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Stars: Evyn Flanders, Stefanie Estes, Molly Kunz, Colleen Camp, Michael X. Sommers, Claire Saunders | Written and Directed by Gordon Shoemaker Foxwood

Wild Eyed and Wicked opens with a young girl named Lily (Evyn Flanders; Brave the Dark), hearing a noise outside in the dark and, picking up a sword and shield, goes to investigate. Silvia her mother tells her to get inside, which she ignores. As a result, she gets to witness her mother put a gun to her head and pull the trigger.

The now-grown Lily wakes from seeing her mother’s death in a nightmare and heads off to give fencing lessons before having a session with Genevieve, her therapist, about the nightmares and her anxiety concerning her estranged father Greg contacting her as the anniversary of that night approaches.

We also know something else is going on because, as she takes a picture of her girlfriend Willow a clawed hand briefly appears.

"Lion-Girl" is a new Japanese-produced live-action science fiction feature, filmed in Los Angeles by director Kurnado Mitsutake, now streaming on AppleTV: 

"...in the year 2045, mysterious meteors bombard the Earth and usher in an age of horrific beasts known as 'Anoroc', hunting humans for life force. The Earth has one last defender against them; her name is 'Lion-Girl'..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Stars: Tori Griffith, Tomoki Kimura, Derek Mears, Damian Toofeek Raven, Joey Iwanaga, Matt Standley, Shelby Lee Parks, Stefanie Estes | Written and Directed by Kurando Mitsutake

Lion-Girl was written and directed by Kurando Mitsutake based on characters created by famed manga author and artist Go-Nagai who also created Devilman, Cutie Honey and Mazinger Z among others and produced by Toei Video. If that sounds like a recipe for a whole lot of weirdness, then you’re right.

The film opens in a Tokyo bathhouse with several nude people staring at a young woman named Botan. After, she refuses to be scared by their threats, they begin to transform. They sprout horns and fangs, their faces become brightly coloured kabuki masks as they snarl in anger. A glowing tattoo appears on her back as she turns to face them.

At which point Lion-Girl goes into exposition mode as the viewer learns how...

"Anoroc are the true enemy of humankind!" Cleopatra Ent. has revealed the official US trailer for an indie sci-fi action film titled Lion-Girl, made by Japanese genre filmmaker Kurando Mitsutake. This premiered at Australia's Fantastic Film Festival earlier in the year, and it's landing on VOD & Br to watch in November. It was shot entirely in Los Angeles during the height of the Covid lockdown. Based on characters created by Japanese manga legend Go Nagai. "Thought you had enough superhero movies? Think again." In the year 20Xx, mysterious meteors bombard the Earth, starting an age of horrific beasts known as 'Anoroc', hunting and killing humans for their life force. The Earth has one last defender against them; her name is 'Lion-Girl'. Here we go! Get ready to meet your next favorite hero! The film stars Derek Mears, Tori Griffith, Damian TooFeek Raven, David Sakurai, Shelby Lee Parks, Matt Standley, Joey Iwanaga.

Not every TV and film production will stop amid dual strikes by SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America. A host of projects stopped work after writers went on strike against media companies for better pay, streaming data transparency and protections against artificial intelligence (among other issues), and many more have paused since actors walked out on July 14.

There are exceptions, however. SAG-AFTRA’s strike rules allow for work on productions covered under different agreements, and the union can grant waivers or sign interim agreements with independent productions. Below is a list of TV shows and films that fall under those designations; this story will be updated as more productions earn waivers.

Interim Agreements

SAG-AFTRA has reached interim agreements with numerous independent productions, including movies from A24 (Death of a Unicorn, starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, and Mother Mary with Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel) — which is not part...

Cleopatra Entertainment has secured the North American and U.K. distribution rights for Japanese superhero film “Lion-Girl.”

The film is written and directed by cult Japanese director Mitsutake Kurando (“Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf”) and based on characters created by prolific manga artist Go Nagai. The story revolves around survivors of a meteor shower who find themselves locked in a battle against each other and a group of creatures called Anoroc, monsters who hunt and kill humans to extract their life force.

The cast includes Tori Griffith as the titular Lion-Girl, Derek Mears, known for his roles in comic book adaptations such as The CW’s “Swamp Thing” series, Damian TooFeek Raven (“The Chadwick Journals”), David Sakurai (“Fantastic Beasts”), Shelby Lee Parks (“Good Trouble”), Matt Standley (“Fairyland”), and Joey Iwanaga (“Enter the Fat Dragon”).

Shot entirely in Los Angeles during the height of the Covid-19 lockdown, the film was produced in collaboration with Toei Video.