Web editor @filmstories. Pro void shouter. Author: Geek's Guide To SF Cinema. Former dep ed Den of Geek UK, ex-editor Wireframe mag. Style boy 4 life.
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Articles by Ryan Lambie
Star Wars | Taika Waititi’s long-in-the-works project is “on ice”
Announced six years ago, director Taika Waititi’s Star Wars film is now “on ice”, he says, adding that he’s moving on to other projects. It was billed as the film that would attempt to recapture the ‘fun’ and 'joy’ of the original Star Wars trilogy. But it’s been just under six years since Thor: Love ...
Village Of The Damned were we too harsh on John Carpenter’s remake?
We head back to 1995 and John Carpenter’s remake, Village Of The Damned, and discover a sci-fi horror that is well worth a second look. Following an almost unbroken run of classic movies in the late 70s and early 80s, the 1990s is generally thought of as the decade when John Carpenter’s output began to ... Village Of The Damned were we too harsh on John Carpenter’s remake?
Alex Garland to make a new sci-fi film at A24; Zendaya to star
Zendaya is to star in the next film from Ex Machina and Civil War director Alex Garland – an untitled sci-fi film in the works at A24. Writer-director Alex Garland is currently busy on the biggest film of his career to date: an adaptation of FromSoftware’s grimdark action-RPG, Elden Ring. Shooting on the $100m epic ...
Alien | Can a sequel tie the events of Romulus and Covenant together?
Ridley Scott has said he’s taking back Alien. But could a new film pay off both Alien: Romulus and Alien: Covenant? We look at the possibilities. NB: The following contains spoilers for Alien: Covenant and Alien: Romulus. It’s over two years since the release of Alien: Romulus and almost a decade since Alien: Covenant. Both ... Alien | Can a sequel tie the events of Romulus and Covenant together? Ridley Scott has said he’s taking back Alien.
Netflix to cut 1,000 jobs, or six percent of its workforce
Citing a lack of growth, streaming giant Netflix is to cut 1,000 jobs across its business, with a couple of executives also among those affected. Netflix is, of course, massive, its business currently worth about $300bn on the stock market. But it’s not growing more massive quickly enough for its shareholders, and so now the ...
Whalefall director Brian Duffield denies rumours he’s making an Alien film
Brian Duffield, director of Whalefall, has denied rumours that he’s writing or making an Alien sequel, though he says he did help out on a script. Writer-director Brian Duffield may be about to trap audiences (and poor, luckless Austin Abrams) in the belly of a massive sperm whale, but over the summer, there were plausible-sounding ...
Airport, The Swarm and the birth, death and rebirth of disaster movies
From 1970 onwards, the disaster movie enjoyed a brief yet incredibly loud moment of box office glory. We look back at its rise, fall and eventual return. “If you kill the bee, you’re gonna kill the crops!” a clammy-looking Michael Caine raged in 1978’s The Swarm. “If you kill the plants you’ll kill the people! ... Airport, The Swarm and the birth, death and rebirth of disaster movies From 1970 onwards, the disaster movie enjoyed a brief yet incredibly loud moment of box office glory.
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew | First trailer delivers a blitzkrieg of sound and music
Now delayed to February 2027, writer-director Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew gets a thunderous first trailer. Crikey and, indeed, crivens. Anyone expecting a cosy version of CS Lewis’s much-loved fantasy books – say along the lines of the old 1980s British TV adaptation – might be somewhat taken aback by Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. ...
Ink | Danny Boyle says he’s willing to use AI again in his movies
His latest film, Ink, may have sparked a backlash over its use of AI in some scenes, but Danny Boyle says it’s “a no brainer” to employ it in future work. Director Danny Boyle’s latest film, Ink, made its UK premiere at the London Film Festival on the 12th October. There, Boyle was inevitably asked ...
Star Wars and Marvel shooter videogame being developed ‘Primarily with AI’ – report
Epic Games is said to be collaborating with Disney on a shooter videogame based on Star Wars and Marvel – and that it will be primarily developed with AI. Just as Darth Vader ended up more machine than human, a forthcoming videogame bearing the Star Wars banner could be more chatbot that flesh-and-blood software developer. ...
