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Exclusive: The upcoming Off Broadway revival of Heathers The Musical has announced the casting of its title trio: McKenzie Kurtz (Broadway’s Frozen and The Heart of Rock and Roll) will play Heather Chandler; Olivia Hardy (Broadway’s Kimberly Akimbo) will play Heather Duke; and Elizabeth Teeter (Broadway’s Beetlejuice) will play Heather McNamara.

Kurtz, Hardy and Teeter join the previously announced Lorna Courtney (Broadway’s & Juliet), who will star as Veronica Sawyer, and Casey Likes (Broadway’s Back to the Future), who has been cast as J.D.

Additional casting will be announced next week.

The castings were announced by producers Bill Kenwright Ltd., Paul Taylor-Mills and Jerry Goehring.

Directed by Andy Fickman, Heathers begins previews at New World Stages, Stage I on June 22 and runs through September 28. The musical features a book, music, and lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe.

The official synopsis: “Welcome to Westerberg High, where...

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Twilight is one of the most popular film franchises on the face of the Earth, and one of the biggest reasons behind its success is the beloved genre – young adult. Based on the extremely popular novel series of the same name by Stephanie Meyer, the film series is set in the small town of Forks, and it follows Bella Swan, a teenage girl who falls in love with Edward Cullen, a century-old vampire. Twilight stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, and Jackson Rathbone. So, if you loved the teen romantic drama, fantasy elements, and a compelling story in the Twilight film franchise, here are some similar movies and TV shows you should check out next.

Vampire Academy Credit – The Weinstein Company

Vampire Academy is a teen fantasy...

Some of the greatest movies in cinema history began as a box office disappointment. There are several factors that go into whether films become blockbuster hits or box office bombs. Film history has proved that some of these factors have worked against great films, resulting in a poor box office performance.

These factors could vary, such as poor marketing efforts, as seen in the case of The Iron Giant, a badly made theatrical cut like the Blade Runner theatrical cut, or unfavorable circumstances like in the case of Donnie Darko.

Fight Club was one of the box office bombs that went on to become a cult classic | Credits: 20th Century Fox

However, these films were lucky because the audiences gave them a second chance, and they are now considered cult classics. From Alfred Hitchcock’s classic to IMDb’s top-rated film, here are the films that were initially ruled out...

As we gear up for the big afternoon on the beach this Saturday, now’s a great time to get to know your nominees. Hopefully you’ve seen their films, and if you’re a Film Independent member, watched your screeners and voted too. But there’s nothing quite like hearing about the process from the creative minds themselves.

That’s exactly what we did with this year’s Directors Close-Up, where we brought together the nominees from some of the top filmmaking categories, to talk shop. Over two weeks this February, we held Zoom sessions for our members, where these creators tell how exactly they got their projects off the ground, the creative choices they made, and what inspires them.

If you missed them live, we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at all the action from this year’s Directors Close-Up:

Spirit Of...

Tim Burton's Batman is one of the most important movies of the 20th century. Released in 1989, it's widely credited as one of the world's first modern superhero movies, and you only have to watch it to see why.

Michael Keaton plays the titular superhero in a film that ultimately redefined his career, with many still calling him the best Batman actor to this day (and it's hard to argue with that). He was joined in the film by Jack Nicholson as The Joker and Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale.

The film's success resulted in Warner Bros. wanting a sequel and, in 1992, Batman Returns arrived in movie theaters. Keaton returned as the Caped Crusader, while Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman and Danny DeVito's Penguin served as the new villains in the eerie return to Gotham City. There was, however, one glaring omission.

Tim Burton didn't want to make a direct...

When Tim Burton was first brought on to direct a Batman film in 1989, the filmmaker took the beloved comic book hero in an unprecedentedly dark direction with Burton's distinctive gothic and macabre visual style. Nevertheless, the film grossed over $411 million globally and immediately created demand for a sequel. But, if audiences were already caught off guard by the dark atmosphere and violence of the first Batman, they were woefully unprepared for its even darker follow-up, Batman Returns, released in 1992.

Indeed, the sequel's violence, visuals, and narrative were so off-putting to some viewers that it only grossed about $267 million, nearly $144 million less than its predecessor, despite having a larger budget. Even the merchandising for Batman Returns was damaged by the perceived darkness of the film, with McDonald's canceling its promotional tie-ins to the film in September.

