One of the most recognizable faces at Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, says he’s interested in keeping the company in the movie-making business.
The news follows Nintendo’s massive success with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which raked in a staggering $377 million ($510 million CAD) globally during its opening weekend.
According to Japanese outlet Nikkei, Miyamoto referred to Nintendo as a talent agency with plenty of different entertainers. Without getting into specifics, he stated, “There are many possible ways we could go, such as using characters that would be fit for movies or very well-known characters.”
When one of your films becomes a contender for the highest-grossing film of 2023, why wouldn’t you want to pursue more movies in the future?
The question then becomes, what Nintendo franchise would best suit a role on the big screen? The possibilities are endless, with the company behind many of the most beloved video game sagas ever.
Naturally, Nintendo may look to follow up with a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, as it knows they have the audience and demand for it.
Miyamoto’s enthusiasm is shared by Illumination’s Chris Meladandri, who showed support for continuing their relationship down the line, with the former Nintendo GM stating that he’s “sure we will continue working on this partnership.”
For more news about Miyamoto, check out when he recently showed his distrust for Dr. Mario’s medical practices here.
For many, it was just about the perfect action movie, a culmination of nearly 10 years of top-notch work from director Chad Stahelski and Canadian star Keanu Reeves. However, the power duo haven’t yet committed to a fifth movie, so we may have to wait a while — or even forever — for more of our favourite hitman.
For now, though, there are always other action movies (to try) to fill that void. Here are a bunch:
Atomic Blonde
Helmed by original John Wick co-director David Leitch, Atomic Blonde follows an MI6 agent (Charlize Theron) who hunts down a priceless dossier amid the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Based on Robert Ludlum’s popular novels, the acclaimed Bourne action-thriller series stars Matt Damon as the eponymous CIA assassin.
All five movies — the four starring Damon (Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum and Jason Bourne) and Jeremy Renner-led Legacy — are streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Crave and Netflix.
Bullet Train
Another post-Wick Leitch movie, Bullet Train sees a hitman named Ladybug (Brad Pitt) fight to survive other assassins on a Japanese train.
After Training Day, Antoine Fuqua and star Denzel Washington reunite for this series a former U.S. Marine turned DIA intelligence officer who begrudgingly gets back into action.
Chris Hemsworth teams up with Marvel stuntman-turned-director Sam Hargrave in this action-thriller about a black ops mercenary tasked with rescuing a crime lord’s son in India.
Stream Extraction on Netflix. Note that a sequel, simply titled Extraction 2, is set to premiere on June 16th, 2023.
Ip Man series
One of the biggest players in John Wick: Chapter 4, Caine, is played by legendary Hong Kong action star, Donnie Yen.
Of his many roles, Yen is best known for Ip Man, a series of martial arts films based on the Wing Chun master of the same name.
Arguably Reeves’ most iconic role pre-Wick saw him kung fu his way through the digital world to save humanity from an AI. Fun fact: Chad Stahelski was a stunt double for Reeves n the series, which no doubt helped paved the way for their killer collaborative efforts years later with John Wick.
Unfortunately, only 2021’s The Matrix Resurrections — which saw Reeves reunite with fellow Canadian Carrie-Anne Moss — is on a subscription streaming service: Crave. The original trilogy — The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions — are only available to rent or purchase on platforms like iTunes and Google Play, starting at $4.99 CAD.
Nobody
From Derek Kolstad, creator of the John Wick series, comes Nobody, which sees Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk play a former assassin who seeks revenge against the people who broke into his home. It’s worth noting that the movie was filmed in Winnipeg.
No list like this would be complete with Gareth Evans’ two The Raid movies, widely regarded to be some of the best modern action movies alongside the John Wick series.
The Indonesian movies star Iko Uwais as a special forces member deep in the Jakarta underworld.
The Raid can be streamed on Prime Video and Crave (Starz required for both), while The Raid 2 is available on Prime Video (base membership) and Crave (Starz required).
Taken series
The series that helped kick off Liam Neeson’s current long-running stint of action movies follows the international exploits of a retired CIA operative.
Apple is planning to spend $1 billion USD (about $1.36 billion CAD) per year on theatrical movies, according to Bloomberg.
