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Lovers of Yorgos Lanthimos are poor things no more, as the full trailer for his first feature in five years has debuted.

“Poor Things” opens September 8 from Searchlight Pictures and stars Emma Stone, who earned an Oscar nomination for 2018’s “The Favourite,” Lanthimos’ dark period piece written by Tony McNamara, who returns again to pen this visually sumptuous twist on the Frankenstein story.

The film centers on the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

Diablo IV’s Codex of Power Aspects are powerful upgrades players can imprint on gear items to transform character abilities in unique and interesting ways. These Aspects are a key part of character progression and builds in Diablo IV, allowing players to improve their favorite character abilities and augment them with new passive effects. However, unlocking and using them can be a tricky process.

Codex of Power Aspects can be applied to most gear items; however, imprinting Aspects on Legendary quality items will replace any existing item abilities. As of writing, there are 115 total Codex of Power Aspects, divided into Defensive, Offensive, Resource, Utility, and Mobility categories, depending on the type of passive buffs they grant. Some are class-specific, while others can be used for all classes, giving players plenty of freedom when it comes to picking and choosing Aspects for character builds.

How To Find Codex Of Power Aspects...

Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for “Sanctuary,” in theaters now.

At first glance, Zachary Wigon’s new film “Sanctuary” might seem simple — it was shot in 18 days in a 1,200 square foot room with a two-person cast, after all. But within those four walls lies a complex and wildly entertaining tale full of sex, humor, dominion and desire.

The dark comedy-thriller tells the story of Rebecca, a dominatrix played by Margaret Qualley, and the complicated power dynamic she has with her client, Hal (Christopher Abbott), who is the new heir of his father’s lucrative hotel business. Because of the confidence she’s brought Hal through her sex work, Rebecca believes she’s entitled to part of his fortune. Hal disagrees.

Over the course of one long night, “Sanctuary” layers roleplay on top of reality to blur the actuality of power. The audience is constantly questioning who is really in...

The very first iteration of Battle.net let players connect and team up in the original Diablo. Without that game and service, Blizzard might not have gained the foothold it did in the multiplayer gaming landscape. Given that tradition, It’s no surprise that Diablo 4 supports multiplayer. However, the game’s full multiplayer options are so much more substantial than anything we’ve seen in previous Diablo games.

Like its predecessors, Diablo 4 is a dungeon crawler. The goal of the game is to wander around areas infested with the undead and demons, slay everything in your path, and loot their corpses for, well, loot. Dungeon crawlers usually abide by a simple rule: more players equal more monsters, and more monsters equal more loot. If you want to get the most out of Diablo 4, you’re going to have to team up.

For better or for worse, Diablo 4 is an always-online live-service game.

The poster for Sanctuary features a blonde Margaret Qualley whispering to a mysterious Christopher Abbott. Its imagery — a seeming femme fatale, an unknowing male prey and all the imagined chaos in between — evokes the height of the cinematic erotic thriller era. But the strength, elegance and wit of Micah Bloomberg’s (TV series Homecoming) script and Zachary Wigon’s (The Heart Machine) direction is their interest in subverting your (and the characters’s) expectations at every step. In Sanctuary, Abbott plays Hal, a hotel mogul’s son and heir. He has ordered a fancy meal to a decadently opulent hotel suite where […]

The post “Music Will be a Prism That You Can See the Whole Movie Through”: Director Zachary Wigon on Story Beats, Miles Davis and His Bdsm-Themed Thriller Sanctuary first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The poster for Sanctuary features a blonde Margaret Qualley whispering to a mysterious Christopher Abbott. Its imagery — a seeming femme fatale, an unknowing male prey and all the imagined chaos in between — evokes the height of the cinematic erotic thriller era. But the strength, elegance and wit of Micah Bloomberg’s (TV series Homecoming) script and Zachary Wigon’s (The Heart Machine) direction is their interest in subverting your (and the characters’s) expectations at every step. In Sanctuary, Abbott plays Hal, a hotel mogul’s son and heir. He has ordered a fancy meal to a decadently opulent hotel suite where […]

The post “Music Will be a Prism That You Can See the Whole Movie Through”: Director Zachary Wigon on Story Beats, Miles Davis and His Bdsm-Themed Thriller Sanctuary first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Pedro Pascal is not the only actor who helps bring Din Djarin to life in The Mandalorian. On March 1, The Mandalorian season 3 premiered and saw a reunited Din and Grogu heading out on dangerous adventures throughout the galaxy. The Mandalorian season 2 ended with Din showing Grogu his face for the first time, being cast out of his covert for daring to remove his helmet as shown in The Book of Boba Fett. This saw The Mandalorian season 3 center on his redemption, meaning Pascal’s face was not revealed at all in the show’s third outing.

