Skip to main content

Film

Cinema isn’t just about the latest Disney/Pixar project or Star Wars spin-off. Memorable storytelling is happening all over the film industry, from Hollywood’s box-office-busting superhero smashes to small, innovative indie experiments. The Verge’s film section is here to help you sort through the latest Hollywood news and reviews, from favorite genres like sci-fi, fantasy, and horror to the independent movies that matter.

Bespoke AI models are the next big thing in filmmaking

Ben Affleck’s AI startup, recently purchased by Netflix for around $600 million, has a different approach to gen AI.

Charles Pulliam-Moore
E
Elizabeth Lopatto
Ben McKenzie has a new crypto documentary.

Apparently he wasn’t satisfied with just the book. Sort of a shame McKenzie couldn’t release it on April 1, don’t you agree?

A
Youtube
Andrew Webster
It’s Mario Day’s eve.

So here’s a lengthy trailer for the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which includes a dramatic rendition of Mario saying “mama mia” and a surprising amount of action. More importantly is the news that Yoshi will be voiced by Donald Glover. The movie hits theaters on April 1st.

The AI Doc is an overwrought hype piece for doomers and accelerationists alike

Focus Features’ new documentary about gen AI suffers from having too much access and not enough thought.

Charles Pulliam-Moore
J
Youtube
Jay Peters
Get over here… again.

Warner Bros. just released a new trailer for Mortal Kombat II, which is punching its way into theaters on May 8th after it was delayed from a planned October 2025 debut. The first movie was dumb and fine, and it seems like this one will be more of all that.

C
Youtube
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Jane Schoenbrun’s getting campy with it.

I Saw the TV Glow writer / director Jane Schoenbrun is back with Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, a horror about a director (Hannah Einbinder) becoming strangely entangled with her lead actress (Gillian Anderson) as the two work on the reboot of a long-dead slasher franchise. The film’s out August 7th.

C
External Link
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Get in the new robot, Shinji.

A new Evangelion anime series directed by Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX’s Kazuya Tsurumaki and written by NieR creator Yoko Taro is in the works. So far, no other details about the project have been announced.

C
External Link
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Disney wouldn’t let Tony Gilroy say “fascism.”

Now that Andor has come to end, series creator Tony Gilroy is free to speak more openly about what it was like working for Disney, and in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter he says that the studio was very insistent on him not using the word “fascism” while talking about his show focused on fighting fascism.

C
Youtube
Charles Pulliam-Moore
I Am Frankelda is coming to Netflix

I Am Frankelda co-writer / directors Arturo and Roy Ambriz’s stop motion dark fantasy film about a girl with a strange connection to another dimension — has been acquired by Netflix and is slated to debut on the streamer sometime later this year.

C
Youtube
Charles Pulliam-Moore
The Gorillaz are going back to the mountain.

Ahead of the debut of The Gorillaz’s new album The Mountain, the animated band has dropped a teaser video that makes it seem like there might also be a short film situation on the way.

A
Youtube
Andrew Webster
A closer look at Toy Story’s evil tablet.

We already knew that the threat in Toy Story 5 would be a fresh piece of technology voiced by Greta Lee, and the latest trailer shows a bit more of the adorably creepy Lilypad, which is “always listening.” I guess I know what fictional gadget I’m reviewing next.

C
Youtube
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Put a hat on that baby.

The latest trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu really highlights how very, very young Grogu still is for one of Yoda’s species, which makes it seem that much more absurd that Din Djarin still hasn’t found his son a helmet to protect that (presumably) soft head.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is a rollicking parable about this moment in tech

Gore Verbinski’s latest film gets at the heart of everything that makes society feel poisoned about the big push for AI.

Charles Pulliam-Moore
J
External Link
Jay Peters
Jason Momoa will star in Sony’s Helldivers movie.

The film is set to debut on November 10th, 2027, with Justin Lin directing, Deadline reports. Momoa is also starring in October’s Street Fighter movie and was part of the cast of A Minecraft Movie, which is getting a sequel in July 2027.