The goal, says the outlet, is for Apple to grow its presence in Hollywood and bring in more subscribers to Apple TV+.
To date, Apple has reportedly spent billions on original programming, but it’s primarily been focused on streaming TV shows for Apple TV+. This includes buzzworthy series like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show and Severance. The service’s catalogue offers a handful of original films, like Greyhound, Finch and the Oscar-winning CODA, but otherwise, it’s all about shows.
Apple has also only given some of these films a small, limited theatrical release — just long enough to make them eligible for awards like the Oscars, which require movies to play in cinemas. As part of this new $1 billion annual investment, Apple will seek distributors to bring its original films to thousands of theatres. So far, these plans include Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Argyle from Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn.
Bloomberg notes that Apple is spending hundreds of millions on Killers of the Flower Moon, in particular, so it wants to turn that into a “cultural event.” The company’s film ambitions have also reportedly only expanded after CODA won Best Picture last year, beating out Netflix to become the first streamer to take home the Oscars’ top honour.
Currently, Apple is said to only be having discussions with distributors, as it still needs to work out fees and other specifics. As Bloomberg points out, these distributors will all have their own cuts to take; for instance, Paramount will release Killers of the Flower Moon in theatres for a 10 percent fee. Apple will also have to spend on promoting these movies, since theatrical releases require more expansive marketing strategies than smaller, streaming-only titles.
Apple’s expanded theatrical approach would be quite distinct from Netflix, which has historically only released select movies in cinemas for a limited time. Last year, the company made the rare move to play Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in a small number of theatres one month before it came to Netflix, but that was the exception rather than the rule.
“There [are] all kinds of debates all the time, back-and-forth, but there’s no question internally that we make our movies for our members and we really want them to watch them on Netflix,” he added.
It remains to be seen how, exactly, Apple will approach theatrical movies. The company hasn’t yet commented on this report, and we also don’t yet know when films like Killers of the Flower Moon will even release.
The iconic cinematic assassin, played by beloved Canadian actor Keanu Reeves, faces his deadliest challenge yet in John Wick: Chapter 4. With an ever-growing bounty on his head, Wick must fight to survive while embarking on a global journey to take down the High Table.
Chapter 4 was directed by Chad Stahelski (who helmed every movie in the series) and features returning stars Ian McShane (Winston), Laurence Fishburne (The Bowery King) and Lance Reddick (Charon). Joining the cast, meanwhile, are Hong Kong legend Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai), Bill Skarsgård (It series), and Reeves’ fellow Torontonian, Shamier Anderson (Wynonna Earp), among others.
Of course, it’s been a few years since John Wick: Chapter 3, so if you wanted to refresh yourself on the story beforehand — or simply watch Reeves kill hundreds of people in gloriously stylish action — you still have time.
Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to stream the trio of John Wick movies:
If you’ve ever wanted to talk to Ghostface, Paramount has you covered.
To promote this month’s release of Scream VI, the company has launched a new website through which you can give your name and phone number. Shortly after, you’ll receive a call from none other than Ghostface, who will address you by name.
There are a few possible pre-recorded messages to hear, and they’re all voiced by Roger L. Jackson, the long-running voice of the slasher icon. As a nice touch, the call will even say it’s from a New York number as a nod to the upcoming film’s setting.
It’s worth noting, though, that it does work in Canada. I put in my number — a Toronto area code — and got a call from Ghostface within an hour or so.
Ultimately, it’s an amusing promotional campaign, especially since threatening phone calls are such a big part of the Scream franchise.
Scream VI will open in theatres on March 10th. The film features the return of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and stars Melissa Barrera (Sam), Jenna Ortega (Tara), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy) and Mason Gooding (Chad) from last year’s Scream, as well as Scream series veteran Courteney Cox (Gale). Additionally, Hayden Panettiere reprises her Scream 4 role of Kirby.
However, the movie marks the first time that Guelph, Ontario’s Neve Campbell will not return as Sidney due to a pay dispute. On the other hand, we get two Canadian Scream newcomers: Toronto’s Henry Czerny (Ready or Not) and Brantford, Ontario’s Devyn Nekoda (Degrassi).
