PARAMOUNT Pictures has released the first trailer for Clifford the Big Red Dog, which brings the classic book character to life on the big screen for the first time.

Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zH5iYM4wJo

Clifford the Big Red Dog is based on the Scholastic book series of the same name by Norman Bridwell.

In the original books, Clifford’s big size wasn’t the product of a strange chemical accident or a genetic abnormality he literally grew to the size he became all because of the love of the little girl who owned him.

That seems to be the premise that the movie is sticking to as well based on the trailer, where Clifford’s new owner Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) finds herself the recipient of bullying and makes a wish on her new dog to grow big and strong. When she wakes up the next morning, Clifford is now a big red pup, and of course, wacky antics and adventures ensue.

In addition to Camp, the film stars Jack Whitehall, Tony Hale, Sienna Guillory, David Alan Grier, Russell Wong, and John Cleese.

Directed by Walt Becker with screenplay by Jay Scherick & David Ronn and Blaise Hemingway and screen story by Justin Malen and Ellen Rapoport.

The film is produced by Jordan Kerner, p.g.a., and Iole Lucchese, with executive producers Brian Oliver, Bradley J. Fischer, Valerii An, Brian Bell, Caitlin Friedman, Deborah Forte, and Lisa Crnic.

Here’s the official synopsis for Clifford the Big Red Dog: When middle-schooler Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) meets a magical animal rescuer (John Cleese) who gifts her a little, red puppy, she never anticipated waking up to find a giant ten-foot hound in her small New York City apartment.

While her single mom (Sienna Guillory) is away for business, Emily and her fun but impulsive uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) set out on an adventure that will keep you on the edge-of-your-seat as our heroes take a bite out of the Big Apple.

Based on the beloved Scholastic book character, Clifford will teach the world how to love big!

Clifford the Big Red Dog will officially be coming to theaters on September 17. (source: collider.com)

(ROHN ROMULO)

DIRECTOR David F. Sandberg has shared an update on the production status of Shazam! Fury of the Gods.  

Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, Sandberg’s first Shazam! movie came out in 2019, becoming an instant hit among audiences thanks to its entertaining blend of humor and heart.

The movie chronicled the tale of troubled orphan Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who, after a run-in with an ancient wizard’s staff, develops the ability to transform into an adult superhero, played by Zachary Levi. At the box-office Shazam! grossed a worldwide total of $366 million against a production budget of $80-100 million, thereby becoming a bonafide commercial success for DC and Warner Bros. Impressed by this performance, a sequel was put into development soon after. However, it’s taking some time to arrive.

When the Shazam! Sequel was announced, the film was allotted a premiere date of April 1, 2022. But then, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the US, delaying the launch of the follow-up multiple times.

The movie has since been scheduled to release on June 2, 2023, a full 4 years after the original film’s release. There is plenty of time before the movie premieres in theaters, but Shazam! 2 started production in May 2021.

The reason for that is Sandberg wants to finish work on the film as soon as possible, as otherwise, he fears, the young cast members would be too grown up to portray their parts convincingly. Until recently, there was no news on how much progress Shazam! 2 has made since it began filming. But now, Sandberg has offered an update on the production status.

Sandberg posted a picture of the Shazam! logo to Instagram, revealing that he was done with the 27th day of filming for Shazam! 2. But at the same time, he added that there was more to go, as the film is more time-consuming than other features.

Sandberg also referenced his past projects, including Lights Out and Annabelle Creation, in his post, suggesting how those movies took reasonably less time to complete. But with Shazam! 2, the filming process is as if the two movies have been put together.

As Shazam! 2 continues filming, fans are getting closer and closer to witnessing what the movie will actually look like. Of course, it’s already known that Levi, along with the film’s other superheroes, are all getting costume upgrades, and that top-rated actresses Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu have been finalized to play Hespera and Kalypso respectively, two of the film’s three main villainous sisters. But plot details for the new movie are still slim. Presumably, Sandberg wants to keep those details under wraps until the marketing phase kicks off. Until then, fans can savor the exciting barrage of updates that’s been set loose from the film’s shooting locations. This includes unofficial looks at the heroes and villains from the sets, as well as baffling teasers and spoilers from the director himself.

With Sandberg’s latest social media post, it’s been confirmed that Shazam! 2 is already halfway through filming.

The original Shazam! took about four months to wrap up production, so by that principle and considering the current production status of the movie, filming on Shazam! Fury of the Gods should be just about complete by mid-August. Still, fans shouldn’t expect an official look at the film anytime soon since its release is quite far away, and the DCEU also has several other projects in the pipeline that it would logically want to take care of first.  (source: screenrant.com)

(ROHN ROMULO)