NEW MOVIES: Dec 19-25, 2024, “Mufasa: The Lion King,” “Sonic the Hedghog 3,” “Homestead,” “The Brutalist”

MUFASA: THE LION KING

MUFASA: THE LION KING

Mufasa: The Lion King is a 2024 American musical drama film directed by Barry Jenkins from a screenplay written by Jeff Nathanson. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, the film is photorealistically animated, and both a prequel and sequel to the 2019 remake of the 1994 film The Lion King.^[4] Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Kani, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reprise their roles from the remake; new cast members include Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, and Blue Ivy Carter in her feature film debut.^[5]

Development on a prequel to The Lion King was confirmed in September 2020, with Jenkins attached to direct and Nathanson finishing a draft of the script. Pierre and Harrison Jr. were announced as the voice cast in August 2021, followed by further casting between September 2022 and April 2024. The film was officially announced when its official title was revealed in September 2022 at the 2022 D23 Expo announcement. Production on the film slowed down in July 2023 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The film is dedicated to the memory of James Earl Jones, the original voice of Mufasa from the original 1994 film and 2019 remake, who died on September 9, 2024.^[6][7]

Mufasa: The Lion King premiered on December 9, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and is scheduled to be released in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on December 20, 2024.^[8] The film received mixed reviews from critics, though many deemed it an improvement over its predecessor.

In the Pride Lands of Tanzania after the events of The Lion King (2019), Rafiki the mandrill tells the origin story of two lions, Mufasa and Taka, to Kiara—the granddaughter of Mufasa and daughter of Simba and Nala. The story follows the orphan Mufasa, who is befriended by the young prince Taka and adopted by Taka’s family; the pair become as close as brothers. Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog add color commentary.^[9]

• Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, a lion who grows up to become the future king of the Pride Lands and the father of Simba.
  • Braelyn and Brielle Rankins voice Mufasa as a cub
• Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, a lion who later becomes known as Scar. He is a young prince and adoptive brother of Mufasa, and the son of Eshe and Obasi.
  • Theo Somolu voices Taka as a cub
• John Kani as Rafiki, a wise mandrill who serves as the shaman of the Pride Lands, and a close friend of Mufasa’s, telling his story with Kiara, Timon, and Pumbaa.
  • Kagiso Lediga as young Rafiki
• Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, a good-humored warthog who befriended Simba when he was a cub.
• Billy Eichner as Timon, a wise-cracking meerkat who befriended Simba when he was a cub.
• Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, a lioness who befriended Mufasa, Taka, Rafiki, and Zazu, and would grow up to become the future queen of the Pride Lands and the mother of Simba.
• Donald Glover as Simba, the current king of Pride Rock and Mufasa’s son.
• Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, the formidable leader of a pride of white lions known as “The Outsiders” with impactful plans who seeks revenge on Mufasa for murdering his son.
• Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, Taka’s mother, Mufasa’s adoptive mother, and Obasi’s mate.
• Lennie James as Obasi, Taka’s father, Mufasa’s adoptive father, Eshe’s mate, and the leader of his pride.
• Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, Simba and Nala’s daughter, Mufasa and Sarabi’s granddaughter and the cub princess of the Pride Lands.
• Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Simba’s mate, the queen of the Pride Lands, and Mufasa and Sarabi’s daughter-in-law.
• Preston Nyman as Zazu, a young hornbill and the future majordomo to the King of the Pride Lands who is Sarabi’s scout.
• Anika Noni Rose as Afia, Mufasa’s biological mother.
• Keith David as Masego, Mufasa’s biological father.
• Joanna Jones as Akua, a white lioness member of the Outsiders, and Kiros’ sister.
• Folake Olowofoyeku as Amara, another white lioness member of the Outsiders and Kiros’ second sister.
• Thuso Mbedu as Junia, a baboon who is friend of Rafiki.
• Sheila Atim as Ajarry
• Abdul Salis as Chigaru, Taka’s uncle, Mufasa’s adoptive uncle, Obasi’s brother, and the member of Obasi’s pride.
• Derrick L. McMillon as Mosi
• Maestro Harrell as Inaki
• A.J. Beckles as Azibo
• David S. Lee as Mobo
• Dominique Jennings as Sarafina, Nala’s mother, and a friend of Sarabi.

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SONIC THE HEDGHOG 3

SONIC THE HEDGHOG 3

Sonic the Hedgehog 3^[b] is a 2024 action-adventure comedy film based on the video game series published by Sega. The sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022), it was directed by Jeff Fowler from a screenplay by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington, based on a story by Casey and Miller. Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Idris Elba reprise their roles, with Krysten Ritter and Keanu Reeves joining the cast. In the film, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles ally with Dr. Robotnik to defeat a new enemy, Shadow the Hedgehog.