Can you believe that Rocky is nearly 50 years old?
Since 1976, the iconic Sylvester Stallone series about an underdog boxer in Philadelphia has been going strong across eight movies. A ninth, Creed III, is set to release on March 3rd, although it will be the first without Stallone’s Rocky Balboa.
Naturally, a new movie in such a storied franchise might have you wanting to revisit the classics. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up where Canadians can stream the entire Rocky series — the six Stallone-led films and the two Michael B. Jordan-led entries.
Rocky (1976) — Amazon Prime Video via MGM (a $3.99/month channel add-on), Crave
Rocky II (1979) — Amazon Prime Video via MGM, Crave
Rocky III (1982) — Amazon Prime Video via MGM, Crave
Rocky IV (1985) — Amazon Prime Video via MGM, Crave
Rocky V (1990) — Amazon Prime Video via AMC+ (an $8.99/month channel add-on) or MGM, Crave
Rocky Balboa (2006) — Amazon Prime Video via AMC+, Crave
An Amazon Prime subscription costs $99/year and includes Prime Video, while a Crave subscription is priced at $19.99/month.
It’s worth noting that Rocky IV, one of the series’ less popular entries, received a Director’s Cut from Stallone that made more well-received changes. This version of the movie, titled Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago, isn’t on any subscription video on demand (SVOD) services like Crave, but you can rent it on PVOD platforms like iTunes and Google Play.
Creed III, meanwhile, is notable for being the directorial debut of Michael B. Jordan, who also stars as Adonis Creed, son of Rocky’s late friend Apollo (Carl Weathers). Creed III also features the return of Tessa Thompson as Adonis’ partner, Bianca, and series newcomer Jonathan Majors as Adonis’ old friend with a score to settle, Damian Anderson.
The organization, which is supported by the likes of the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada, has put up a charming billboard in Hollywood saying “Politely Kicking Ass. (Sorry.)”
Another Hollywood billboard, meanwhile, promotes four acclaimed Canadian directors: Bécancour, Québec’s Denis Villeneuve (Dune), Toronto’s Sarah Polley (Women Talking), Kapuskasing, Ontario’s James Cameron (Avatar: The Way of Water) and Toronto’s Domee Shi (Turning Red). Dune was nominated for Best Picture at last year’s Oscars, while Women Talking and The Way of Water are up for the top honour at this year’s show, and Turning Red is a Best Animated Feature nominee.
In the bit, we see the hit Canadian comedy series Schitt’s Creek, Letterkenny and Sort Of; popular movies like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (starring Mississauga’s Simu Liu) and Free Guy (starring Vancouver’s Ryan Reynolds and directed by Montreal’s Shawn Levy) and Mississauga’s Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) talking about the “impact Canadians can have on the entire world.”
The ad also mentions a few milestones that Canadians have recently helped set:
First female to direct a Pixar movie (Domee Shi on Turning Red)
First Muslim superhero (Markham, Ontario’s Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel in Ms. Marvel)
First project from all-Indigenous creators (Kahnawake, Quebec’s Devery Jacobs Toronto’s D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Paulina Alexis are three of the four leads of Reservation Dogs)
And on the gaming front, we see a cinematic from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, a massive video game from one of the largest developers in the world, Ubisoft Montreal. Given that this is only a 30-second ad, it makes sense that games are only briefly touched on. Still, it’s worth noting that Canada is the third-largest producer of games in the world, with the national games sector bringing in $5.5 billion to our GDP annually.
Besides Assassin’s Creed, some of the most prominent games made here include Mass Effect (BioWare Edmonton), FIFA (EA Vancouver), Far Cry (Ubisoft Montreal and Toronto), Cuphead (Oakville, Ontario’s Studio MDHR), Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Eidos Montreal) and PGA Tour 2K23 (Lunenberg, Nova Scotia’s HB Studios).
What are some of your favourite Canadian-made projects? Let us know in the comments.