The film's already questionable merits as a family picture were probably not helped by...

One of the most surprising films in Sandra Bullock’s early filmography has to be Demolition Man. At a time when she gained a reputation for her rom-coms and sweet films, she starred in a project alongside Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. It is safe to say that the combination was an unlikely one.

Sandra Bullock and Sylvester Stallone in Demolition Man | Credit: Warner Bros.

However, the film has become somewhat of a classic, and fans have been fawning over it for years. The film had several iconic scenes that have stayed in the back of their minds; however, one seems to be the most peculiar.

For years, fans have been trying to understand the mystery behind the toilet seashells in the film, and the answer seems to have finally been revealed.

Demolition Man’s biggest mystery has troubled fans for years

Demolition Man was certainly a successful film. The...

Take the toughest, most ruthless cop and pit him against the most brutally sadistic criminal in a near-future Los Angeles—a hellish vision of the city that presupposes that the 1992 riots never stopped—and you’ve got a quintessential early-’90s Hollywood action film setup. Marco Brambilla’s Demolition Man starts in 1996, but after John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone) and Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) are frozen in a cryogenic prison after a deadly square-off, they awaken again in 2032, only to be greeted by a sanitized, peaceful “utopia” in which swearing, smoking, meat-eating, “gasoline, uneducational toys, and anything spicy” have been banned.

With the population effectively neutered, even the cops have been reduced to enforcing petty tickets, mere shells of their former hyper-violent selves. “We’re police officers. We’re not trained to handle this kind of violence,” Rob Schneider’s Erwin asserts upon seeing the freshly unfrozen Simon take out six cops who are armed,...

It’s showtime! On Max. Or, it will be soon. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here) and a project that was originally expected to receive a straight-to-streaming release, reached theatres back in September (you can read our review at This Link), and it managed to rack up over $450 million at the global box office. PVOD and physical media releases followed, and now Deadline has confirmed that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will be streaming on the Max service as of December 6th. It will then debut on HBO linear on Saturday, December 7 at 6:10 p.m. Et.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script, Pamela Norris did rewrite it, and Warner Bros....

For many moviegoers, there is pre- and post-Tarantino cinema. Before "Reservoir Dogs," movies couldn't be so brazenly self-referential up to the point that characters discussed pop culture like they were all the savviest kid in your friend circle. For those of us who wolfed down movies, music, books and the rest of it like a large deluxe pizza, early Tarantino validated our fixation; his successes made it seem possible for us to tell stories via our own referential patois. It sounds absurd now, but no one outside of scenarists like Daniel Waters and Shane Black dared to write like this.

Somewhere in between "Kill Bill" chapters, Hollywood types began wondering if Tarantino's style of filmmaking had pigeonholed him to the point of self-parody. Factor in the countless Tarantino wannabes that began sprouting up in the mid-1990s, and it felt like the most daring thing the filmmaker could do...

When HBO's The Penguin miniseries premiered in October 2024, it quickly got to work setting itself apart from previous takes on the character. Gone were the squawking, the monocles, the umbrellas, the Faberg eggs. In its place was a dark and gritty crime story that borrowed as much from classic mobster movies as from comic books. As played by Colin Farrell, The Penguin's Oz Cobb is an ambitious lowlife who claws his way up from a mob daughter's driver to the top of Gotham's underworld through sheer determination and an awful lot of murder.

But while The Penguin undoubtedly managed to craft a fresh spin on an old villain, there's one depiction of the character that remains the most successful: in Tim Burton's Batman Returns. Played by Danny DeVito, the criminal formerly known as Oswald Cobblepot has a richer, more compelling backstory, with enough pathos to allow viewers to...

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A movie doesn't have to be successful to be a classic. Take "Heathers" — written by Daniel Waters, directed by Michael Lehmann, starring Winona Ryder.

Ryder, fresh off "Beetlejuice," played another death-obsessed teenager. Unlike gothic outsider Lydia Deetz, though, Veronica Sawyer from "Heathers" is in the in-crowd. She hangs out with Westerburg High School's trio of mean girls, all named Heather, but feels disillusioned. So her new bad boy lover J.D. (Christian Slater) convinces her to pull a lethal prank on queen bee Heather Chandler (Kim Walker).