Plans for a third Sonic the Hedgehog film were announced in February 2022 during ViacomCBS‘s investor event before the release of second film. Due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, filming for animated characters began in July 2023 in Surrey, England, while filming with actors began in November of that year in London, with production concluding by March 2024. The film draws inspiration from the video games Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) and Shadow the Hedgehog (2005). Reeves was cast due to the parallels between his performance in the John Wick films and Fowler’s vision for Shadow. Many elements of Shadow’s characterization in the games were adapted for the screen in a “fan faithful” rendition.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is scheduled to be theatrically released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on December 20, 2024.

At the request of the military organization G.U.N., Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are tasked with stopping a powerful and mysterious new adversary, Shadow the Hedgehog. Unable to defeat him by themselves, the trio forms an unlikely alliance with Dr. Robotnik in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet. However, the matter is complicated when Robotnik is reunited with his long-lost grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, who has his own sinister plans.^[5]

• Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog: An anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds, and the leader of Team Sonic.^[6]
• Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Miles “Tails” Prower: An intelligent anthropomorphic yellow-orange fox who can fly with his twin-tails.^[6]
• Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna: A hot-headed and serious anthropomorphic red echidna warrior with super strength.^[6]
• Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog: An anthropomorphic red-striped black hedgehog created from a secret government program called Project Shadow.^[7] He can teleport and has extreme strength.^[8] He has lived through tragedy and seeks revenge.^[9] Fowler said once they first met, he realized Reeves “very clearly had gone and done his homework”, and that he desired to create a “fan-faithful” rendition of the character.^[10]

• Jim Carrey as:
  • Dr. Ivo Robotnik, a mad scientist and Sonic’s arch-nemesis whom he often refers to as “Eggman”.^[6]
  • Gerald Robotnik, Ivo’s grandfather and Shadow’s creator.^[11][12] Carrey said an intrinsic difference between Gerald and Ivo was that Gerald was from an older, tougher generation, describing him as tough as “the rock that he crawled out from under”.^[13]
• James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, the adoptive father of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and the sheriff of Green Hills, Montana.^[6]
• Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski, Tom’s wife, the adoptive mother of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and the local veterinarian of Green Hills.^[6]
• Krysten Ritter as Director Rockwell, a high-ranking officer of the military organization Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.).^[14]
• Natasha Rothwell as Rachel, Maddie’s sister.^[15]
• Shemar Moore as Randall Handel, Rachel’s husband who is an agent for G.U.N.^[15]
• Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone, Ivo Robotnik’s assistant.^[6]
• Tom Butler as Commander Walters, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who is the leader of G.U.N.^[6]
• Adam Pally as Wade Whipple, the deputy sheriff of Green Hills.^[16]
• Alyla Browne as Maria Robotnik,^[17] a girl who becomes a close friend to Shadow during his time in Gerald’s lab.^[18][19]

Additionally, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernández, James Wolk, and Jorma Taccone were cast in undisclosed roles.^[6]

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HOMESTEAD

HOMESTEAD

Homestead is an upcoming American post-apocalyptic drama film directed by Ben Smallbone and written by Phillip Abraham, Leah Bateman and Jason Ross. It stars Neal McDonough, Dawn Olivieri, Currie Graham, Susan Misner, Bailey Chase, Jesse Hutch, Kevin Lawson, Kearran Giovanni, Tyler Lofton, Olivia Sanabia, Grace Powell and Caden Dragomer. It is based on the book Black Autumn by Jeff Kirkham and Jason Ross.

The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 20, 2024.

• Neal McDonough as Ian Ross
• Dawn Olivieri as Jenna Ross
• Currie Graham as Blake Masterson
• Susan Misner
• Bailey Chase as Jeff Eriksson
• Jesse Hutch as Evan Lee
• Kevin Lawson as Tick
• Kearran Giovanni as Tara Eriksson
• Tyler Lofton as Abe Eriksson
• Olivia Sanabia as Claire Ross
• Grace Powell as Gracie Eriksson
• Susan Misner as Evie McNulty
• Caden Dragomer as Theo McNulty
• Jarrett LeMaster as Rick Baumgartner

