The Hollywood trucks and the movie stars combined with some good old southern hospitality keep the slates clapping in the Crescent City. Seeing New Orleans on the big screen is a joy and the film industry agrees. With that in mind, here’s what’s buzzing for Hollywood South:
Girls Trip 2
After the hugely successful female-led screwball comedy took in a healthy amount at the box office, the Flossy Posse are in the planning stages to party it up again. BuzzFeed News reports that Regina Hall says that a sequel is in the works. She doesn’t say if the squad will be back in NOLA, but Queen Latifah says returning to the “Party With A Purpose” of Essence Fest isn’t out of the question. We don’t care where they go, we’re packing our bags to join in.
“Girls Trip” star @MoreReginaHall says the Flossy Posse is coming back for a sequel! 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/vqX1TBip0c
— AM to DM by BuzzFeed News (@AM2DM) August 17, 2018
Katrina-Era Heist Film “Cut Throat City’
Hurricane Katrina holds a special place in hearts of New Orleanians. Pain, persistence and perseverance are something many of us went through and experienced. So a movie around that time may give people pause when it’s not a documentary. RZA of Wu-Tang is using the recovery from the storm as a backdrop for his latest film “Cut Throat City.” A group of guys from the Lower Ninth Ward seek to seize the opportunity when the city is rebuilding to rake in some money. The trailer debuted at the San Diego Comic-Con and is expected to be released in 2019.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn0ZSwD0dJI[/embedyt]
New Orleans Film Festival 2018
The New Orleans Film Festival is gearing up for its 2018 bash. A VIP event is happening next week with a screening of Ethan Hawke’s film “BLAZE.” The movie will focus on the life of musician Blaze Foley – a country music singer-songwriter. But that’s just the primer. The actual festival happens in October and organizers boast that the lineup will have “the most diverse line-up” in the festival’s history. The central location for the festival hub will be in the Contemporary Arts Center. If you’re interested in Hawke’s film, you’ll need to be a member to go to the screening.
No “Billionaires Boys Club” for the film that care forgot
There’s no pity for award-winning actor Kevin Spacey after sexual misconduct allegations came to light. Spacey himself said he would seek out “evaluation and treatment.” That lack of any pity was reflected at the box office for his latest New Orleans-shot film “Billionaire Boys Club.” In the first weekend, it garnered just over $600. That’s not a typo. The film went up against “Crazy Rich Asians.” To be fair, “Crazy Rich Asians” was on a ton of more screens. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the public reception of Spacey is poor, and not many seem surprised at the return on the film with a “Rotten” rating on the film review site Rotten Tomatoes. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie didn’t even get a domestic gross. Worldwide, the film took in nearly $1.5 million.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oCY_mMvG9s[/embedyt]
“The First”
We saved “The First” for last. Hulu’s mission to Mars series “The First” was filmed in New Orleans and launches on your small screens on Sept. 14. The show will feature a team of astronauts as they become the first humans to visit the Red Planet. We’re ready for liftoff of this science-fiction series starring Sean Penn and Natascha McElhone.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GvL9quPI10[/embedyt]
