Where Are the Manson Family Members Now? Inside Their Lives Over 50 Years After Their Killing Spree

Seven of Charles Manson’s dedicated followers were convicted for the nine murders he orchestrated

For decades, many have wondered how Charles Manson could convince a group of young adults to kill multiple people in his name — and why he did it.

Several theories have been put forth, most notably that Manson was trying to ignite a race war he dubbed “Helter Skelter.” But director Errol Morris offered another motive in his Netflix docuseries CHAOS: The Manson Murders, which was released on March 7.

Based on Tom O’Neill’s 2019 book of the same name, the docuseries alleged that LSD and a secret CIA brainwashing program called MK Ultra could have fueled the infamous murders.

“The Manson murders are peculiar,” Morris told Tudum in February 2025. “You could encapsulate the mystery in just one question: How is it that Manson managed to convince the people around him that killing was okay?”

During July and August of 1969, Manson instructed a handful of his followers to kill nine people: Gary Hinman, actress Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, Steve Parent, Leno LaBianca, Rosemary LaBianca and Donald “Shorty” Shea.

Related: Where Are Charles Manson’s Children Now? Inside the Lives of the Late Cult Leader’s 3 Known Sons

Manson allegedly ordered Bobby Beausoleil, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, Mary Brunner, Linda Kasabian, Charles “Tex” Watson, Bruce Davis and Steven Grogan to kill (or help him kill) the victims.

Seven members, along with Manson, were eventually convicted for the murders. Though many, including Manson, were sentenced to death, they were spared after California’s Supreme Court invalidated all death sentences before 1972. Kasabian and Brunner were granted immunity in exchange for their testimonies.

Many of Manson’s followers disassociated themselves from the family during their incarceration, but a few remained loyal to him until his death in November 2017. Two of the seven Manson family members convicted of murder have since been granted parole.

Here’s everything to know about where the Manson family is now.

Linda Kasabian drove the group during both the LaBianca and Tate murders, per her court testimony. During the latter, she stood guard outside and claimed to witness Watson shoot and kill Parent as he was trying to flee.

Kasabian received immunity for her testimony against Manson and his followers. At trial, she told jurors that Manson’s women did “anything and everything” for him.

Kasabian had two children — one of whom was with her while she was in the Manson family, per the 2002 book The Family. Later, she was unable to work after a car accident left her disabled, per CieloDrive.com.

Kasabian died in January 2023 in Washington, per The New York Times. She was 73.

Mary Brunner was initially charged with Hinman’s murder but later received immunity as she testified against Beausoleil and Atkins.

In 1971, Brunner assisted other members in robbing a gun store with the ultimate goal of hijacking a plane and breaking Manson out of prison. As a result, she received a sentence of 20 years to life, though she was released on parole in 1977, per NBC.

Brunner has stayed out of the public eye since her release and was last reported to be living in the Midwest, according to CieloDrive.com. She had one son with Manson, Valentine Michael Manson, whom Brunner’s parents reportedly raised.

Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme allegedly didn’t participate in any of the murders, but she remained a dedicated follower of Manson’s long after he was incarcerated. She later co-founded a fictional terrorist group that threatened to kill CEOs of companies she believed were contributing to pollution, per CieloDrive.com.

In 1975, Fromme pulled a loaded gun on President Gerald R. Ford in Sacramento. She was convicted of attempted assassination and received a life sentence.

Fromme was released on parole in 2009, per NBC News, and published a memoir in 2018 about her life.

Susan Atkins was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to death for her roles in the Hinman and Tate killings. But the sentence was commuted to life in prison after the state changed its death penalty laws in 1972.

During her incarceration, she became a born-again Christian, wrote an autobiography and was married twice, according to UPI.

Atkins was denied parole multiple times before dying in prison from brain cancer in 2009, per The Guardian. She was 61.

Leslie Van Houten was charged with first-degree murder for the LaBianca killings. Because her lawyer disappeared (and was later found dead) during her initial trial — some alleged that the Manson family killed him, per the Los Angeles Times — she was granted a retrial in 1976.

