What to know
Alex Garland is quitting directing for now… This is a huge bummer. Here’s the quote: “I’m not planning to direct again in the foreseeable future. I do actually love film, but filmmaking doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It exists in a life and also in a broader context.” That’s what Alex Garland, the director of Ex Machina, Annihilation, and the underrated FX show Devs just told The Guardian. He went on to say that the immense pressure and sense of responsibility to the cast and crew “literally keeps me awake at night.” There is a small caveat here as he’s already working on his next directorial effort. He has co-written and is co-directing a movie called Warfare wWith Ray Mendoza. But after that who knows Garland has Civil War coming to theaters in under two weeks and it’s got a lot of positive buzz following its premiere at SXSW. So it’s sad to hear that he’s not interested in directing much anymore. That said, he’s always been more of a writer, having penned 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and Never Let Me Go. He’s currently writing 28 Years Later for Danny Boyle to direct. 😢
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire smashes expectations with $80 million opening weekend… This one was only supposed to open to $50M. So $80M is quite good. It turns out people like to see monsters stomping around and fighting in glorious CGI. It helped that the movie was fun. Meanwhile, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire crashed 68% in its second week, crushed under bad word of mouth. 🦍
Road House is a huge hit for Amazon… Speaking of successes, Road House got 50 million viewers in two weeks. See, Doug Liman, you had nothing to worry about. A lot of people still saw your movie. 📦
HBO orders Tim Robinson comedy pilot… No word if it also ordered 55 burgers, 55 fries, 55 tacos, 55 pies, and 55 Cokes. 🧑🏻✈️
Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman to star in War of the Roses remake… Perfect choices. 🌹
Freaky Friday 2 is really happening with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan… Freaky. 👩👧
Louis Gossett Jr. has died at 87; Original SCTV cast member Joe Flaherty has died at 82; Gen V star Chance Perdomo has died at 27
What’s new
Ripley — Apr 4 | Netflix limited drama series | Ⓜ️
Mary & George — Apr 5 | Starz limited drama series | Ⓜ️ 73
Sugar — Apr 5 | Apple mystery drama series | Ⓜ️ 70
Girls State — Apr 5 | Apple documentary film | Ⓜ️ 76
Monkey Man — Apr 5 | Action film in theaters | Ⓜ️ 71
Returning: Loot s2, AHS Delicate pt 2, Star Trek Discovery s5, Monsters at Work s2