"Heathers" is the template for other biting black comedy teen movies, from "Mean Girls" to "Jennifer's Body." It even inspired a "Heathers" musical! But it only made $1.1 million on a $3 million budget.

Entertainment Weekly's oral history of "Heathers" (published in 2014 for its 25th anniversary) has some explanations for why it flopped. Distributor New World Pictures...

Welcome to the 36th installment of Page One Rewrite, where I examine genre screenplays that just couldn't make it. This week, a post-Buffy, pre-Avengers Joss Whedon takes a stab at Wonder Woman. And if you have any suggestions for the future, let me hear them. Just contact me on Twitter.

Warner Bros. struggled with a Wonder Woman film for years, with names like Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman attached to the project throughout the 1990s, but with little movement. In an era when even Superman had difficulty escaping development hell, and the once-dominant Batman franchise was stalling out, the Amazonian Princess was perceived as a hard sell in Hollywood.

Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures, hot off hits like The Matrix, decided to make another attempt in the early 2000s, as films like X-Men and Spider-Man were renewing faith in superhero material. In March 2005, the studio announced that Joss Whedon would both...

Quick Links Batman Returns Is a Dark Superhero Movie The Batman Merchandise Tie-Ins Didn't Help Tim Burton Had His Vision for Batman, and It Changed the Franchise Forever

1989's Batman plays like a standard studio movie more often than a Tim Burton original because that's exactly what it was. But when that movie proved to be a success, Warner Bros. was antsy to get a sequel into production. Given that the movie was a hit with both critics and audiences, the studio was looking to get Burton back on board.

But Burton didn't feel quite as excited. In fact, he didn't really care to make a sequel at all, given that he felt he would again be restricted by the studio's requests to make as macro-scale-appealing a blockbuster as possible. So, to return, Burton required total creative control, and Warner Bros. agreed. In fact, they were even excited about the...

Update: Today is October 8th, and that means Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has now received its digital release! On Amazon, you can rent the movie for the price of $19.99, or buy it for $24.99.

The original article follows:

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), reached theatres on September 6th (you can read our review at This Link), and over the last three and half weeks the movie has managed to rack up almost $375 million at the global box office. Now it’s just about time for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to come home, as Deadline reports that Warner Bros. will giving it a PVOD and digital release on October 8th. It will be available for purchase or rental on Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango at Home, and more on that date. The 4K Uhd, Blu-ray, and DVD physical media release will follow on November 19th.

Thanks to Colin Farrells powerhouse performances in The Batman and, most recently, The Penguin, DC fans are now engaging in serious discourse about who the best live-action Oswald Cobblepot (or Cobb) is. Like Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Farrell has put in a ton of effort to make his character as perfect as possible. But in a world where some fans still feel Jack Nicholson was the best Joker, some believe that Danny DeVitos performance in Batman Returns can never be topped. But is that the case? Thats a topic worthy of hours of debate.

Batman Returns Release Date June 19, 1992Director Tim BurtonCast Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Michael MurphyRuntime 126Main Genre Action

In 1992, Danny DeVito wowed audiences with his horrific version of the Gotham criminal. His Penguin was not a scheming Cosa Nostra seeking to create institutional cracks in the biggest crime family in the city.

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

A Nightmare on Elm Street 1-3 Vinyl from Mondo

A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’ soundtracks are available on vinyl for $40 a piece from Mondo.

Each expanded 2xLP album features the original soundtrack on the first disc and additional themes and cues on the second disc. Shipping in November, they feature artwork by Mike Saputo.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is composed by Charles Bernstein. It’s pressed on 140-gram “Boiler Room Blast” colored vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket with liner notes by Bernstein.

Freddy’s Revenge is composed by Christopher Young. It’s pressed on 140-gram...

The 1993 action movie classic, Demolition Man, is due to be released on 4K Uhd just in time for Christmas. The new release of the sci-fi action outing will reportedly be available from December 10 in the U.S. and December 9 in the U.K., courtesy of Arrow, according to X/Twitter user Dawn of The Discs. Starring action movie icons Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes, this tale of a cop from the past who finds himself tracking a familiar criminal in the future has achieved newfound popularity thanks to how much the present-day world seems to be aligning with the movie's vision of tomorrow.