After the jury deadlocked, Van Houten was granted a third trial, where she was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. While incarcerated, she married a former prisoner, edited the prison newspaper and earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature, per CieloDrive.com.

After decades behind bars, Van Houten was released in 2023 on “parole supervision” for a maximum of three years. She was then taken to a transitional facility.

Patricia Krenwinkel was convicted of first-degree murder for her role in the Tate and LaBianca murders. She became the state’s longest-serving female inmate after the death of Atkins, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In May 2022, the California State Board of Parole Hearings recommended Krenwinkel’s release, CNN reported. However, California Gov. Gavin Newsom blocked her parole, citing the inmate “still poses an unreasonable danger to society if paroled at this time.”

The ruling marked the 15th time Krenwinkel’s parole was denied.

While incarcerated, she has allegedly maintained a perfect prison record, received a bachelor’s degree in human services, played on the prison volleyball team and given dance lessons, per CieloDrive.com. Her next parole hearing will take place in May 2025.

Charles “Tex” Watson was convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder and one conspiracy to commit murder for his roles in the Tate and LaBianca killings and was sentenced to death in 1971. His sentence was commuted to life in prison the following year.

While incarcerated, Watson married, became a father of four through conjugal visits and then divorced. He also earned a degree in business management and was ordained as a minister, per his website.

In October 2021, Watson was denied parole for the 18th time, per NBC. His next hearing will be held in October 2026, per the Los Angeles Times.

Bobby Beausoleil was convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of Gary Hinman and he has been denied parole review nearly 20 times.

Though Gov. Newsom denied his request in 2019, the California Board of Parole commissioners recommended his release again in 2025, per Spectrum News 1. The governor has 150 days to review the recommendation.

Beausoleil was interviewed for CHAOS and recalled to filmmakers the role Manson played in Hinman’s murder.

“This is not a crime where someone was careful or thoughtful,” the director, Morris, told The Guardian in March 2025. “It’s a crime of confusion and idiocy and Bobby Beausoleil is not stupid. In fact, quite the contrary. How does Manson get someone to do something really, really, really, really stupid?”

Bruce Davis was convicted for the murders of Hinman and Shea, a horse wrangler who lived on the Spahn Ranch with the Manson family. He was sentenced to life in prison, per the Los Angeles Times.

At one point, the FBI considered that Davis could have been the Zodiac killer, but he was eventually ruled out as a suspect, per CieloDrive.com. Davis allegedly became a born-again Christian during his incarceration and helped former Manson member Atkins do the same.

Davis has been denied parole dozens of times, and his most recent hearing in 2024 was postponed after he appeared on a true crime podcast called The Lighter Side of Serial Killers, per Fox News.

Steven Grogan (who occasionally went by the alias “Clem Tufts”) was convicted for helping to kill Shea and was sentenced to death, per CieloDrive.com.

However, the judge later changed his sentence to life in prison, saying that the former Manson follower was “too hopped up on drugs to decide anything on his own,” per the 1974 book Helter Skelter. Grogan helped police find Shea’s remains a few years into his incarceration.

In 1985, he became the first of the Manson family members convicted of murder to be released from prison on parole.

Ruth Ann Moorehouse was not involved in any of the murders but was part of a plot to kill Manson family member Barbara Hoyt, per Gastro Obscura.

While on a trip to Hawaii, she allegedly fed Hoyt an acid-laced hamburger in an attempt to murder her before she was set to testify. Hoyt survived and Moorehouse was convicted of attempting to dissuade a witness in 1971. However, she fled before her sentencing.

In 1975, Moorehouse was found and arrested in Sacramento, Calif. A judge then declared her free to go, per The New York Times, citing her rough upbringing.

Moorehouse was last reported to be living with her husband and three children in the Midwest, per CieloDrive.com.

‘You Swore’ The Last Of Us Season Two Trailer Pumps Up Fans Before April Release

Summary

A new trailer has been released for HBO’s The Last of Us series, building anticipation for the upcoming season. The trailer features familiar characters like Ellie, Joel, and Dina. With talented directors at the helm, the series premiering on April 13 has fans excited for the new season.