With that in mind, we wanted to take a look at some other notable productions in the province. Of course, if we go back several years, we’d have titles like the award-winning movies Brokeback Mountain (the Canadian Rockies in Southern Alberta) and The Revenant (Calgary and Kananaskis). But for the purposes of this piece, we’ll focus on some other movies and TV shows that, like The Last of Us, were recently shot in Alberta. We’ll also make note of where you can stream them.
Synopsis: This anthology series follows various crimes in Fargo, North Dakota.
Plot details are under wraps on the upcoming fifth season, though we know it will include the likes of Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Juno Temple (Ted Lasso), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) and Joe Keery (Stranger Things).
Alberta connections: We’re cheating a bit by including the entire FX series, but outside of Season 4, it was filmed completely in Calgary. This includes the undated fifth season, which began shooting last year in the city.
Where to stream: The first three seasons are available on Amazon Prime Video (via the MGM channel). The fourth season, however, isn’t currently streaming anywhere beyond PVOD platforms like iTunes and Google Play.
Synopsis: A single mother and her children move to an Oklahoma farm inherited from her estranged father, original Ghostbusters member Egon Spengler.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife was co-written and directed by Montreal’s Jason Reitman (Juno) and stars Carrie Coon (The Leftovers), Vancouver’s Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), McKenna Grace (I, Tonya) and Paul Rudd (Ant-Man).
Alberta connections: The Ghostbusters sequel was shot in Calgary between July and October 2019.
Synopsis: One of last year’s surprise hits was this prequel to the Predator franchise which follows a Comanche warrior’s first encounter with a deadly alien hunter.
Prey was directed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) and stars Amber Midthunder (Roswell, New Mexico), Dakota Beavers (debut acting role), Dane DiLiegro (American Horror Stories) and Calgary’s Michelle Thrush (Blackstone).
Genre: Drama Runtime: Seven episodes (63–88 minutes each)
Synopsis: A police detective finds his faith shaken when investigating the murder of a Mormon mother and her daughter that appears to involve the Church of Latter-Day Saints.
Based on Jon Krakauer’s 2003 non-fiction book of the same name, Under the Banner of Heaven was created by Dustin Lance Black (Milk) and stars Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick… Boom!), Sam Worthington (Avatar), Daisy Edgar-Jones (Cold Feet), Wyatt Russell (Lodge49) and Denise Gough (Angels in America).
Alberta connections: Under the Banner of Heaven was filmed in Calgary between August and December 2021.
Skinamarink (2023)
Genre: Horror Runtime: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Synopsis: Two children who cannot find their father and must deal with mysterious happenings in their home.
Alberta connections: Skinaramink is perhaps the most quintessentially Albertan title here. This viral experimental horror flick was shot by YouTuber Kyle Edward Ball in his childhood home in Edmonton over the course of seven days in August 2021. Due to the small $15,000 USD (about $20,000 CAD) budget, Ball actually had to rent equipment from the Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta, a non-profit that supports local independent filmmakers.
Over the past few months, you might have heard of an indie horror movie called Skinamarink.
After all, it’s been something of a viral sensation thanks to the likes of TikTok. What you might not have known, however, that it’s Canadian. Filmed by YouTuber Kyle Edward Ball in his native Edmonton for just $15,000 USD (about $20,000 CAD), the movie follows two children who cannot find their father and must deal with mysterious happenings in their home.
As a slow-burn experimental feature, it’s proven to be rather polarizing, but regardless, it’s certainly captured the internet’s attention. And now, after a small theatrical rollout in January, the movie is finally streaming worldwide, including in Canada, on Shudder.
— The Super Mario Bros. Movie (@supermariomovie) January 29, 2023
In a brief trailer posted out of nowhere on a Sunday, we see a bit more of a previously teased fight between Mario and Donkey. After the Italian plumber dons his cat suit, Donkey Kong starts laughing at him, and we hear Rogen’s iconic wheezing stoner laugh.
This is the first time we’ve heard Rogen as Donkey Kong, as previous trailers have only offered up Pratt’s Mario, Charlie Day’s Luigi, Jack Black’s Bowser and Anya Taylor-Joy’s Peach. In the end, Rogen’s Donkey Kong pretty much sounds exactly as you’d expect, but then, would we have it any other way?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie will hit theatres on April 7th.
