The annual SXSW TV and Film festival is now only 4 days away and excitement has already been unfolding for what’s to come. The eight headliners this year are Civil War, Road House, The Fall Guy, Monkey Man, Babes, Immaculate, The Idea of You, and Y2K. South By is a chance for smaller projects to gain attention, often having release dates months later.
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Bigger films often utilize this time to generate buzz and get first reactions from audiences. While all of the previously mentioned flicks are solid, the ones hitting theaters that have blockbuster potential are Monkey Man and The Fall Guy. Here’s a look at two of the top films debuting later this month at SXSW.
The Fall Guy
Coming fresh off his newfound spotlight from Barbie, Ryan Gosling is yet again a leading man, this time opposite Emily Blunt in The Fall Guy. He plays a stunt guy who finds himself working on a movie that is being directed by his ex. The trailer looks promising, featuring some funny moments and a lot of action. They are also joined by Aaron Taylor Johnson, who makes his comic book film debut in Kraven the Hunter later this year.
SXSW is a hub for documentaries and indies, but every now and then we get some pure heat that sets social media on fire. The Fall Guy could be the movie that does just that. Gosling has been on fire lately, working his way into the hearts of viewers for years since The Notebook. It’ll be no surprise if reviews turn out to be better than expected. It hits theaters on May 3, with the SXSW premiere set for March 12th.
Monkey Man
When the trailer for Monkey Man dropped, it instantly became a top 3 trending topic on X (you know, Twitter). Not only is it Dev Patel’s directorial debut, he has teamed up with fan favorite Jordan Peele who has given us hit after hit since his Key and Peele days came to an end. Known to be quite impressive in sketch comedy, Peele proved he was more than just a funny man when he gave the world Get Out and stunned everyone with that insane plot twist.
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Monkey Man follows Patel’s character in the titular role as he partakes in an underground fight club for money. If I had to put my money on what movie is going to generate the most chatter and wow moviegoers, it’s this one. The excitement is one thing, but with Patel as director and Peele as producer, the possibilities are endless. Monkey Man hits theaters on April 5, but the initial premiere will be held a month earlier on March 11th.
About The Fall Guy
Release Date: May 3, 204
Director: David Leitch
Screenplay: Drew Pearce
Executive Producers: Drew Pearce, Geoff Shaevitz, Glen A. Larson
Producers: Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Ryan Gosling, Guymon Casady
Production: 87North Productions, Entertainment 360, Universal Pictures
Distribution: Universal Pictures
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu
Synopsis: Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman who, having left the business a year earlier to focus on both his physical and mental health, is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie—being directed by his ex, Jody Moreno, played by Emily Blunt—goes missing.
While the film’s ruthless producer (Hannah Waddingham), maneuvers to keep the disappearance of star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) a secret from the studio and the media, Colt performs the film’s most outrageous stunts while trying (with limited success) to charm his way back into Jody’s good graces. But as the mystery around the missing star deepens, Colt will find himself ensnared in a sinister, criminal plot that will push him to the edge of a fall more dangerous than any stunt.
About Monkey Man
Release Date: April 5, 2024
Director: Dev Patel
Screenplay by: Dev Patel, Paul Angunawela, and John Collee
Producers: Dev Patel, Jomon Thomas, Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Ian Cooper, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Christine Haebler, Anjay Nagpal
Executive Producers: Jonathan Fuhrman, Natalya Pavchinskya, Aaron L. Gilbert, Andria Spring, Alison-Jane Roney, Steven Thibault
Genre: Action Thriller
Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, Makarand Deshpande
Synopsis: Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Will you be heading to SXSW this year? What are you most looking to catch while out there? Excited for Monkey Man and The Fall Guy? Let us know on social media!
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