You can check out some of the special features that will come with the Demolition Man 4K Ultra HD Limited Edition release below.

- Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Marco Brambilla

- Includes both the domestic...

So much for the seashells…1993’s sci-fi actioner and cult favorite Demolition Man will be getting the 4K treatment courtesy of Arrow Video, as revealed in the lineup of their December slate. Arrow isn’t skimping, either – we just hope the future is big enough for the entire set.

This Demolition Man release boasts a brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative, which has been approved by director Marco Brambilla. It, too, has Dolby Vision/Hdr. Outside of the technical specs, the Demolition Man 4K will offers two new audio commentaries: one with Brambilla and screenwriter Daniel Waters, and another with film historian Mike White (of the Projection Booth podcast). There is also an archival commentary with Brambilla and producer Joel Silver. Also included are new interviews with the likes of production designer David L. Snyder, stunt coordinator Charles Percini, special makeup effects artist Chris Biggs and body effects set coordinator Jeff Farley.

Halle Berry made a recent appearance for an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to discuss her new movie Never Let Go. During the interview, host Jimmy Fallon pointed out that this year, 2024, marks the 20th anniversary of Catwoman - something that Berry herself celebrated with a recent post on social media in which she posed with a few rescue kittens.

When asked by Jimmy Fallon about what she remembered about making the film, Berry stated she “loved it” despite it being “panned” by critics. Once asked if she would don the cat suit again, Berry told Fallon “Maybe, if I could direct it.”

Could this be the star's way of leaving the door open for yet another appearance as the Pitof version of the character? The legendary actress is at a stage in her career where she can do whatever she wants, but even if she were to direct another Catwoman project,...

And thus begins the start of spooky season! Halloween is next month, but fans of ghosts and ghouls are able to start getting their fix with the release of Tim Burton‘s long-awaited sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which was 36 years in the making. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script. Pamela Norris did rewrite it, and Warner Bros. offered Kevin Smith the chance to do another rewrite. He turned it down. Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to write and produce a new version of a sequel in 2011. Mike Vukadinovich was brought on to rewrite his script in 2017.

With all the numerous script revisions that went into making sure the sequel could lovingly match the original, Tim Burton would admit he...

Although the film catapulted Winona Ryder to cult queen status, not everyone was onboard with her role in 1988’s Heathers.

The Academy Award nominee recalled that her agent begged on bended knee for her not to take the part of Veronica Sawyer in the “very subversive” teen dark comedy from writer Daniel Waters and director Michael Lehmann.

Recalling the audition process, Ryder said in a video for Harper’s Bazaar, “I wasn’t considered pretty enough, so I went across the street to the Beverly Center, to the Macy’s counter. They had them do a makeover on me. Then I went back and I was like, ‘Please!’

“But my agent at the time literally got down on her knees, she’s like, ‘Please, you’re gonna destroy any chance of a career,'” recounted Ryder.

“But I actually did lose a job right when it was coming out. I...

The Michael Keaton Batman movies have led to numerous sequel and spinoff properties, taking place in as many as 4 different DC Universes. Critically, commercially, and culturally, 1989s Batman was a huge success for DC and Warner Bros, cementing itself as a pop culture phenomenon and leaving a lasting impact on how major blockbuster films are marketed. The films 1992 sequel, Batman Returns, did not reach the same soaring heights as its predecessor, at least initially. Returns was a controversial film whose violent and sexual content and significant deviations from the Batman comic source material offended many viewers.

Batman Returns does hold up in many regards, however, especially with viewers looking back with fresh eyes, appreciating the live-action Batman movie and its bold choices and aesthetic qualities. Even with the films initial controversy, it was hardly the end of the original franchise. The story of Michael Keatons Batman continued in a variety of properties,...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), is set to reach theatres on September 6th – and today the first reactions from critics who have had the chance to watch the movie have appeared online! You can see a collection of these reactions below, but we’ll start off here with what JoBlo’s own Eric Walkuski had to say about the film: “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is an enjoyable, fast-paced bit of lunacy from Tim Burton that should please the many who’ve waited decades for its arrival. It certainly leans into nostalgia throughout, but it also manages to have some bizarre new tricks up its sleeve; it’s not just another retread playing the Greatest Hits from the original. The returning characters are a sight for sore eyes, with Keaton and Ryder not missing a beat reprising their iconic roles, though it’s...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), is set to reach theatres on September 6th – and when we catch up with the title character, as played by Michael Keaton, we can expect him to be exactly the same character he was when we first met him 36 years ago. Speaking to Collider, Burton promised that Beetlejuice is still politically incorrect and has not undergone any sort of character evolution over the decades.