S
External Link
Stevie Bonifield
The Mummy 4 lands its official release date for May 19, 2028.

The Mummy franchise will rise from its tomb 29 years after the 1999 original starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz arrived in theaters, Variety reports. Fraser and Weisz will be reuniting for The Mummy 4, along with producer Sean Daniel, but the film’s plot remains a mystery.

T
Youtube
Terrence O'Brien
A space crab made of rocks would die for Ryan Gosling in the final Project Hail Mary trailer.

The adaptation of Andy Weir’s best-selling novel is hitting theaters on March 20th. But, before that, we’re getting our clearest look yet at Rocky, the alien that befriends Gosling’s Ryland Grace. This trailer really ramps up the drama and… wait, why is Grace teaching Rocky to dance?

T
Youtube
Terrence O'Brien
MST3K is coming back. Again.

Instead of Jonah Ray, Mike Nelson (from the show’s original run) will be donning the jumpsuit. Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett will also be reprising their roles as Servo and Crow. The focus of MST3K: The RiffTrax Experiments will be on “classic bad” movies and it’s already blown past its Kickstarter goal.

C
The Verge
Charles Pulliam-Moore
It’s time to go to Jupiter.

Now that Boys Go to Jupiter is streaming on HBO Max, you should check out our interview with writer / director Julian Glander about the movie and why he feels that open-source software programs like Blender are doing way more to “democratize” art than generative AI.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

A
Youtube
Andrew Webster
Just follow the rules.

Earlier this week Neon confirmed that the live-action adaptation of Exit 8 would hit theaters in April, and now we have a new trailer that shows off its creepy world and very strict set of rules.

A
Andrew Liszewski
This 830-piece Project Hail Mary set comes with our first Ryan Gosling Lego figure.

It seems fitting that the latest film from the directors of 2014’s The Lego Movie is also getting its own set. Available for preorder today for $99.99 and shipping on March 1st, Lego’s Project Hail Mary set features a spaceship with a rotating crew module and minifigure versions of Ryland Grace (Gosling) and the alien Rocky.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

<em>The set’s display stand features a crank that rotates the spaceship’s crew module, simulating its centrifugal gravity system.</em>
<em>The two minifigures include Gosling’s character Ryland Grace in a spacesuit.</em>
<em>The set stands 12-inches tall when assembled.</em>
1/3
The set’s display stand features a crank that rotates the spaceship’s crew module, simulating its centrifugal gravity system.
Image: Lego
C
Youtube
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Hold for Undertone.

The latest trailer for A24’s podcast-focused horror film Undertone is big on unsettling vibes, but the cascade of creepy recordings driving its main character to her wits’ end make it seem like she just needs to log off and get out of the house a little more.

A
The Verge
Andrew Webster
Exit 8 in April.

After making the festival rounds last year, Exit 8 — an adaptation of the cult hit horror game — is finally hitting theaters in the US on April 10th. In the meantime, check out my interview with director Genki Kawamura, who said his goal was “to create a new cinematic experience that blurs the lines between video game and cinema.”

T
Terrence O'Brien
Looks like Melania is getting reverse review bombed on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sorry if we don’t believe your “theater was sold out and erupted in applause and cheers.” Wired reviewed 1,398 Melania showings on Fandango and found only two were sold out. Critics’ scores are in the toilet. But we’re expected to believe that with over 100 “verified ratings,” it’s got a 98 percent on the Popcornmeter? Sure.

The small film that answers the big questions

Director Hlynur Pálmason wanted to make a new family film. So in The Love That Remains, he featured some of his own.

Robyn Kanner
A
External Link
Andrew Webster
Ch-Ch-Ch... Chia?

IP-licensing is truly out of control, as the film and TV rights for the terracotta pets that were popular in the ‘80s have now been acquired. What’s next, a movie based on The Clapper?