Animals on Netflix | When is a remake not a remake?
Recently landing on Netflix, Ben Affleck thriller Animals has eerily similarities to a film by Akira Kurosawa and its 2025 Spike Lee remake. NB: The following contains spoilers for Animals. Ben Affleck really wants you to know that Mark Kimball is a good guy. The opening credits for Animals, the new Netflix thriller feature that ... Animals on Netflix | When is a remake not a remake?
Nicolas Cage criticises Amazon over AI use, shoots down National Treasure 3 story
Speaking at New York Comic Con, Nicolas Cage said he wouldn’t work with Amazon again because of its interest in AI, and denied he’s making National Treasure 3. Amazon’s glossy superhero thriller series Spider-Noir appeared to go over well with both audiences and critics, yet the mega-corporation rather surprisingly decided not to renew it for ...
Suspiria | The 2010s horror remake we never saw, and what happened to it
In the 2000s, director David Gordon Green had a starry remake of the horror classic Suspiria planned. We take a look at why it never happened. Offering a markedly different tone from Dario Argento’s colour-drenched 1977 horror, the 2018 Suspiria remake was a more low-key, sombre affair. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, it was again about ...
Cyberpunk 2077 | Paramount set to make a movie adaptation
CD Projekt Red’s hit videogame Cyberpunk 2077 is set to become a movie at Paramount Pictures, courtesy of producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Beneath its banner company Skydance, Paramount Pictures is currently busy reviving a string of familiar names for the remake or reboot treatment. There’s Days Of Thunder 2 and Top Gun 3 on the ...
Lucio Fulci horror classic The Beyond is getting a remake
Once banned in the UK, Lucio Fulci’s 1981 horror The Beyond is getting a remake – the first in a planned series of vintage genre revivals. “Behind this doorway lie the terrifying and unspeakable secrets of hell,” promised one poster for 1981’s The Beyond. “No one who sees it lives to describe it. And you ...
Rocky IV, and when filmmakers re-cut their own movies
In 2021, Sylvester Stallone re-cut his 1985 Cold War boxing epic, Rocky IV. But how often do filmmakers improve their own work with these edits? There’s an extraordinary moment in Rocky IV where Ivan Drago, the Soviet boxer, is lifted up into the middle of the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas. It’s the opening ... Rocky IV, and when filmmakers re-cut their own movies In 2021, Sylvester Stallone re-cut his 1985 Cold War boxing epic, Rocky IV.
BBC experimenting with a Netflix-style iPlayer make-over, including an AI agent called Iggy
The BBC’s new director general Matt Brittin outlines a Netflix-style vision for iPlayer, including an AI agent called Iggy that speaks to users. How does the traditional, establishment British Broadcasting Corporation compete with the platforms emanating from Silicon Valley? The answer, it seems, is to get in a new boss who’s worked in Silicon Valley. ...
Digger | News of its potential $250m loss comes at a bad time for original filmmaking
A new report suggests that Tom Cruise’s Digger could lose $250m – just as the Paramount-Warner merger could make original films more difficult to greenlight than ever. Even with a name like Tom Cruise attached, Digger was always a big gamble. Here’s comedy-drama that isn’t a sequel or a reboot, that explores a topic that ...
James Bond | Saoirse Ronan doesn’t deny that her husband, Jack Lowden, has been cast as 007
In a new interview, Saoirse Ronan responds to the rumour that her husband, Jack Lowden, is the new James Bond by talking about dogs and dinner instead. Sometimes, what an interview subject doesn’t say is as significant as what they do say. That’s our excuse, at any rate, for writing about an interesting little aside ...
Transformers | Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay to return to reboot the large robot franchise
Steven Spielberg is set to produce a new Transformers movie, with Michael Bay set to direct, as Skydance continues to reboot its lucrative franchises. As a jubilant David Ellison sent out upbeat memos in the wake of Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros, the CEO has said that the merged company will “absolutely” make “original stories.” ...