Burton said, “Michael [Keaton] and I both love the fact that he was politically incorrect then, and he’s politically incorrect now. [Laughs] I’m just laughing because somebody asked him the other day, ‘Michael, how does Beetlejuice’s character evolve?’ And we just started laughing because he doesn’t evolve — that’s the whole point!“

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems...

Ranking a certain actor of director's work by their Rotten Tomatoes scores often throws up some surprises. For instance, Sean Connery's finest film, according to the site, is "Darby O'Gill and the Little People," and Hugh Jackman's actual best performance in 2013's "Prisoners" is ranked eighth on his Rotten Tomatoes page. Oh, and Tim Burton's highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes isn't even a movie he directed. In other words, the ubiquitous Tomatometer is not always the most accurate guide, especially when it comes to comparing an individual's Rt scores in a straightforward ranking.

Sometimes, though, taking a look at an actor's filmography on the review aggregator can highlight some of their lesser known roles — roles which are actually worthy of being at the top of the Rt rankings. Take frequent Burton collaborator Winona Ryder, for example, who first worked with the director on 1988's "Beetlejuice," in which...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), is set to reach theatres on September 6th – and when we go to check it out, it sounds like we shouldn’t expect to see a whole lot more of the title character than we saw in the original film. Apparently Beetlejuice only had 17 minutes of screen time in Beetlejuice, which had a running time of 92 minutes, and while speaking to GQ magazine, Michael Keaton – the actor who brings Beetlejuice to life – revealed that he didn’t want to pack too much Beetlejuice into the follow-up.

Keaton said, “The idea was, no, no, no, you can’t load it up with Beetlejuice, that’ll kill it. I think the Beetlejuice character doesn’t drive the story as much as he did in the first one. He’s more part of the storyline in this one...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), is set to reach theatres on September 6th. Saying the title character’s name three times is the way to summon (or banish) the bio-exorcist, so naming one film Beetlejuice and next Beetlejuice Beetlejuice feels like we’re building up to a Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. In fact, if there isn’t a third movie, it’s going to feel like a missed opportunity at this point. But Burton and the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice producers aren’t getting ahead of themselves. Speaking to Total Film, they revealed that they haven’t even discussed the possibility of a Beetlejuice 3 yet.

Producer Tommy Harper said, “We haven’t talked about where it could go from here, we just talked about making one really good movie. Make it the best you can, and then anything could happen.“

Tim Burton not...

1992’s Batman Returns remains, to this day, one of the best films on the Dark Knight created to date. Tamed by Tim Burton, it starred Michael Keaton in the lead as the iconic DC superhero and served as the more critically acclaimed sequel to his original titular 1989 film on the vigilante. But as much as the film was liked by fans and critics, it wasn’t always supposed to be this way.

Batman Returns. | Credits: Warner Bros.

As it turns out, the original screenwriter’s ideas for this sequel were more along the lines of ridiculous misadventures rather than superhero crusades of saving people against evil. If anything, the plotline decided was so campy that a different writer had to be brought on board for filmmaker Burton to finally agree to the script and sign on to direct the masterpiece!

Batman Returns Originally Aimed for a More Ridiculous Storyline

In the early 1990s,...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), is set to reach theatres on September 6th – and with that release date just a few weeks away, we have gotten our hands on a new batch of images from the film! Coming from Total Film and our friends at Bloody Disgusting, these images can be seen at the bottom of this article.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script, Pamela Norris did rewrite it, and Warner Bros. offered Kevin Smith the chance to do another rewrite. He turned it down. Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to write and produce a new version of a sequel in 2011. Mike Vukadinovich was brought on to rewrite...

