taste of class warfare in this humorous commentary on economic and social injustice. Coup! is a spirited period piece set during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 on a fictional island adjacent to New York City. The film takes a page from the Covid "white flight" where the wealthy were able to isolate themselves and continue to live in luxury while the poor suffered catastrophic losses. The rub here is that a duplicitous servant turns the gilded tables on his master to force a domestic revolution.

Floyd Monk's body lies keeled over a table while another man carefully shaves his beard in the mirror. He leaves a heavy mustache to mimic the photograph on Floyd's ID, but scratches the face just a little to thwart any detailed comparisons. New York City's streets aren't bustling as the Spanish flu rages out of control. The...

Let’s talk about the pandemic for a moment. No, not the Covid-19 Pandemic. The pandemic that, 100 years ago, killed millions and shuttered the United States for a time: the Great Flu of 1918. The virus infected roughly one-third of the world’s population, claiming the lives of approximately 50 million worldwide. Coup!, written and directed by Austin Stark and Joseph Schuman, utilizes this all-too-familiar setting to build an intriguingly dark class comedy starring Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Magnussen, and Sarah Gadon.

We open on a dead cook, Floyd Monk, and the mysterious man (Sarsgaard) attempting to impersonate him. We’re in the back of a restaurant that’s been shuttered thanks to state-issued safety protocols. The dead man has a gig the impersonator takes on: chef for a rich family quarantining at their estate on an island only accessible by ferry. The patriarch is Jay Horton (Magnussen), a spoiled journalist writing columns...

Some Luchino Visconti grandeur in Austin Stark and Joseph Schuman’s Coup! with Jay Horton (Billy Magnussen) and his wife Julie (Sarah Gadon) In Austin Stark and Joseph Schuman’s fleet-footed Coup! (which had its world premiere at the 2023 Venice Film Festival), shot by Conor Murphy, with costumes by Stacy Jansen (Marc Turtletaub’s Jules) and a score by Nathan Halpern (Chloé Zhao’s The Rider), starring Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Magnussen and Sarah Gadon with Skye P Marshall, Faran Tahir, Kristine Nielsen, Willa Dunn, Callum Vinson, and Fisher Stevens as Upton Sinclair, the Spanish Flu of 1918 turns a well-established world inside out.

We start out by discussing how the global events of 1918 correlate with the present, the mystery of a missing finger left on the cutting room floor, pacifism and vegetarianism. We move on to nods to F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, George Bernard Shaw and Upton Sinclair,...

For a film that opens with a sepia-toned newsreel montage aimed at situating its plot at a precise historical moment, and includes Upton Sinclair (Fisher Stevens) among its cast of characters, Joseph Schuman and Austin Stark’s Coup! feels strangely dislocated from time. Given that the setting is an island off the mid-Atlantic coast during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918, this comes off as intentional, if only to a degree. In isolation, as anyone who experienced a Covid lockdown knows, time becomes a strange beast indeed. When we’re cut adrift from the routines of work and social obligation, our sense of historical continuity begins to wink out like a dying fluorescent bulb, and the film’s characters experience the same phenomenon.

Coup! follows an enigmatic rogue, Floyd Monk (Peter Sarsgaard), who passes himself off as a cook in order to gain employment at an island estate a boat ride from New York City.

"You're blaming everyone but yourself" Greenwich Ent. has revealed the official trailer for a wacky indie film called Coup!, from filmmakers Joseph Schuman & Austin Stark. This originally premiered at last year's 2023 Venice Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight (Giornate degli Autori) sidebar. Set during the Spanish Flu of 1918, a rebellious servant leads a revolt against his wealthy employer. It's now ready for an art house release starting in August this summer - it's opening in less than a month. Isolated on a seaside estate, an entitled journalist (Billy Magnussen) and his socialite wife (Sarah Gadon) take in a mysterious grifter as a private cook (Peter Sarsgaard). When a plague descends on the island, the wily cook rouses his fellow staff to rebel and take over the mansion. Their wealthy employer suspects the cook's coup is part of a dangerous agenda, and mind games between master and servant escalate into boisterous class warfare.

Peter Sarsgaard is serving up sabotage in a 20th century satire.

The actor leads the film “Coup!,” which debuted at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival. Sarsgaard stars as a sinister private cook who is hired by a journalist (Billy Magnussen) to live with him on an island amid the Spanish Flu epidemic.