Skydance | Paramount-Warner merger completes, talk immediately turns to layoffs and using AI
The ink is barely dry on the Paramount-Warner merger, but new company Skydance is already talking about layoffs and “AI opportunities.” As history has already taught us, mergers inevitably lead to layoffs, as executives try to find ‘synergies’ and ‘efficiencies’. And so it is that, within hours of Paramount formally signing the $110bn deal to ...
Shocking Dark | The Italian film that somehow ripped off Aliens and Terminator 2 at the same time
In 1989, Italian director Bruno Mattei made an amalgam of Aliens and The Terminator. We look back at the wonderfully awful Shocking Dark. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then a 1989 Italian film called Shocking Dark pays James Cameron the ultimate compliment: it openly steals from not one but two of his ...
What was the first giant robot in cinema?
Giant robots are a familiar enough sight in movies these days. But who got their first? Two sci-fi films from 1957 have a potential title claim… Google AI may be killing traffic to websites and transforming how users interact with the internet, but its ability to accurately answer questions is sometimes about as reliable as ... What was the first giant robot in cinema? Giant robots are a familiar enough sight in movies these days. But who got their first?
Paramount-Warner merger: Barbie 2 being pushed through, Lord Of The Rings on hold
As Warner joins the Paramount Skydance collective, there’s talk of a renewed push for Barbie 2, while one Lord Of The Rings project has been put on hiatus. Paramount’s Venom-like absorption of Warner Bros hasn’t been formally completed yet, but it’s now such a formality that, per several reports, corporate overlord David Ellison is already ...
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the BBFC’s 1980s fear of power tool horror
The BBFC is now fairly relaxed about scenes of people being killed with power tools. This was not the case in the 1980s… It’s quite a title, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Rolling beautifully off the tongue, it hints at all kinds of horrific acts. It also sounds more violent and sordid than Tobe Hooper’s ... The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the BBFC’s 1980s fear of power tool horror The BBFC is now fairly relaxed about scenes of people being killed with power tools.
Digger spoilers | The missing shovel, and the ending changed at the last minute
With spoilers, we look at the fascinatingly strange Digger, the missing shovel, and the glimpses of a very different ending not in the finished film. NB: The following contains spoilers for Digger throughout. If you haven’t seen it yet, why not check out our spoiler-free review? It’s hinted at in the title, it’s the character’s ...
Tippett Studios | In the wake of its closure, a digital archive of animated materials appears online
The stop motion work of Phil Tippett and the now closed Tippett Studios is being preserved in a free-to-browse online archive. August brought with it the sad news that Tippett Studios, the Berkeley-based animation and effects house founded by Phil Tippett, was closing down. The company had been in financial trouble for a while, and ...
Animals | Ben Affleck thriller used AI for “lots of things”, he says
Ben Affleck says his forthcoming Netflix thriller, Animals, uses AI “for lots of things,” but adds that it’s a “very human movie.” It isn’t too surprising that Ben Affleck’s into artificial intelligence, given that he sold his tech company, InterPositive, to Netflix for a reported $600m earlier this year. By the sounds of things, Affleck ...
Paramount Warner Bros | $110bn merger could be completed within days
With a legal settlement approved by a federal judge, Paramount is now free to complete its deal to acquire Warner Bros, which could be done in a week. After months of deal-making and drama, Paramount’s $110bn takeover of Warner Bros could be days away from completion. On the 21st September, Paramount managed to reach a ...
Colossus: The Forbin Project, and the 1970s decade of frosty, cerebral sci-fi
Before Star Wars, a generation of sci-fi films focused on scientists, concrete buildings and big ideas. We revisit a 1970s era of cool, clever genre movies. Clad in white overalls, a lone scientist stalks the echoing halls of a gigantic computer mainframe. Beneath a sign reading ‘Colossus’, picked out in futuristic lettering, clusters of coloured ...
Digger review | No, no – dig up, stupid
Tom Cruise teams with Oscar-winning director Alejandro G Iñárritu for a bizarre apocalyptic satire. Our review of Digger: Here it is: Tom Cruise’s big play for an Oscar. After years of running around and clinging to the sides of various aircraft, Digger presents an opportunity for Cruise to get back to an earlier leg of ... Digger review | No, no – dig up, stupid Tom Cruise teams with Oscar-winning director Alejandro G Iñárritu for a bizarre apocalyptic satire.