As if fans of HBO’s The Last of Us series weren’t excited enough already, a new trailer has been released ahead of next month’s season debut. Get ready to let those crocodile tears loose again, Fireflies.

Acolytes of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us video game franchise had a lot to be worried about when it was announced HBO was going to be working on an adaptation of the hit series. After all, it’s not like video game adaptations have an amazing track record. For every respectable hit like Sonic the Hedgehog or Detective Pikachu, there are a dozen projects along the lines of Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li or Alone in the Dark waiting around the corner. Alas, to the surprise of the entertainment world at large, The Last of Us television series premiered to critical acclaim and huge ratings in January 2023. Since the first season ended, fans have been waiting with bated breath for the next season and the wait is almost over.

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The Last of Us’ Bella Ramsey has an unconventional method of dealing with season 2’s darkest moment.

Posts

The Official Trailer For The Last Of Us Season 2 Has Dropped

The Emotional Scarring Has Just Begun

April 13th is just around the corner and fans had begun to wonder if the creative team behind The Last of Us was even going to release an official trailer for the upcoming season. The teaser trailer that was put out in September 2024 did plenty to get fans excited, and we’re around five weeks away from the season premiere at the time of writing. Did a new trailer really need to come out to get the hype train going again? Well, it’s out, and the anticipation is bubbling.

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If the initial teaser trailer gave a heavy emphasis to one character in particular, it was Catherine O’Hara’s character Gail. She serves as Joel’s therapist and isn’t in the games at all. For this final trailer, fans are given moments with the characters they know and love (or hate, depending on your disposition). There are shots of Bella Ramsey’s Ellie and Isabela Merced’s Dina at the dance in Jackson that also served as a major part of the marketing lead up to The Last of Us Part II game. There are shots not only of Jeffrey Wright’s Issac (a role he also played in the game) but of the Washington Liberation Front militia that he leads. Pedro Pascal’s Joel, Gabriel Luna’s Tommy, Rutina Wesley’s Maria, and Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby all get screen time in the trailer.

Most enticing just might be character acting great Joe Pantoliano as Eugene, a character only seen through a Polaroid photograph in the game. Perhaps the creative team have expanded Eugene’s role to the extent they did for Nick Offerman’s Bill in the first season of the show. Considering that role earned Offerman an Emmy, and that episode is proof positive that the show can expand on the game’s story, this should have fans salivating.

Thankfully, the long wait is almost over. April 13th is just around the corner and with episodes helmed by talented directors such as Mark Mylod, Kate Herron, and Peter Hoar, the sky is the limit for this particular video game adaptation.

The first season of The Last of Us is currently streaming on Max.

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The Last Of Us

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Horror

Adventure

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Thriller

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Release Date January 15, 2023

Network HBO Max

Showrunner Craig Mazin

Directors Craig Mazin

Writers Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin

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Pedro Pascal

Joel Miller

Bella Ramsey

Ellie Williams

Franchise(s) The Last of Us

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THE PUNISHER Star Jon Bernthal Teases Special Presentation: “It Will Not Be Punisher-lite, I Promise You That”

Jon Bernthal first played Frank Castle in Daredevil season 2 and, while his character’s origin story was somewhat convoluted, The Walking Dead alum’s interpretation of The Punisher resonated with fans in a big way.

A spin-off followed, though it only lasted two seasons before the launch of Disney+ saw Netflix pull the plug on it and every other Marvel Television series it hosted.

Bernthal has since reprised arguably his most iconic role in Daredevil: Born Again. While he’s only expected to appear in a few episodes, the actor will likely have more to do when season 2 arrives next year and is confirmed to take centre stage in a Special Presentation he’s writing with director Reinaldo Marcus Green.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, that will air in 2026 alongside Daredevil: Born Again and, at the SXSW premiere of his new movie The Accountant 2, Bernthal shared some insights into what fans can expect.

“I care very deeply about Frank, I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve,” he said. “We’re giving it our all and we’re trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we’re going to turn our back on the audience – it’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be light, and I think it’s the version that this character deserves and I’m just beyond honored and grateful that we get the opportunity.”