Your browser does not support the video tag. The three seashells in Demolition Man remain a mystery, though Sylvester Stallone may have revealed their gross secret in a 2006 interview. Sandra Bullock also offered her own humorous take on the three seashells, likening them to a bidet and musical instruments. The three seashells were a simple addition by screenwriter Daniel Waters to distinguish the futuristic world of 2032 in Demolition Man.

The Demolition Man seashells are one of the most bizarre aspects of the future in 2032 presented by the outlandish Sylvester Stallone sci-fi movie and despite over three decades passing since its release, many still wonder exactly how the citizens of the future use seashells instead of toilet paper. In Demolition Man, Sylvester Stallone plays John Spartan, a cop who is cryogenically frozen for 40 years. He awakens in 2032 in San Angeles to stop his old enemy, Simon Phoenix, wreaking havoc. However, 2032 comes with a lot of changes,...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), is set to reach theatres on September 6th – and Michael Keaton, who reprises the role of the Ghost with the Most named in the title, has told Total Film that he feels this sequel has a stronger story than its predecessor!

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script, Pamela Norris did rewrite it, and Warner Bros. offered Kevin Smith the chance to do another rewrite. He turned it down. Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to write and produce a new version of a sequel in 2011. Mike Vukadinovich was brought on to rewrite his script in 2017.

Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, co-creators and co-showrunners of Wednesday,...

When Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" was released in 1992, it was received with — to this author's recollection — a mixed amount of enthusiasm. The film was a hit, making over $266 million on an $80 million budget, but Burton's vision was described by critics and some audiences as being too odd. It was a bleak and strange film about how heroes and villains are indistinguishable, both of them bizarre freaks in a film noir world defined by entropy. The most notable character from "Batman Returns" was Catwoman, played by a vinyl-clad Michelle Pfeiffer. Indeed, the character was so popular that Warner Bros. semi-announced a "Catwoman" stand-alone feature in 1993, set to re-team Pfeiffer and Burton.

That feature never came together. The script, written by Daniel Waters, was considered too "adult," and by 1995, Pfeiffer had lost interest. For a brief moment, Ashley Judd was slated to take over the role, but she also dropped out.

This morning, we heard that Regal cinemas are going to have sandworm popcorn buckets to celebrate the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), which is set to reach theatres on September 6th. So we’re getting a Beetlejuice-inspired bucket that will hold regular popcorn – but if you want to eat and drink Beetlejuice-inspired flavors, Keebler and Fanta have you covered. Keebler is celebrating the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with Dark Chocolate & Vanilla Fudge Stripes cookies (inspired by Beetlejuice’s iconic black and white outfit), and Fanta will be helping promote the movie by not only featuring images of the film’s characters on their bottles and cans, but also releasing a brand new flavor called Haunted Apple! Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice will be featured on the cans and bottles of Haunted Apple.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), is set to reach theatres on September 6th – and movie-goers who check out the movie at a Regal cinema will have the chance to score a collectible popcorn bucket! Like Dune: Part Two earlier this year, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is getting a popcorn bucket that’s designed to resemble the sandworms featured in the film, but the design of this one is a bit less suggestive. You can check it out at the bottom of this article.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script, Pamela Norris did rewrite it, and Warner Bros. offered Kevin Smith the chance to do another rewrite. He turned it down.

Stars: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker, Peter Dawson | Written by Daniel Waters | Directed by Michael Lehmann

Heather Chandler (Kim Walker) is the leader of the “Heathers”, a clique of mean girls running their Ohio high school. There are two other Heathers in the group, and then there’s the runt of the litter: Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder). Veronica is a bitch, but her engagement with the girls’ cycle of bullying and mockery is reluctant. Smooth, smarmy Jason Dean (Christian Slater) spots this self-doubt and lures Veronica into his carefree, rebellious world. Veronica and Jason spark up an immediately passionate yet toxic romance. Veronica has often thought about killing Miss Chandler, not to mention other bullies at the school, but now she’s met someone who’s really willing to do it.

From the opening scene, where we meet Veronica (who’s also the narrator) buried...

Michelle Pfeiffer was supposed to have her own solo Catwoman movie after her stint in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, but the circumstances proved to be not in her favor at the time. There was a prepared script, but Warner Bros was no longer interested.

Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns / Warner Bros

Years later, the studio was able to produce a new Catwoman film with Halle Berry in the lead. It was a major box-office and critical flop that the actress even won a Razzie Award for it.