In Star Wars thus far, Din has only had to show his face onscreen three times, leading to questions about how often Pascal is actually wearing the Mandalorian suit of armor throughout the show. Much of The Mandalorian is action-heavy, requiring professional stunts, and a lot of Din’s dialogue is recorded separately by Pascal after shooting.

Plot: A wickedly dark comedy follows dominatrix, Rebecca (Margaret Qualley), and her wealthy client, Hal (Christopher Abbott), as they engage in a high stakes role-playing game for power and control.

Review: There’s an uncomfortability present in nearly every frame of Sanctuary. And I think that’s where so much of the appeal lies. There’s an inherit nastiness when it comes to many different power dynamics and that’s very much true here. But it’s within that nastiness where some true intrigue lies. Because, despite one of the characters paying the other an exorbitant amount of money to humiliate him, both are getting something out of this. And it’s that grey area where the film truly flourishes.

Sanctuary is about Hal ending his “relationship” with his dominatrix Rebecca. But Rebecca doesn’t take kindly to this and tries to turn Hal’s life upside down. Christopher Abbott...

In Sanctuary, a dominatrix and her wealthy client find themselves caught up in an intriguing game. Directed by Zachary Wigon (The Heart Machine) from a screenplay by Micah Bloomberg, co-creator of the Amazon Prime Video series Homecoming, the film centers around only the two players. And thankfully, Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley are more than up to the task. Abbott, who is always impressive, is terrific here as a conflicted man. And then there is Ms. Qualley who commands your attention with her mesmerizing work. It’s a fascinating film with a sharp script and two terrific leads.

Recently, I sat down to chat with Christopher and Margaret to discuss their latest. I’ve always admired the career path that Mr. Abbott has taken, and I mentioned that during the talk. He opened up about this particular role, and working with Zachary. As for Margaret, she works especially well opposite Christopher.

Christopher Abbott is in awe of Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” despite having little screen time.

Abbott, who co-stars in the female-led spin on the Frankenstein myth alongside Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, and “Sanctuary” collaborator Margaret Qualley, told The Hollywood Reporter that the teaser trailer for the upcoming film left him stunned.

“I loved it,” Abbott said of collaborating with director Lanthimos. “First of all, the set design was incredible. You can see in the teaser how wild it looks, and while it didn’t look exactly like that, I was sort of amazed by how magical the actual sets felt and how detailed they were. When I saw the teaser as well, it was even more vivid and wild than it felt on set. So it just sort of doubled itself, and it looks incredible.”

“Poor Things” centers on the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter...

Christopher Abbott has quietly become one of the more respected actors on the indie-film scene, and his latest film, Sanctuary, is yet another example why.

Written by Micah Bloomberg and directed by Zachary Wigon, Sanctuary certainly has the trappings of a contained psychological thriller, but it’s ultimately a twisted romcom about power dynamics, starring Abbott and Margaret Qualley. Abbott plays Hal Porterfield, a hotel heir who decides to end his relationship with Rebecca (Qualley), a Denver dominatrix, now that he’s taking the reins of his family’s company. However, Rebecca doesn’t react well to the news or the severance package being offered, given her role in Hal’s success.

Abbott’s characters are often put through the wringer, physically and psychologically, and the Connecticut native also isn’t afraid of humiliation on screen, something Sanctuary reaffirms when Hal is asked by Rebecca to scrub the bathroom floor in his underwear.

With “The Last Thing He Told Me,” Apple TV+ has achieved its most watched limited series ever since the streamer’s launch in 2019.

According to Nielsen data obtained by Variety, the series reached 4.5 million unique viewers in its first 31 days of streaming, beating out previous Apple limited series as well as several titles on the overall drama slate, such as “Black Bird” (2.6 million viewers) “Slow Horses” (1.9 million), “Echo” (1.4 million) and “Shining Girls” (1.3 million).

The series premiere of “The Last Thing He Told Me” reached 3.4 million viewers, becoming Apple’s most watched drama episode of the year so far. Each episode has reached over one million viewers through its first 31 days.

Additionally, “The Last Thing He Told Me” is the streamer’s No. 3 title of 2023, following only the comedy series “Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking.”

Produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and 20th Television, “The Last Thing He Told Me” stars Jennifer Garner as Hannah,...