The official synopsis reads: Isolated on a seaside estate during the 1918 Spanish Flu, an entitled journalist (Magnussen) and his socialite wife (Sarah Gadon) take in a mysterious grifter as a private cook (Sarsgaard). When the plague descends on the island, the wily cook rouses his fellow staff to rebel and take over the mansion. Their wealthy employer suspects the cook’s coup is part of a more sinister agenda, and mind games between master and servant escalate into boisterous class warfare.

Faran Tahir, Skye P. Marshall, and Kristine Nielsen co-star.

Austin Stark and Joseph Schuman co-direct the feature that,...

Set to release on Eid-ul-Adha, Umro Ayyar: A New Beginning promises to be a visual spectacle and a thrilling adventure, drawing from the rich tapestry of South Asian folklore and reimagining it for contemporary audiences. Starring a stellar cast of Sanam Saeed, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Usman Mukhtar, Faran Tahir, Ali Kazmi, Adnan Siddiqui, and Sana Nawaz. Based on the classical Urdu-Persian beloved Dastan-e-Amir Hamza novel, Umro Ayyar: A New Beginning is the story of a thief and legendary warrior of Tilism-e-Hoshruba.

Amar, descendant of the legendary Umro Ayyar, a cunning warrior of Persian folklore, is a quantum mechanics professor in Pakistan. Surviving a Jinn attack, his third eye opens, revealing the hidden energy matrix interwoven with humanity and Jinn. Intrigued, he seeks the true nature of energy, blending ancient wisdom with modern science. As he navigates this dual reality, he discovers his lineage’s profound responsibility in maintaining balance. With wit inherited from Umro Ayyar,...

The following contains spoilers from the May 19 episode of CBS’ CSI: Vegas aka the Season 3 finale aka unplanned series finale.

In its unplanned series finale, CBS’ cancelled CSI: Vegas featured a final, brilliant bit of bravado for lab boss Maxine Roby.

More from TVLineFBI's Katherine Renee Kane Previews Finale's Tiffany/Hakim Face-Off: 'It Shocked Me When I First Read It'Young Sheldon EP Addresses Paige's Absence in Final Season: 'We Never Thought That Was an Arc That Needed More Closing Than It Got'Will Trent Cast Promises a 'Polarizing' Season 2 Finale: There Will Be Shock, Despair... and Maybe Some Elation?

Abducted at gunpoint last week by,...

Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers from “Tunnel Vision,” the series finale of “CSI: Vegas,” which aired on May 19, and is now streaming on Paramount+.

“Things are about to go kaboom.” That’s what Beau (Lex Medlin) says on Sunday night’s series finale of “CSI: Vegas” as he prepares to detonate a series of bombs. But he might be describing everyone’s minds, as the show’s characters discover midway through the episode (“Tunnel Vision”) that they’ve been chasing the wrong villain all season.

With Max (Paula Newsome) kidnapped and Chris (Jay Lee) injured by some sort of nerve agent and in the hospital, the “CSI” team continues to place the blame on tech billionaire Truman Thomas (Owain Yeoman) — until they find his dead body.

It’s actually an entirely different villainous group that has taken Max through the 600 miles of flood channels that lie beneath Las Vegas.

Spoiler Alert! This story contains details from the series finale of CSI: Vegas on CBS.

Like what happened to So Help Me Todd, CSI: Vegas didn’t get a chance to wrap up its three-season run on CBS with any grand gestures or heartfelt goodbyes.

The procedural, which was a followup to the 2000 CSI series, was canceled in April so there was no time to throw together a satisfying ending. So anyone who wanted to see where Maxine’s (Paula Newsome) relationship with Dean was going will have to live with disappointment.

At least there was some positives in the episode dubbed “Tunnel Vision”: Max survived her kidnapping by a Saudi big bad (Faran Tahir) who stole intelligence from Truman Thomas’ secret lab. Chris (Jay Lee) regained consciousness after he was exposed to a nerve agent. Penny (Sarah Gilman) set a wedding date with Jack (Joel Johnstone), and Josh...

Las Vegas crime lab supervisor Maxine Roby is “in a bit of a noodle” for much of CSI: Vegas‘ Season 3-slash-series finale, airing this Sunday at 10/9c.