In January 2024, Angel Studios announced that a post-apocalyptic drama film titled Homestead had completed filming with Ben Smallbone directing, and Phillip Abraham, Leah Bateman and Jason Ross writing the screenplay. Neal McDonough, Dawn Olivieri, Currie Graham, Susan Misner, Bailey Chase, Jesse Hutch, Kevin Lawson, Kearran Giovanni, Tyler Lofton, Olivia Sanabia, Grace Powell and Caden Dragomer round out the main cast.^[1]

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THE BRUTALIST

THE BRUTALIST

The Brutalist is a 2024 epic^[5] historical drama film directed and produced by Brady Corbet from a script he co-wrote with Mona Fastvold. An international co-production between the United States, United Kingdom, and Hungary, it stars Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankolé, and Alessandro Nivola. It follows the life of László Tóth, a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and emigrates to the United States, where he struggles to achieve the American Dream until a wealthy client changes his life.

The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024, where Corbet was awarded the Silver Lion for Best Direction.^[6] It received critical acclaim and was named one of the top ten films of 2024 by the American Film Institute.^[7] It received seven nominations at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, including nominations for Brody, Jones and Pearce in the acting categories and Best Motion Picture – Drama. It is scheduled to be released in the United States by A24 on December 20, 2024, and in the United Kingdom by Universal Pictures and Focus Features on January 24, 2025.

Hungarian-Jewish architect László Tóth, forcibly separated from his wife, Erzsébet, and niece, Zsófia, in Budapest during World War II and having survived the Holocaust, manages to emigrate to America. He travels to Philadelphia, where his immigrant cousin Attila and his American wife, Audrey, allow him to stay with them while he looks for employment.

In 1947, László helps with his cousin’s furniture business, and he and Attila are commissioned to renovate the study and library of wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren by his son, Harry, as a surprise to his father while he is away on business. Harrison arrives home furious at the state of the renovations, and orders László and Attila to leave without pay for the labor and materials. Some while later, Attila regretfully asks László to leave his home after Audrey accuses him of making advances towards her.

In 1953, László greets Erzsébet and Zsófia at the train station, where he discovers that due to the conditions and traumas suffered in the war and its aftermath, Zsófia has become mute and Erzsébet has developed osteoporosis and is now a full-time wheelchair user. During construction of the center, László learns of changes to the design and materials made without his approval, and butts heads with the other developers. Though László intends to pay out of his pocket for the materials necessary to his intended vision, Harry warns him to stay in his place, saying he is merely “tolerated,” and makes unsavory sexual allusions to Zsófia, whom László warns to stay away from Harry, though he may have already assaulted her. Sometime later, the train carrying László’s materials derails and crashes, critically injuring two brakemen. With the expected legal fees and the increased cost it would take to transport the materials, Harrison abandons the construction and lays off all workers and László.

Years later, László has been employed by an architecture firm in New York City, where he and Erzsébet now live a metropolitan life. Zsófia, having overcome her muteness, is expecting a child with her new devoutly Jewish husband. She announces to her aunt and uncle that they are moving to Jerusalem in the then-newly established state of Israel, and unsuccessfully urges them to come with her. One day, Harrison contacts László to inform him that, by forgoing his community center’s library to cover legal expenses from the train crash, they can resume construction while staying on budget.

In 1980, Erzsébet has died, and an exhibition is held in Venice, paying tribute to László’s work over the years (including the community center which finally completed construction over a decade after it was halted). A now adult Zsófia gives a speech highlighting how their experience with the Holocaust inspired László works. She ends by recounting what László once told her, “No matter what the others try and sell you, it is the destination, not the journey.”

• Adrien Brody as László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor who emigrates to America
• Felicity Jones as Erzsébet Tóth, László’s wife
• Guy Pearce as Harrison Lee Van Buren, a wealthy industrialist who becomes László’s most important client
• Joe Alwyn as Harry Lee Van Buren, Harrison’s entitled and pompous young son
• Raffey Cassidy as Zsófia, László’s mute, orphaned teenage niece
  • Ariane Labed as adult Zsófia
• Stacy Martin as Maggie Van Buren, Harry’s twin sister
• Emma Laird as Audrey, Attila’s wife
• Isaach de Bankolé as Gordon, László’s friend
• Alessandro Nivola as Attila, a furniture store owner in Philadelphia and László’s cousin
• Michael Epp as Jim Simpson
• Jonathan Hyde as Leslie Woodrow
• Peter Polycarpou as Michael Hoffman
• Maria Sand as Michelle Hoffman
• Salvatore Sansone as Orazio, László’s friend in Carrara

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12/18/2024 #Mufasa:TheLionKing #SonicTheHedghog3 #Homestead #TheBrutalist