David Fincher is set to leave Netflix in early 2027
Ending a working relationship that stretches back more than a decade, David Fincher has decided not to renew his contract with Netflix, a report suggests. Out in November, The Further Mis-Adventures Of Cliff Booth be the final film that David Fincher makes for Netflix. Having spent well over a decade making movies and shows for ...
The Flood | Jeremy Lawrence joins Zach Cregger sci-fi thriller
Hot off Resident Evil, director Zach Cregger is set to make an original sci-fi thriller, The Flood – and it has a star: Jennifer Lawrence. Director Zach Cregger is enjoying the best box office returns of his career to date with Resident Evil, his stripped back and blackly comic videogame adaptation. He’s heading back to ...
When A Stranger Calls | Over 40 years on, its opening is still one of the scariest 20 minutes in cinema
It’s had a sequel, a remake, and even a homage in Scream. But the opening to 1979’s When A Stranger Calls remains unmatched in its tension. “Have you checked the children?” It’s a chilling refrain in director Fred Walton’s 1979 chiller, When A Stranger Calls – or at least, its first 20 minute reel, which ... When A Stranger Calls | Over 40 years on, its opening is still one of the scariest 20 minutes in cinema It’s had a sequel, a remake, and even a homage in Scream.
Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg to make new Sleeping Beauty for Disney
Dan Trachtenberg, who breathed new life into the Predator franchise with Prey and Badlands, is set to wake up Sleeping Beauty for Disney. Here’s an odd juxtaposition. Director Dan Trachtenberg, better known for his sci-fi action thrillers, is turning to Disney princesses with a new take on Sleeping Beauty. Having made the tense spin-off 10 ...
Musk | Social media platforms are refusing to run ads for Alex Gibney’s documentary
Filmmaker Alex Gibney has made an exhaustive and unflattering documentary about Elon Musk. Social media firms are said to be refusing to advertise it. Alex Gibney’s epic, four-hour long documentary about billionaire Elon Musk opens in US cinemas in October. Just don’t expect to see anything advertising the fact on social media. According to a ...
Star Wars | Jon Watts to make Episode X, New Jedi Order shelved (report)
Lucasfilm is getting started on a new Star Wars trilogy, with Episode X to be directed by Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Jon Watts, a report suggests. There was a seven year gap between The Rise Of Skywalker and this years The Mandalorian And Grogu, and the latter wasn’t quite the triumphant return to cinemas Lucasfilm might have ...
The 1990s films of Michael Caine: Noises Off (1992)
Peter Bogdanovich gave Michael Caine a great 90s role in the stage farce, Noises Off. We take a look back at an underrated comedy… The 1990s were Caine’s last decade as a consistent leading man before he moved more permanently into supporting actor elder statesman territory. This decade features some of his most forgotten work, ... The 1990s films of Michael Caine: Noises Off (1992) Peter Bogdanovich gave Michael Caine a great 90s role in the stage farce, Noises Off.
Jackie Chan and The Protector | An oral history of creative clashes, injured performers and a helicopter caught in an explosion
Cinematographer Mark Irwin recalls making The Protector – a Jackie Chan action thriller with two cuts, a dangerous stunt that almost went badly wrong, and a lot of sore backs. “The hero boat is filled with explosives. The bad guy boat was filled with something called detcord, or primacord, which is what’s used to blow ...
Film Stories magazine #61 | Two exclusive covers, Ghosts return, and bundle deals in our autumn horror special
You’ll find Ghosts: the movie, 1970s horror, Other Mommy and more in our autumn edition of Film Stories magazine. Here’s what’s inside issue 61: As the nights draw in, Film Stories turns its attention to cinema’s darker side for issue 61, available to order right now from the Film Stories Store. Our autumn horror special ...