“Fast X” (Universal) opened quite well by most standards, with $67.5 million in the U.S./Canada and $319 million worldwide. The extraordinarily long-running franchise that began in 2001 has survived cast changes (including the death of Paul Walker) and even the loss of director Justin Lin, who said he walked away from “Fast X” in favor of his mental health.

However, everyone’s prices have gone up in the last two decades, to say nothing of inflation. “Fast X” cost more than $300 million, marketing costs not included, and therein lie the problem.

While “Fast X” met studio predictions, it’s not a terrific number. “F9” in 2021 did $70 million in its initial weekend, when theaters were still affected by Covid restrictions, audiences had not returned en masse, and tickets cost at least 10 percent less. Still, considering the age of the franchise, the U.S./Canada gross isn’t the greatest concern. Worldwide is where the worries lie.

Summer is motoring along, making for the perfect pun for this week’s widest release, Universal Pictures’ “Fast X,” the 10th installment of the street racing franchise starring Vin Diesel, now into its 22nd year. Read on for the weekend box office report.

After a bit of pre-production drama in which long-time director Justin Lin vacated that post, replaced by Louis Letterier (“Now You See Me”), Diesel and his “family” returned for “Fast X” with the additions of Jason Momoa and Brie Larson, and with the majority of characters from the last nine movies still appearing in some capacity or other. Reviews for the movie were mixed at best, with just 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, the worst rating for a chapter since Diesel returned for 2009’s “Fast & Furious.”

Universal released the movie into 4,046 theaters with previews on Thursday that amounted to $7.5 million and contributed to its $28 million opening Friday. Audiences...

Although Netflix is still working its way around the Asian movies in its catalog, in terms of series the quality is quite high, with a quality in terms of production values of many of them being comparable, if not better with feature films. “Sanctuary”, which takes a look at the world of sumo, is definitely one of those films.

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The protagonist of the series is Kiyoshi Oze, a young delinquent from a broken family, which was destroyed when his father's debts forced him to close the shop, sending him into a being a traffic light attendant, and his wife, who obviously underwent some sort of shock, into prostituting. Kiyoshi was a judo champion at a teenager, but now finds himself bullying his way around life, until a proposition from Ensho, the owner of a sumo stable and the promise for...

As Sanctuary, Zachary Wigon’s twisted tale of a dominatrix and her wealthy client, opens in NY and LA, David Lancaster of producer Rumble Films recalls a speedy 18-day shoot on a custom-made set in Brownsville, Brooklyn in late summer of 2021. It was Covid, so not the easiest time for indie financing.

It world premiered in Toronto, Neon picked it up. Rumble is pretty prolific with projects including Whiplash, Night Crawler, Eye In The Sky, Drive and Donnybrook. It lost one project to a lack of pandemic insurance and more recently saw another fall away since it wouldn’t have been finished shooting by the end of June – when actor and director contracts expires and they could potentially be on strike alongside writers. “It’s a tricky world,” he said.

He’s in Cannes with eOne horror thriller Visitation by Nicolas Pesce starring Olivie Cooke and Isla Johnston that finished...

Image Source: Everett Collection

In "Sanctuary," Margaret Qualley plays a dominatrix and Christopher Abbott stars as her client - though their relationship proves to be more than just a transactional one. In the movie, which hit select theaters on May 19, Qualley and Abbott's true personas slowly emerge, revealing complex characters with an even more complicated relationship.

Abbott's character, Hal, is an insecure newly minted CEO whose story seems plucked right out of an episode of "Succession." His father, the founder of a profitable hotel company, has recently died, leaving Hal to take on the massive responsibility his domineering parent left him. But Hal is deeply insecure, though he finds some solace in his meetings with Qualley's character Rebecca, who provides him with some of the structure and control he seems to crave.

Rebecca, meanwhile, remains more of an enigma, rarely letting down her walls. But in the above exclusive clip shared with Popsugar,...

“Dominatrix rom-com” doesn’t sound like the most obvious (or light!) sub-genre, but for “Sanctuary” stars Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott, the critically acclaimed romance marks one of the most fun projects to date in their respective careers. Even better: Qualley, after stealing scenes in Oscar-winning “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and Abbott, whose breakout performance in “Girls” made him an immediate indie darling, have been trying to work together for years.

“I was so excited to work with Margaret, finally,” Abbott told IndieWire during a recent interview. “There were a few jobs we had almost done together, but I’m glad this is the one that we got to do, because we had so much to do together.”