The latest CSI franchise entry was cancelled on April 19 as Season 3 averaged north of 5.9 million total viewers — up 4% from its Season 2 audience. Alas, out of the 14 original dramas that America’s Most-Watched Network has aired this TV season, the Sin City procedural ranks last in viewers.

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J.J. Abrams rebooted Star Trek in 2009 with a new USS Enterprise crew and the creation of the Kelvin Timeline. George Kirk, Winona Kirk, and Jaylah are key characters introduced into the franchise by Abrams. Abrams' Star Trek Kelvin-universe movies prioritize character and crew-based tension, with notable character developments and impactful villains.

Star Trek (2009) introduced the much-loved franchise to a new audience with a successful reboot. Director J.J. Abrams’ initial space-faring feature film launched a new, superbly recast Star Trek: The Original Series crew and introduced the anything-goes alternate Kelvin Timeline. Initially introducing origin stories for the movie’s leading characters, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto), a series of unexpected and dramatic events soon leads to the early formation of the young, iconic USS Enterprise crew. As Kirk and Spock, Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), and the crew of the USS Enterprise work to overcome the universe-altering threat,...

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to Coup! from writer-director team Joseph Schuman and Austin Stark (The God Committee).

The Entertainment 360, Phiphen, and Hemlock Circle production stars Peter Sarsgaard (Dopesick), Billy Magnussen (Roadhouse), Sarah Gadon (Alias Grace) and Skye P. Marshall (Good Sam).

The comedy had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival’s Giornate Degli Autori, and Greenwich will release the film in theaters this summer.

The synopsis reads: “Isolated on a seaside estate, an entitled journalist (Billy Magnussen) and his socialite wife (Sarah Gadon) take in a mysterious grifter as a private cook (Peter Sarsgaard). When a plague descends on the island, the wily cook rouses his fellow staff to rebel and take over the mansion. Their employer suspects the cook’s coup is part of a more sinister agenda, and mind games between master and servant escalate into all-out class warfare”.

Supporting...

In Jon Favreau's 2008 film "Iron Man," the playboy weapons industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has an ethical crisis about his line of work following a traumatic kidnapping incident. Tony was held hostage in a cave by a rogue terrorist (Faran Tahir) who was using the weapons his company produced to spread chaos and death in the Middle East. With the help of a fellow kidnapping victim, a doctor named Ho Yinsen (Shaun Toub), Tony builds a high-tech, weaponized suit of armor to escape his cave. Sadly, Yinsen is killed in the process. Tony returns to the United States broken and sad, and soon announces that his company will no longer be making weapons. 

No one is more startled by Tony's change of heart than his long-suffering personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). For years, Pepper took care of Tony's business, but also his messy personal life; early in the film,...

That perky exclamation point sets the tone for “Coup!,” a story of murder, class struggle, One Percent entitlement and a global pandemic that nonetheless unfolds with all the eager, scrappy energy of an off-Broadway musical, minus most of the songs. The pandemic in question is not the one you’re thinking of — Austin Stark and Joseph Schuman’s puckish comic thriller unfolds against the dire backdrop of the 1918 Spanish Flu — but it also sort of is, as its study of wealthy exceptionalism in a time of national crisis is clearly intended to chime with more recent memories of regimented distancing and mixed safety messages from on high.

Starring Peter Sarsgaard as a wily cook entering the quarantined estate of Billy Magnussen’s upper-class journalist — and taking advantage of their isolation to start a servant uprising — this is quick, nippy entertainment that raises plenty of sociopolitical talking points without digging too deep into any of them.

Although Coup! has a small cast and unfolds mostly in a secluded mansion during the 1918 influenza pandemic, it packs a lot of flavor, suspense and droll comedy into its slim 97-minute running time, making it fun enough to deserve an exclamation point in its title. Peter Sarsgaard offers a sly, juicy performance as a shady chef who weasels his way into the home of an entitled young heir (Billy Magnussen). Soon, the upstart is turning the servants and family members against the hypocritical patriarch, who fancies himself a progressive. A collaborative effort between writer-directors Austin Stark (The God Committee, The Runner) and Joseph Schuman, this satirical work is hardly profound or subtle about the parallels with the present-day class conflict, but it wears its screw-the-rich subtext with insouciant breeziness.