Catwoman Screenwriter Reveals The Chaotic Process Of Penning The Script

Halle Berry’s Catwoman was the product of a creative team that didn’t know what direction they wanted to go. After the news that they could not get Michelle Pfeiffer back as Selina Kyle, they started from scratch and created a new backstory for the femme fatale character.

The problem was...

Many movie productions have stories that seem to defy belief, and the tale of Danny DeVito being bitten on the testicles by his monkey co-star while filming Batman Returns is right up there with the best. Now actual footage of the moment has resurfaced online, after being saved from a YouTube channel that used to host the footage but has since closed down.

While many movies featuring animals now involve a lot of CGI work around their furry cast members, back when Batman Returns was filmed in the early 90s, the vast majority of animal characters were played by actual animals on the set. This was certainly true of the monkey member of the Penguins Red Triangle gang in Tim Burtons sequel to 1989s hit superhero movie.

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Release Date June 19, 1992Director Tim BurtonCast Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer,...

Tim Burton changed the cinematic game with his Batman films; Batman was one of the first comic book adaptions to become a bona fide blockbuster long before capes and cowls became a fixture in movie theaters, and Batman Returns featured compelling antagonists in the form of Danny DeVito's Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman. In the latter case, Pfeiffer was able to exude a sinister yet alluring vibe that put her at odds with Michael Keaton's Batman...and also drew the Dark Knight to her like a moth to the flame. It's no surprise that a spin-off was considered, and Batman Returns screenwriter Daniel Waters had a pitch that would have been way ahead of its time.

The iconic dark comedy Heathers is set to make a triumphant return with a limited edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release on 5th August 2024. This cult classic, which has captivated audiences with its sharp satire and dark humour, will be available through Arrow Films, featuring a comprehensive collection of special features and a stunning new restoration.

Heathers has long been celebrated as a quintessential piece of modern American cinema, renowned for its biting critique of 1980s high school culture. Set at Westerburg High School, the film follows the story of Veronica Sawyer, a bright and popular student who reluctantly becomes part of an elite group of girls known as the “Heathers.” Disillusioned by their cruelty, Veronica finds herself drawn to the enigmatic Jd. Their partnership takes a deadly turn when a prank on the clique’s leader, Heather Chandler (Kim Walker), leads to her accidental poisoning, staged as a suicide.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), has officially received its rating from the Motion Picture Association ratings board – and it’s the rating you’ve probably been expecting. While the original film was rated PG, it would definitely have been a PG-13 if it were released today, and that’s exactly the rating the new film has received, a PG-13. What’s interesting is the reason given for this rating: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has been rated PG-13 for violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material and brief drug use.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script, Pamela Norris did rewrite it, and Warner Bros. offered Kevin Smith...

In an era where audiences are peddled an onslaught of remakes, sequels, and requels, few attempts at adapting existing works really manage to stand out. That one of these precious few was immediately trashed by critics who didn’t understand it and mismanaged by a company that was too scared to court controversy, is a shame. That show, though you may not expect it, was none other than Paramount’s own “Heathers”, which aired in 2018.

The series, created by Jason Micallef, had the same basics as Daniel Waters and Michael Lehmann’s film of the same name, fixating on a group of students at Westerberg High School in Sherwood, Ohio, and the deeply messy politics and behavior that comes with that. It retained the main crew of three “mean-girls” Heathers, along with the blasé “good person” Veronica and her faux-tortured murderer love interest Jd.

Though similar to its source, it...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), is set to reach theatres on September 6th – and when it reaches the big screen, we’ll have the chance to see Winona Ryder reprise the role of Lydia Deetz, the first time in her career that she has been able to revisit a character in a sequel. During an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Ryder revealed that her one condition when she agreed to star in the Netflix series Stranger Things back in 2015 was that, if the Beetlejuice sequel ever moved into production, the show’s creators the Duffer Brothers would have to let her clear her schedule and make the movie.

Ryder said (with thanks to Movieweb for the transcription), “At the time, Tim and I were talking about the Beetlejuice sequel. There have been moments over the last 15 years that we thought it was gonna happen but,...

