Renee Zellweger Takes on the Legend Behind the Rainbow

Truth be told I don't know Judy Garland from much more than starring in director Victor Fleming's classic 1939 musical adaptation of author L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. But all the same, starring as Dorothy Gale from the original The Wizard of Oz is one hell of a film to headline your resume, am I right? Right. And it's with this in mind we want to share the new trailer for her upcoming biography movie Judy starring Renée Zellweger, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon, and Finn Wittrock.

For those of you out there, like me, that aren't well versed in the stardom of Judy Garland, she has a solid filmography separate from The Wizard of Oz. Some of these films include Vincente Minnelli's Meet Me in St. Louis, Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg, and director George Cukor's 1954 remake of A Star Is Born. Garland was nominated for Best Actress at the 27th Academy Awards for her role in that flick. Also on an interesting side note, Garland is the mother of Arrested Development and Cabaret star Liza Minnelli.

Related: Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland Revealed, Biopic Begins Shooting

Anyhow, this new film is an adaptation of Peter Quilter's Tony-nominated Broadway play End of the Rainbow and takes place 30 years after The Wizard of Oz. It tells the tale of the showbiz legend arriving in London to perform a five-week sold-out run at The Talk of the Town back in the Winter of 1968. Featuring some of Garland's best-known songs, Judy aims to celebrate the sheer pizzazz of one of the world's greatest entertainers.

On top of the above-mentioned Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones's Diary, Cold Mountain) as the titular Judy Garland, this movie features Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and The Man in the High Castle star Rufus Sewell as Sidney Luft.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 and Kingsman: The Golden Circle's Michael Gambon joins them as Bernard Delfont along with American Horror Story: Freak Show and If Beale Street Could Talk breakout, Finn Wittrock as Mickey Deans. I'm Thinking of Ending Things and Chernobyl actress Jessie Buckley joins them as Rosalyn Wilder, along with Bella Ramsey as Lorna Luft, John Dagleish as Lonnie Donegan, and Gemma-Leah Devereux as Liza Minnelli. On top of that killer cast, Royce Pierreson also stars as Burt along with Arthur McBain as Askith, and David Rubin as Noel.

Rupert Goold takes the helm of this biopic from a screenplay written by Tom Edge based on End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter. David Livingston produces Judy along with Cameron McCracken, Andrea Scarso, Lee Dean, and Jim Spencer. Gabriel Yared provides this flick with its music while Ole Bratt Birkeland handles cinematography, and Melanie Ann Oliver edits it all together. BBC Films and Calamity Films are the production companies behind the scenes of this new movie which Roadside Attractions will distribute here in the United States on September 27, 2019, and Pathé will release in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2019. This new trailer comes to us from RoadsideFlix over on YouTube.

Topics: Judy

Writer for Arrow In the Head, Dread Central and Movieweb.

Renee Zellweger Takes on the Legend Behind the Rainbow

Independence Day Director Takes on World War II

Lionsgate has released the first trailer for their upcoming World War II epic, Midway. As the title indicates, this will be documenting one of the most important battles of the war, and one that helped turn the tide following the devastating events of Pearl Harbor. This comes from the mind of Roland Emmerich, the man best known for bringing us Independence Day in the 90s. But it's been a long time since he's delivered a hit like that. Is it possible this can be the thing that turns the tide for his career again as well?

Like other Roland Emmerich movies, this trailer presents us with something that is going to be absolutely loaded down with CGI-heavy action. It kicks off with the battle of Pearl Harbor and how the U.S. dealt with the aftermath. We see a lot of Patrick Wilson's character, who is clearly dealing with the failure of that on the intelligence side. It all looks very big and slick. Almost the polar opposite of something like Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. Whether or not that's good or bad will depend on one's personal sensibilities as a moviegoer.

The movie comes loaded down with starpower. The cast includes Ed Skrein, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Luke Kleintank, Jun Kunimura, Darren Criss, Keean Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid and Woody Harrelson. This is the first movie Roland Emmerich has directed since the disastrous Independence Day: Resurgence. In a recent interview with USA Today, the filmmaker explained what we can expect from his latest.

"It shows an America that's not the superpower, a country that just came out of a big recession and tried to stay out of a war but got sucked into it. It was a simpler time, but it also was a time where you had to put your life in danger for ideals."

Midway centers on the infamous and important Battle of Midway. The 1942 conflict between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy marked a pivotal turning point in WWII, specifically in what was known as the Pacific Theater. The movie, which is based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the tale of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome overwhelming odds. Wes Tooke (Colony) penned the screenplay.

This particular battle was previously dramatized on screen in director Jack Smight's 1976 Midway, which starred Henry Fonda. That particular movie was met with a mixed response upon its arrival. Lionsgate can't afford another box office flop and this is certainly an expensive blockbuster. They need this to connect with audiences and that's something Roland Emmerich hasn't managed to do for the better part of a decade. Midway is set to arrive in theaters on November 8. Be sure to check out the trailer for yourself from the Lionsgate Movies YouTube channel.

Topics: Midway

Writer of various things on the internet (mostly about movies) since 2013. Major lover of popcorn flicks. Avid appreciator of James Bond, Marvel and Star Wars. Has a tremendously fat cat named Buster and still buys CDs. I’ve got my reasons.

Independence Day Director Takes on World War II