In the opening minutes, Sarsgaard’s Floyd Monk is met shaving off his beard and styling his mustache, seemingly to make...

The kind of self-flaggellation the Left does is something you never see from the Right.

The Left’s fears about being in a bubble, about not doing enough to understand the other side, about their own overreach, are a phenomenon unique to liberals. There does not need to be a New York Times Pitchbot for the Right. Ben Shapiro is not issuing a blistering movie review takedown of a Dinesh D’Souza documentary that went too far and didn’t listen enough to the other side.

And now there’s “Coup!” Politically muddled at best, something Ron DeSantis would happily introduce at Cpac at worst, this populist satire from directors Austin Stark and Joseph Schuman is an Adam McKay-lite class-war confection looking to have it both ways. Its “eat the rich” message is certainly strong enough for those with an extremely niche grievance: Those who, three years later, want to...

Los Angeles-based Syrian director and producer Sam Kadi, who helmed the doc “Little Gandhi” about the life and death of young Syrian peace activist Ghiyath Matar and produced the Oscar-shortlisted animation film “Lamya’s Poem,” has signed for representation with management company Bohemia Group.

Kadi’s first feature was the 2012 indie immigrant drama “The Citizen,” starring Egyptian actor Khaled Nabawy as a Lebanese immigrant who wins a green card through the U.S. lottery system and arrives in New York to claim his documents on Sept. 10, 2001. The drama, also starring Cary Elwes, then follows the protagonist’s hellish 10-year path to citizenship in post-9/11 America, including his detainment by homeland security and his deportation trial.

To make “Little Ghandi,” which was released in 2016, Kadi recruited Syrian activists who risked their lives to help arrange the film’s interviews via Skype. Matar was an organizer of peaceful protests in his hometown of...

Exclusive: Kapil Talwalkar (Night Court), Olivia Liang (Kung Fu), Karan Soni (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do!) are set to star in Paper Flowers, an inspirational indie based on the true story of Shalin Shah, a 22-year-old whose battle with cancer gained viral attention in 2015.

Directed by Mahesh Pailoor (The Blacklist), Paper Flowers picks up recent USC graduate and Peace Corps volunteer Shah (Talwalkar) as he receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, embarking on a mission to live his remaining life to the fullest. Shah’s determination lead him, prior to his passing, to write an article for HuffPost titled “Thank You, Cancer,” which has resonated with audiences worldwide through news articles, blogs and viral hashtags.

In Paper Flowers, Liang plays Shah’s high school sweetheart, with Soni as his friend, and Scott as his doctor. Rounding out the cast are Faran Tahir (Iron Man...

“Lamya’s Poem” centers around a Syrian refugee girl named Lamya who draws strength from the verses of ancient poet Rumi after violence forces her to flee from her country. The animated film was recently released digitally in the U.S. roughly around the anniversary of Syria’s 12-year uprising and in the aftermath of massive back-to-back earthquakes that have hit Turkey and Syria.

The timely tale’s impressive voice talent includes Mena Massoud, the star of Disney’s most recent “Aladdin,” as Rumi when he was a young poet; Millie Davis as Lamya; and Faran Tahir as Baha Walad, Rumi’s father.

“Lamya’s Poem” is directed by Alex Kronemer and produced by Sam Kadi, Los Angeles-based Syrian director who helmed the doc “Little Gandhi,” which focuses on the life and death of young Syrian peace activist Ghiyath Matar.

Kadi spoke to Variety about how “Lamya’s Poem” ties in with latest...

Allen Media Group’s Freestyle Digital Media has acquired the North American DVD and VOD rights to Lamya’s Poem, an animated film about Syrian refugees. The film will be available to rent/own on digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms starting February 21, 2023. Watch the trailer in the video posted above.

Lamya’s Poem tells the story of a 12-year-old Syrian refugee girl named Lamya who tumbles into a dream world where she meets a poet and must help him write the poem that will save her life. When Lamya flees the violence of her country, she is given a book of poetry by the famous 13th-century poet, Rumi.

As the perils of Lamya’s journey mount, the book becomes a magical gateway where she meets Rumi when he was a boy and also a refugee fleeing the violence of his time. In a shared dreamworld, they battle the...