“Sanctuary” stars Abbott as hotel heir Hal, who tries to end his psychosexual relationship with dominatrix Rebecca (Qualley) after inheriting his late father’s empire. However, Rebecca has other ideas...

BAFTA-winning “Sex Education” star Aimee Lou Wood and Oscar-nominee Matt Dillon (“Crash”) have been tapped to star as Anna and Fyodor Dostoyevsky in “The Gambler Wife,” a dark comedy about one of world literature’s most towering figures, by two-time Berlinale prize winner Małgorzata Szumowska.

“The Gambler Wife” follows the Russian novelist and his much younger, pregnant wife, Anna, as they travel to Switzerland for their honeymoon. Anna tolerates her husband’s gambling addiction, which will serve as inspiration for his burgeoning literary career. However, Fyodor’s compulsive roulette playing continues to cause problems for the couple until they are forced to return to a Russia that is not quite as they remember.

“This dark comedy explores the patriarchal, nationalistic Russian identity which keeps on waging war between the West and the East, which is as relevant today as it was two hundred years ago,” said Szumowska.

Pic is produced...

We’re three weeks into the summer movie season, and it’s looking much like previous months where only one or two movies are doing well, while all else flounders. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.

This week’s high-profile release is “Fast X,” the 10th installment of the Universal franchise that began in 2001 with “The Fast and the Furious,” a surprise hit at the time, making stars of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Both of them returned in 2009 for the fourth movie “Fast & Furious,” directed by Justin Lin, who stuck around for three movies including 2021’s “F9.”

Lin left “Fast X” as director, to be replaced by Louis Letterier but Lin’s screenplay was used for what will be the first part of the finale for the entire franchise. Originally, it was meant to be a two-part finale, but Diesel recently stated it would actually be a three-parter,...

We might as well foreground what looms large over this discussion with Sanctuary director Zachary Wigon. He has many bylines on this site. It’s easy to see the formalistic rigor of a former critic on display in his latest film, which he developed in close conjunction with screenwriter Micah Bloomberg. And yet, there’s also a distinct sense of a directorial sensibility in his vision that has evolved beyond intellectualizing cinema.

Wigon displays a keen understanding of genre in this single-location erotic thriller about the twisted relationship between a dominatrix, Rebecca (Margaret Qualley), and her hotel heir client, Hal (Christopher Abbott). As fantasy and reality begin to uneasily mingle between the two, Sanctuary pinpoints the blurred boundaries between the boardroom and the bedroom for these role players engaged in an intense bout of gamesmanship. Wigon’s direction is locked in a pas de deux with his two leads, matching...

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Jennifer Lopez-led “The Mother” has scored Netflix’s biggest opening weekend for a film of 2023 with 83.71 million hours viewed since its premiere.

The action thriller, which follows skilled assassin who emerges amid danger to protect her daughter, reached the No. 1 spot in 82 countries with nearly 43 million views. Directed by Niki Caro, “The Mother” nabbed the top spot on the streamer’s English films list this week, with “A Man Called Otto” and “The Croods” following in second and third place, respectively.

On the TV front, “Bridgerton” spinoff “Queen Charlotte” maintained its crown on the English TV list, pulling in an additional 158.68 million hours viewed this week as it appeared in the Top 10 in 91 countries. Now amassing 307 million total hours viewed and over 47 million views, the Shonda Rhimes-created romantic drama...

A man, a woman, and an enclosed space — as any stage director knows, these components can be transformed into anything within the capabilities of the human imagination, a malleability essential to Zachary Wigon’s devious chamber piece “Sanctuary.” DominatrixRebecca (Margaret Qualley) and her number-one client Hal (Christopher Abbott) bring that same spirit of invention to their sessions, such as a face-off between a playboy corporate heir and the no-nonsense lady lawyer who gets him scrubbing the bathroom floor in his underwear with just a handful of demeaning remarks.

Continue reading ‘Sanctuary’: Margaret Qualley & Christopher Abbott Discuss Their Racy New Kink Film, Stunt Dildos & More [Interview] at The Playlist.

Rebecca (Margaret Qualley) is here for legal counsel. But her questions for Hal Porterfield (Christopher Abbott) are getting inappropriate, and fast. She wants to know about the frequency of his masturbation, how much he drinks, if he’s capable of taking on the herculean task of running his father’s massive hotel monopoly. And Hal is getting annoyed. After all, this isn’t the script that he had written for Rebecca to perform.

