FOLLOWING FILMS

New Line Cinema is once again stepping into the arena, and this time, the stakes for Earthrealm have never been higher. Mortal Kombat II , the follow-up to Simon McQuoid’s 2021 reboot, arrives in theaters and IMAX® in May 2026, promising an even bolder, bloodier, and more lore-rich entry in the long-running video game adaptation saga. McQuoid returns to the director’s chair with a renewed confidence and a stacked creative team, adapting a screenplay by Jeremy Slater ( Moon Knight ) based on Ed Boon and John Tobias’s legendary fighting game series. Where the first film teased a tournament that never came, this sequel dives headfirst into the chaos, and the cast list alone hints at how massive this confrontation will be. Johnny Cage Enters the Fight The loudest cheer from fans may be for the arrival of Johnny Cage, played by Karl Urban. Known for his intensity in The Boys and Dredd , Urban brings his signature grit (and surprising comedic chops) to the brash Hollywood martial artist....

Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon share the screen for the first time in two decades in THE BEST YOU CAN, a new feature written and directed by Michael J. Weithorn. Described as a sharp, touching, and comedic look at personal change and unexpected connection, the film brings the pair together in a character-driven story centered on the moments that unsettle us and the people who help us through them. The cast also includes Judd Hirsch, Brittany O’Grady, and Olivia Luccardi, rounding out an ensemble that supports the film’s focus on relationships and self-discovery. Cinematography is by Andrew Wonder, with editing by Tricia Holmes. Executive producers on the project include Greg Clark, Zach Garrett, Judd Hirsch, Gretchen McGowan, Cindy Ambers, Cora Olson, and David L. Schiff. Positioned as both humorous and heartfelt, THE BEST YOU CAN highlights the idea that meaningful understanding often comes from people we least expect. The project marks a notable on-screen reunion for Sedgwick and ...

HBO has officially renewed its breakout crime drama TASK for a second season, continuing its partnership with creator Brad Ingelsby, the Emmy-nominated writer behind Mare of Easttown. The announcement came directly from Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content, during a press event in New York City. Produced in association with wiip, TASK quickly became one of HBO’s most talked-about original series of the year, with all Season 1 episodes now streaming on HBO Max. Since its debut, TASK has surged in viewership, becoming one of HBO’s top three fastest-growing first seasons. Critics across major outlets have praised the series for its taut writing, atmospheric direction, and powerhouse performances. GQ dubbed it “the show of the year,” Entertainment Weekly highlighted its “phenomenal cast,” and The Wall Street Journal celebrated it as “one of the year's best crime thrillers.” This strong critical reception, combined with passionate audience engagement, virtually guara...

HBO has officially renewed its two biggest new comedy hits, The Chair Company and I Love LA, following a standout presentation in New York City where Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content, confirmed both series will return for second seasons. The renewals come as no surprise: The Chair Company, created by Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin, is now HBO’s top-performing freshman comedy of all time, averaging 3.3 million U.S. cross-platform viewers (L+3). Meanwhile, Rachel Sennott’s I Love LA has become the platform’s second biggest freshman comedy, drawing nearly 2 million viewers and rapidly building momentum. Amy Gravitt, HBO’s EVP of Programming and Head of Comedy, praised the success of both shows, noting how each “confidently carries on the HBO comedy tradition” in its own unique voice. Critics have embraced both series with unusually enthusiastic reviews. The Chair Company currently boasts a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and has been celebrated as “absurdly funny” ...

Welcome to another episode of The Following Films Podcast. Today, I’m thrilled to be joined once again by director Simon Cellan Jones. If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll remember our fantastic conversation around his film Arthur the King — and I’ve been eager to have him back on ever since. Simon returns at a particularly exciting moment in his career. His highly anticipated new project, The Family Plan 2, starring Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan, will be hitting Apple TV+ on November 21st. We’ll be diving into the making of the film, revisiting his experience on Arthur the King, and exploring how his storytelling continues to evolve across such varied and ambitious projects. I’m genuinely grateful to have him back on the show — so without further ado, here is my conversation with Simon Cellan Jones.

 THE BLUES BROTHERS: THE ESCAPE OF JOLIET JAKE is a bold and deeply affectionate continuation of the Blues Brothers legacy. Forged from a collaboration between Dan Aykroyd’s family and the estate of John Belushi, this graphic novel seeks to pick up where the classic 1980 film left off, while honoring the irreverent spirit, frenetic energy, and soulful heart that made the original such a beloved cultural touchstone. The result is both a nostalgic homage and a fresh creative chapter, a story that leans on its roots while daring to ask: what happens next for Jake and Elwood after their wild ride through Chicago? The narrative begins by revisiting the end of the original film: Jake “Joliet” Blues and his brother Elwood are jailed after their “mission from God” to save their childhood orphanage ends in arrest. From there, the graphic novel fast-forwards, exploring how the two brothers deal with confinement, legacy, and the restless pull of the blues. Rather than merely rehashing th...

Splitsville is the kind of relationship comedy that refuses to cushion the viewer with predictable lessons or moral clarity. Instead, it embraces the tangled and often contradictory emotions that arise when people try to live by ideals they don’t fully understand. Directed by Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin, who also star, the film blends cringe humor, raw confession, and emotional chaos into a story that feels simultaneously absurd and painfully familiar. Rather than aiming for a tidy romantic arc, it leans into the reality that love in 2025 is frequently messy, self-contradictory, and full of poorly timed revelations. The story follows two couples who are closely connected and increasingly entangled. Carey, played by Marvin, and Ashley, portrayed with aching vulnerability by Adria Arjona, are a married pair trying to recover from a recent trauma that neither of them can articulate without stumbling. Their communication has become hesitant, and the sense of partnership that once...

New Line Cinema’s The Conjuring: Last Rites is officially heading to streaming, with Warner Bros. Pictures confirming that the record-breaking horror film will make its global streaming debut exclusively on HBO Max on Friday, November 21. The movie will also premiere on HBO linear on Saturday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET, giving fans two ways to experience the terrifying final chapter of the Conjuring saga. The highly anticipated film stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, who reprise their iconic roles as real-life paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren for their final case. The cast also includes Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy, Tony Spera, Steve Coulter, Rebecca Calder, Elliot Cowan, Beau Gadsdon, Kíla Lord Cassidy, John Brotherton, and Shannon Kook.

Justin Tipping’s HIM is a genre hybrid that merges sports drama, psychological thriller, and stylized horror into one disorienting, fever-dream narrative about ambition, identity, and the cost of greatness. Produced by Monkeypaw, the film embraces an operatic sense of dread, pairing football mythology with ritualistic imagery to create something that feels both familiar and deeply uncanny. Whether every choice lands will vary by viewer, but its aesthetic boldness and thematic ambition make it an undeniably distinctive entry in contemporary horror storytelling. At the heart of the film is Cameron Cade, a young quarterback whose trajectory appears predetermined; he’s the type of athlete scouts whisper about, the kind fans attach their dreams to. That dream collapses when Cameron is violently attacked by a stranger, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury just before the scouting combine. The attack is staged with unsettling intimacy: lingering camera movement, muffled sound, and sudden...