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice opened up a whole lot of opportunities for Winona Ryder in Hollywood. However, the film almost cost her another critically acclaimed role in her career. Lydia Deetz was a weird character and Ryder had to ditch her looks to transform into the character. When she met with the makers of Heathers in the new look, they did not initially want her in the role.

Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice | The Geffen Company

She was eventually able to convince them and star as Veronica Sawyer in the film. Beetlejuice was a critical and commercial success, even winning an Academy Award for Best Makeup. While Heathers failed at the box office, it went on to become a cult-classic dark comedy film.

Beetlejuice Almost Cost Winona Ryder Her Role In Heathers Winona Ryder as Veronica Sawyer in Heathers | Cinemarque Entertainment

Daniel Waters wrote Heathers as a spec...

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about filmmakers! Not the films that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.

Today, as a sort of B-Side to our own recent Bruce Willis B-Side episode, we speak to screenwriter Daniel Waters about Hudson Hawk! And much, much, much more!

Daniel and I talk about the overnight success of Heathers getting made, the overnight failure of Hudson Hawk, followed by the complicated reaction to Batman Returns. Oh, and what about the three seashells in Demolition Man?

We also discuss Renny Harlin and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, that incredible Sandra Bullock performance, and his underseen directorial efforts (Happy Campers and Sex and Death 101).

Questions asked and answered include: what happened to all of the individual style in screenplays? Why does everybody save the cat these days? Is there a...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), is set to reach theatres on September 6th – and with that release date swiftly approaching, Empire magazine has unveiled a new image of Michael Keaton as the title character! They also shared quotes from Keaton about getting back into character after all these years, and from his co-stars, who were in awe of him on set. Keep scrolling down to read some of the quotes and see the new image.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script, Pamela Norris did rewrite it, and Warner Bros. offered Kevin Smith the chance to do another rewrite. He turned it down. Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here), is set to reach theatres on September 6th – and with that release date just about three months away, a new trailer for the film has arrived online! You can check it out in the embed above.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script, Pamela Norris did rewrite it, and Warner Bros. offered Kevin Smith the chance to do another rewrite. He turned it down. Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to write and produce a new version of a sequel in 2011. Mike Vukadinovich was brought on to rewrite his script in 2017.

Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, co-creators and co-showrunners of Wednesday, have written the screenplay...

In 1988, Bruce Willis committed a most grievous offense against entertainment journalists: he proved them wrong. Really wrong. Laughably wrong.

The newly minted star of ABC's "Moonlighting" drew the ire of just about everyone in Hollywood when 20th Century Fox paid him a whopping $5 million to star in the action film "Die Hard." This rankled rival studio executives, who only shelled out that kind of cash for long-established leading men like Warren Beatty and Robert Redford. While Willis might've been a minor media sensation due to "Moonlighting," with his surprise Billboard smash "The Return of Bruno" and his omnipresent Bartles and Jaymes wine cooler commercials, he had yet to prove himself worthy of a $5 million big-screen payday.

Before "Die Hard," Willis had scored a solid theatrical hit with Blake Edwards' dismally unfunny "Blind Date." This was the extent of his motion picture oeuvre when Fox declared him a massive marquee name.

Director Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Beetlejuice (watch it Here) ended with the title character sitting down in a waiting room, and it looked like he was going to be in there for a very long time. It’s fitting that we left him in that situation, given that fans have had to wait thirty-six years for the follow-up Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – but now the wait is almost over. The sequel is set to reach theatres on September 6th, and a newly unveiled teaser poster takes us back to that waiting room with Beetlejuice while acknowledging the long wait between films. You can check it out at the bottom of this article.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script, Pamela Norris did rewrite it,...

“When I was just a little girl I asked my mother, what will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be rich? Here’s what she said to me: Qué será, será. Whatever will be, will be”

The opening of Michael Lehmann’s Heathers begins with a dreamy cover of a familiar song. Angelic voices ask a mother to predict the future only to be met with an infuriating response: “whatever will be, will be.” Her answer is most likely intended to present a life of limitless possibility, but as the introduction to a film devoid of competent parents, it feels like a noncommittal platitude. Heathers is filled with teenagers looking for guidance only to be let down by one adult after another. Gen Xers and elder millennials may have glamorized the outlandish fashion and creative slang while drooling over a smoking hot killer couple, but the violent film now packs an ominous punch.