Want to know what’s new in theaters this week? Catch these exciting releases on the big screen:
“Somehow, someday, somewhere…” Steven Spielberg’s highly acclaimed take on the classic musical West Side Story is out this weekend. The 'somewhere' is your favorite local movie theater, and there’s a place for you in front of the big screen, watching the song and dance and star-crossed romance. And the 'somehow' is via tickets bought in advance on Fandango.
Speaking of the classics, the beloved 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy is given new light in Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos, which stars Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem as TV icons Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. You can also find that only in theaters this weekend, alongside Adam McKay’s star-studded disaster flick Don't Look Up, which uses the story of a comet heading toward Earth to satirize the media, pop culture and today’s political climate.
Get your tickets for those and other new movies here.
Need a quick recap of the past week in movie news? Here are the highlights:
The return of Shang-Chi: The number one domestic box office hit of 2021 is officially getting a part two. Deadline reports that Marvel is working on a follow-up to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Director Destin Daniel Cretton will be returning to the helm for the sequel with Simu Liu expected to reprise his historical title role as the martial arts-focused superhero.
The original Shang-Chi, which is the 25th entry in the popular Marvel Cinematic Universe movie franchise, has grossed $225 million in North America since its release in early September (and $432 million worldwide). The plot follows the main character and his best friend (Awkwafina) as they travel to China to fight his power-corrupt father (Tony Leung) and save the world.
Tom Holland wants to be a dancin' man: Speaking of the MCU, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland is set to portray Fred Astaire in a biopic for Sony Pictures. While promoting the upcoming Marvel sequel Spider-Man: No Way Home, he told the Associated Press he had just received a script for the movie but hadn’t read it yet, indicating that the project is still in early stages.
Astaire was a movie star during Hollywood’s golden age and is still considered to be the greatest dancer in film history. His most famous musicals include Top Hat and Swing Time, both of them for his iconic pairings with Ginger Rogers, as well as Holiday Inn. He later earned his sole Oscar nomination for his supporting performance in the 1974 disaster movie The Towering Inferno.
Michelle Williams has Fever: Speaking of biopics about Oscar-nominated Hollywood musical icons, Michelle Williams has been cast as Peggy Lee for a feature film titled Fever. According to Deadline, the movie will be directed by Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine) and is expected to be produced by Billie Eilish for MGM. Williams previously appeared in Haynes’ unique Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There and his 2017 drama Wonderstruck.
The actress is also no stranger to portraying real-life entertainment figures, having starred as Marilyn Monroe and Gwen Verdon in past biographical projects. Peggy Lee is most famous for her rendition of the song “Fever” and for her work as a voice actor and songwriter for Disney’s Lady and the Tramp. She earned her Academy Award nod for her supporting role in Pete Kelly’s Blues.
Kari Skogland to direct Cleopatra: On the subject of biopics about notable women, we have an update on the next movie about one of history’s most famous female leaders. Deadline reports that Kari Skogland is going from helming the Marvel series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to working with DC’s Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot, on Paramount’s Cleopatra.
Skogland is taking over the reins from Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, who is staying on board as a producer. This will be the first theatrical feature for Skogland since 2008’s Fifty Dead Men Walking. Previous biopics about the Egyptian queen Cleopatra go back more than a century and include the 1963 epic, also simply titled Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor in the lead role.
Sonic 2 casts its Tails: Our final news item this week brings us back to the world of sequels. Voice actress Colleen O’Shaughnessey shared the news on Twitter that she would be reprising her role of Tails from the Sonic the Hedgehog video games for the upcoming movie Sonic the Hedgehog 2. While not the original voice of the two-tailed fox, she has spoken for Tails since 2014.
The upcoming movie, due in theaters on April 8, 2022, continues the adventures of its titular blue alien, voiced again by Ben Schwartz, and his human friend, Tom (James Marsden), while evading the villainous Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey). They will be joined by the video game character Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba. This week also saw the release of the sequel’s first full trailer, which you can watch below.
