Lionsgate Hypes The Next ‘John Wick’, ‘Expendables’ and Others At CinemaCon
‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’, ‘White Bird: A Wonder Story’, and ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ were also featured.
(L-R) Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves attend the Lionsgate CinemaCon presentation in support of 'John Wick: Chapter Four' at the Colosseum Theatre in Caesar’s Palace on April 28th, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Eric Charbonneau.
Tasked with the final studio presentation of this year’s CinemaCon event, Lionsgate brought its biggest gun – and fist, foot, or anything else that can be turned into a weapon.
We’re talking, of course, about Keanu Reeves’ John Wick. And Reeves was at the event in person to show the first full trailer for ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’. Though the ‘Wick’ footage didn’t open the event, it was one of the clear highlights.
The trailer is full of everything ‘Wick’ fans might be looking for – more of the title character taking on fellow assassins using all manner of violent tactics, including, in this case, nunchuks.
‘John Wick: Chapter 4’, which opens on March 24th, 2023, stars Reeves, Donnie Yen, Laurence Fishburne, Bill Skarsgård, and Ian McShane. Chad Stahelski, who directed the previous three films, is back behind the camera, and joined the star to present the movie.
Reeves described the ‘Wick’ franchise as “a celebration of fight choreography, balletic action and storytelling that can only happen through movement.” Then the actor and director discussed their long creative partnership – which stretches back to the latter being Reeves’ stunt double on the ‘Matrix’ franchise, while Stahelski enthused about paying tribute to action icons through the ages in this latest installment.
Action icons also form a huge part of ‘Expend4bles’ which, as you might guess, is the fourth of ‘The Expendables’ franchise. With Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone back anchoring the chaos and banter, the upcoming movie stars Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Megan Fox, Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Randy Couture, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, Andy Garcia, and Iko Uwais. Uwais is set to play the movie's villain.
The footage was predictably crazy, with Stallone crashing a plane through a tunnel and plenty of fighting. ‘Expend4bles’, with Scott Waugh directing, is still awaiting a formal release date, but should be in theaters this year.
Eli Roth’s video game adaptation ‘Borderlands’ also brought some impressive footage to the presentation, which included Cate Blanchett in a bright red wig, toting a gun and fighting her way through a vibrantly colored cityscape. Kevin Hart also appeared as did Jack Black voicing the robot Claptrap who unexpectedly takes a bullet from Blanchett’s gun but keeps on chatting.
As for the synopsis? Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe's most powerful S.O.B., Atlas (Edgar Ramirez). Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team — Roland (Hart), a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Florian Munteanu), Tina's musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis), the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap (Black), a persistently wiseass robot. These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find and protect the missing girl, who may hold the key to unimaginable power. The fate of the universe could be in their hands — but they'll be fighting for something more: each other.
‘Borderlands’ will blast into theaters on a date still to be decided this year.
Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco emceed the presentation, which also included footage from his upcoming autobiographical comedy ‘About My Father’. Maniscalco co-wrote and executive produced the movie, in which Robert De Niro plays his father. In the pic, Maniscalco tells his old-school Italian immigrant father Salvo that he is going to propose to his all-American girlfriend, Salvo insists on crashing a weekend with her wealthy parents.
Talking about his upcoming movie, and the origins for it, Maniscalco said, “I wanted to make a movie where you could take the family. I didn’t think this thing was going to be made. I can’t believe Robert De Niro is playing my father in this movie. It hurt my feelings when I heard Leonardo DiCaprio should play me.”
‘About My Father’ doesn’t yet have a release date scheduled.
On a different family front, stars Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson took the stage to introduce the trailer for ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’.
This initial glimpse of the Judy Blume classic in movie form drew plenty of laughs (and a few squirms) of recognition as the footage revealed coming-of-age challenges, sex education classes and teenage girls chanting that they must improve their bust.
The movie arrives on September 16th.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
Then there was ‘White Bird: A Wonder Story’, which is set in the same universe as the 2017’s heartwarming hit ‘Wonder’. Adapted again from the work of author R.J. Palacio (this time his graphic novel), it follows Julian (Bryce Gheisar), who was one of the kid who bullied Auggie (Jacob Tremblay) in the original film. He’s been expelled and is now trying to fit into a new private school.
In the story, Julian gets a visit from his Grandmère from Paris (Helen Mirren) who was a child in Nazi-occupied France. She tells the story of how she went into hiding, helped by a young man from her school, who took a huge risk in doing so. Together they find love and compassion.
‘White Bird: A Wonder Story’ is due in theaters on October 14th.
Lionsgate wrapped up their event with one more big title, one that many had almost forgotten was still happening: the prequel to the ‘Hunger Games’ movies, ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’.
With Francis Lawrence back to direct (he handled three of the original ‘Games’ movies), the prequel is set years prior to the original movies. We meet the 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, who would become the tyrannical President of Panem. The young Snow sees a chance for a change in fortunes when he is chosen to be mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12.
No other information about the movie (which is now shooting) was given, other than the news that it’ll be in theaters on November 17th next year.
Jennifer Lawrence in 2012's 'The Hunger Games.'
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