Rebecca isn’t a lawyer, nor an actress. Not really. She’s a hired dominatrix in a no-contact sexual relationship with Hal, who really is set to step in as CEO of his recently passed father’s company, and who really does write extensive scripts to support his unusual sexual proclivities.

Zachary Wigon’s Sanctuary is a two-hander that sees a power play through the prism of performance, class, and sexual dynamics. As Hal prepares to be...

Margaret Qualley is ready for her Broadway debut.

The “Sanctuary” actress told IndieWire during a recent interview that she would “love to” star in a play or musical after bringing playwright Micah Bloomberg’s script to the screen. Qualley also earned an Emmy nomination for her turn as dancer and choreographer Ann Reinking in limited series “Fosse/Verdon” about Broadway legend Bob Fosse and actress Gwen Verdon.

“I love doing it, I just have never done it [on Broadway],” Qualley said. “I actually would really love to.”

Qualley is set to star in the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers biopic, “Fred & Ginger,” alongside Jamie Bell. The film is written by Arash Amel and to be directed by Jonathan Entwistle, set to track Astaire and Rogers’ career spanning 10 movies together from 1933 to 1949. “La La Land” music producer Marius de Vries will work alongside Tony-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon (“Mj the Musical”) and Grammy-winning songwriters...

Christopher Abbott is done with “Girls,” even if the beloved show follows the six seasons and a movie track.

The “Sanctuary” actor exclusively told IndieWire that he will not be reprising his iconic role of Charlie in the HBO series created by Lena Dunham at any point, not even for a charity table read.

“No, I don’t think so,” Abbott said.

The “Black Bear” star appeared in the first two seasons of “Girls” as Marnie’s (Allison Williams) college boyfriend before Abbott exited ahead of Season 3. He returned for one episode in Season 5. “Girls” concluded in 2017 after six seasons.

Dunham teased a possible “Girls” reboot down the line in January 2022 during the groundbreaking show’s 10-year anniversary.

“We all recognize it’s not time yet,” Dunham said. “I want it to be at a moment when the characters’ lives have really changed. Right now, everyone would just be wanting...

Exclusive: Isabelle Huppert (Elle) and Finn Wittrock (Luckiest Girl Alive) have closed deals to star in Free Radicals, an English-language home invasion thriller based on the same-name short story originally published in The New Yorker by Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro.

With psychological twists and a Hitchockian flair, Free Radicals revolves around the harrowing encounter between an ailing woman (Huppert) and a young killer on the run (Wittrock). Xia Magnus (Sanzaru) is set to direct from his script written with Alyssa Polk. Pic’s producers are Academy Award nominee Alexandra Milchan (Tár) and Theo Vieljeux (Monica).

Charades will handle international sales for the film, following its success with a number of other titles from emerging filmmakers, including Carlo Mirabella-Davis’ Swallow starring Haley Bennett; Zachary Wigon’s Sanctuary with Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley, which Neon will release in the U.S on May 19; Charlotte Regan’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize...

This weekend, Netflix is adding a documentary drama series that has already been the subject of controversy, an action drama movie, and a new season of one of Netflix’s most popular reality shows. Last weekend, the streaming giant welcomed a long list of licensed content to kick off a new month, with the most notable titles being the Austin Powers movie trilogy, David Fincher’s The Curious Base of Benjamin Button, the horror movies Dawn of the Dead and Paranormal Activity, the psychological drama Girl, Interrupted, the epic Western drama Legends of the Fall, the comedies Pitch Perfect and This is the End, the drama Steel Magnolias, and the comedy-drama A Man Called Otto.

When it comes to original content, last weekend saw the arrival of the Turkish drama TV series The Tailor, the drama limited series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, and the Japanese drama TV series Sanctuary.

Following on their collaboration on Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” Charades has boarded international sales on upcoming Mubi-backed production “Bring Them Down.”

Starring Barry Keoghan, Academy Award nominated for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” and Christopher Abbott (“Sanctuary”), a Golden Globe nominee for “Catch 22,” “Bring Them Down” marks the first feature from writer-director Chris Andrews, behind award-winning short films “Fire” (2015) and “Stalker” (2019).

On “Aftersun,” Charades took on international sales duties, with Mubi boarding to take distribution rights to multiple territories – such as U.K.-Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Spain – just as the films bowed in 2022 Cannes Critics’ Week.

For “Bring Them Down,” Charades will sell international rights outside North America, U.K., Ireland, Latin America and Italy where Mubi retains all rights.