Saw 11 | Mike P Nelson announced as horror sequel director
Mike P Nelson, who previously rebooted Wrong Turn and Silent Night, Deadly Night, is to direct horror sequel Saw 11. A franchise too valuable to leave rusting in a shed for too long, Saw is set to return for its eleventh entry over the next few months or so. Creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell ... Saw 11 | Mike P Nelson announced as horror sequel director Mike P Nelson, who previously rebooted Wrong Turn and Silent Night, Deadly Night, is to direct horror sequel Saw 11.
Paramount Warner Bros deal | Executives said to be considering bringing in Elon Musk as an investor
Days after settling a lawsuit blocking its acquisition of Warner Bros, Paramount is thinking about bringing in Elon Musk as an investor, a new report suggests. Having settled a lawsuit that threatened to scupper its deal altogether, Paramount’s $110bn takeover of Warner Bros now looks pretty much a certainty. The problem, though, is that $110bn ...
Outland is Alien with shotguns instead of aliens, which is why it’s an underrated classic
Now 45, director Peter Hyams’ space western is a classic in its own right, but can also be enjoyed as an unofficial Alien spin-off. Showrunner Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth managed to expand its franchise’s universe for TV, giving us glimpses of terrestrial cities and corporate island lairs that we didn’t get to see in the ...
Nosferatu director Robert Eggers to make Romeo And Juliet next
Filmmaker and history enthusiast Robert Eggers is moving from werewolves to Shakespeare next, with an adaptation of Romeo And Juliet. American cinemas will be getting a particularly hairy Christmas this year, as director Robert Eggers’ Werwulf explores lycanthropic legend with his well-established eye for historical detail. Immediately after that, though, Eggers is set to take ...
King Kong Lives | One of the most bizarre sequels ever made, 40 years on
Linda Hamilton starred in Kong Kong Lives – a weird sequel that few asked for and even fewer saw. Forty years on, a look back. The look says it all. Terminator star Linda Hamilton, sitting on the arm of a full-sized King Kong prop, has a far-off look in her eyes. Next to her, fellow ... King Kong Lives | One of the most bizarre sequels ever made, 40 years on Linda Hamilton starred in Kong Kong Lives – a weird sequel that few asked for and even fewer saw. Forty years on, a look back.
Paramount Warner Bros deal | Lawsuit with US states settled, making merger almost certain
A $110bn merger now looks like a certainty, as Paramount has settled a lawsuit blocking its Warner Bros deal. That was sudden. Roughly eight weeks after a coalition of US states successfully sued to block Paramount’s $110bn takeover of Warner Bros, the lawsuit has been settled. It ends weeks of stasis, and threats from Paramount ...
Disney+ | Adverts will appear on all subscriber tiers, new user agreement states
Adverts will now be inescapable on Disney+ – even if you’re a Premium tier subscriber, as the streaming platform updates its user agreement. Joining death and taxes on the certainties of life list, advertising has become a familiar sight on streaming services. Once a haven from the irritation of ads, platforms like Netflix have, in ...
Slayground | A24 launches viral website and trailer for Green Room director Jeremy Saulnier’s new film
Has Green Room director Jeremy Saulnier made a slasher movie? A24’s viral website and trailer for the forthcoming Slayground suggests so. The marketing campaign for director Jeremy Saulnier’s latest film has officially begun – and it looks as though the Blue Ruin, Green Room and Rebel Ridge has made something distinctly horror-focused. Over the weekend, ...
Resident Evil | The film cameo competition – and the George Romero adaptation that never was
In 1998, Resident Evil fans were offered a chance to appear in the first movie adaption, then headed up by George A Romero. Here’s what happened. Certain covers for the horror videogame Resident Evil 2 advertised an eye-catching prize in 1998. “Win a part in the movie,” the blurb read, housed in a gaudy yellow ...
Resident Evil spoilers | Finally, a videogame adaptation that doesn’t merely replay the hits
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil may have sparked a backlash among some fans, but it works precisely because it doesn’t adapt familiar videogame beats. Spoilers ahead. NB: The following contains spoilers for Resident Evil (2026). Paul WS Anderson, Johannes Roberts, even the grandfather of zombie apocalypses, George A Romero, are among the various filmmakers who’ve attempted ...
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