Colm Meaney (“Gangs of London”), Nora-Jane Noone (“Wildfire”), Paul Ready (“Motherland”), and Susan Lynch (Happy Valley”) also star.

“Bring Them Down” turns on Michael (Abbott), the last son of a shepherding family,...

Netflix’s first-ever “Bridgerton” spin-off, “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” exploded into the global viewing charts this week, while movies were led by Tom Hanks‘ “A Man Called Otto.” Read on for the Netflix Top 10 (Week of May 1) viewing chart analysis.

It probably was a no-brainer for Netflix to explore the past of a popular character from Shonda Rhimes‘ hit streaming series “Bridgerton,” with Golda Rosheuvel reprising her title role in “Queen Charlotte” with India Amarteifio playing her younger self. Corey Mylchreest and Arsema Thomas were also part of the cast, playing Young King George and Young Agatha Danbury in the series building on Shondaland’s “Bridgerton-verse.” In its very first week, “Charlotte” received 148.3 million viewing hours worldwide, as the #1 series in the U.S., Canada and dozens of other countries.

Having just been renewed for a third season, the second season of “Sweet Tooth” followed in second place with 60.5 million hours viewed,...

“Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” showed the power of Netflix’s hit franchise, reaching the top of Netflix’s Top 10 TV list with more than 22 million views since its release on May 4 (148.28 million hours viewed divided by 6.49 runtime hours).

Starring Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), India Amarteifio (Young Queen Charlotte), Corey Mylchreest (Young King George), Arsema Thomas (Young Agatha Danbury), and more, Shondaland’s “Bridgerton” prequel debuted to critical acclaim and appeared in the Top 10 in 91 countries.

The series follows the story of Young Charlotte’s arrival in England to marry the Young King George, as the union kicks off “The Great Experiment” that lead to the diverse Regency-era society featured in the flagship drama.

Also Read:

‘Queen Charlotte’ Review: Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ Prequel Course-Corrects Mistakes From the Original

“For me, it was important that there be an origin — that we weren’t just presenting this amazing colorblind society,” creator Shonda Rhimes...

Netflix will give a May launch to “Sanctuary,” a sports drama series set in the specialized world of Japanese sumo wrestling.

Produced by the Slowtide company for the streamer, the show follows a juvenile delinquent who becomes a sumo apprentice. He soon finds himself on a collision course with a voiceless wrestler carrying a secret.

Netflix pitches it as “a gritty look into the underbelly of professional sumo, a world full of young men with ambitions for money, women, fame, and power […] where some may find sanctuary with a history of more than 1,500 years in Japan’s traditional culture and as a religious ceremony.”

The show is directed by Eguchi Kan from a screenplay by Kanazawa Tomoki. The producer is Fujita Daisuke and the executive producer for Netflix Sakamoto Kaata. The show will upload from May 4.

The diverse cast includes Ichinose Wataru, Sometani Shota (“Themis”), Kutsuna Shioli (“Deadpool 2”), Taguchi Tomorowo,...

Netflix is giving global fans a sneak peak at its forthcoming Japanese original series Sanctuary, a YA drama set within the reclusive world of Japanese professional sumo wrestling. (See the first teaser trailer and art from the show below.)

Set to launch on Netflix on May 4, the series follows a juvenile delinquent who becomes a sumo apprentice — and soon finds himself on a collision course with a voiceless wrestler carrying a secret.

Netflix describes the show as offering “a gritty look into the underbelly of professional sumo, a world full of young men with ambitions for money, women, fame, and power.”

“This is the story of the sumo ring,” the streamer adds, “where some may find sanctuary with a history of more than 1,500 years in Japan’s traditional culture and as a religious ceremony.”

The series is written by Tomoki Kanazawa (who recently penned the TBS medical drama Get Ready!

Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Toronto Intertnational Film Festival. Neon releases the film in theaters on Friday, May 19.

A sharp and silly and deliriously romantic single-location saga about a hotel chain heir (Christopher Abbott) who’s blackmailed by his long-time dominatrix (Margaret Qualley), Zachary Wigon’s “Sanctuary” unfolds like a kinky cross between “Punch-Drunk Love” and an off-Broadway play. The results are delightful and exasperating in almost perfectly equal measure until a last-minute hail Mary ends the movie on such a high that even its hoarier stretches seem like they were worth the walk in hindsight.

It starts with color swirls and a heart-stirring Ariel Marx score that sounds like it could be the overture of a musical; it ends with a rush of blood to the head. In between, it’s sustained by its performances. Not just the go-for-broke performances from two of the...