Asked how the standalone special will compare to the Netflix series, Bernthal teased, “It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know if that’s the Netflix tone then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.”

It sounds like Bernthal is setting out to deliver an even more authentic take on Frank Castle than what we saw on Netflix, and that means it’s going to be violent and, judging by these remarks, pretty thought-provoking as well.

Before we get to that, The Punisher will have a key role to play in Daredevil: Born Again. As we teased in our review, “When Frank Castle is fully unleashed, nothing will prepare you for what comes next.”

You can see Bernthal arriving on the red carpet in the X post below. We also have a new promo for Daredevil: Born Again featuring even more praise for the series.

In Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.

The series also stars Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, with Ayelet Zurer and Jon Bernthal. Dario Scardapane is showrunner.

Episodes are directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd; and executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Sana Amanat, Chris Gary, Dario Scardapane, Christopher Ord & Matthew Corman, and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead.

Tom Cruise’s New Movie Halts Filming as John Goodman Hospitalized

Tom Cruise ‘s latest movie has reportedly been thrown into disarray after John Goodman was injured while filming and reportedly ended up in hospital for medical attention. According to a statement released to Deadline by Warner Bros. Pictures:

“Actor John Goodman experienced a hip injury. He received immediate medical attention that led to a brief delay in shooting to allow him time to recover. The production resumes shooting next week following John’s full recovery.”

The movie was forced to halt filming at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, following the accident. The film, which is currently shooting under the working title of Judy, stars Cruise as the most powerful man in the world, a megalomanic who tries to save humanity. The movie also stars Goodman, Jesse Plemons, and Riz Ahmed. Originally, a source speaking to The Sun claimed:

“[Cruise] is renowned for loving spectacular stunts which obviously involve some element of danger and the risk of injury – though they always strive to keep any risk to an absolute minimum. This incident won’t just be alarming in terms of having someone so famous suffer such a major injury, it will also prove costly on a project which has cost millions and is on a very tight schedule.”

Related Tom Cruise Recalls the ‘Mission: Impossible’ Stunt That Left Everyone in Shock

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Posts What is Tom Cruise’s Next Movie About?

While Tom Cruise is set to return to screens this year in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning this summer, there is very little known about his next movie. The movie is directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the Mexican filmmaker who earned himself critical acclaim for 21 Grams and Babel, as well as Oscar wins for the Michael Keaton-starring Birdman and The Revenant in 2014 and 2015, respectively. His Best Director awards resulted in him becoming only the third director to achieve the back-to-back feat, joining John Ford and Joseph L. Mankiewicz in the prestigious group.

With a talented director, and a cast that also includes Sandra Huller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sophie Wilde, Pip Torrens, Corey Johnson, Danny Kirrane, and Joe Hurst. From its original announcement back in February 2024, the project has been shrouded in complete secrecy, and only the scantest of details have been revealed.

In December, it was announced that the film would be filming in the U.K. early in 2025, and would take over the October 2, 2026, release date previously set aside for The Batman Part II. It seems unlikely based on the new information that the setback will affect the film’s release date.

Source: The Sun/ Deadline

Tom Cruise

Birthname Thomas Cruise Mapother IV Birthdate July 3, 1962 Birthplace Syracuse, New York, USA Bio

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV born on July 3 1962 better known by his screen name of Tom Cruise is an American film actor and producer He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and won three Golden Globe Awards His first leading role was the 1983 film Risky Business which has been described as A Generation X classic and a career maker for the actor After playing the role of a heroic naval pilot in the popular and financially successful 1986 film Top Gun Cruise continued in this vein playing a secret agent in a series of Mission Impossible action films in the 1990s and 2000s In addition to these heroic roles he has starred in a variety of other successful films such as Days of Thunder 1990 Jerry Maguire 1996 Magnolia 1999 Vanilla Sky 2001 Minority Report 2002 The Last Samurai 2003 Collateral 2004 and War of the Worlds 2005 In 2005 the Hollywood journalist Edward Jay Epstein argued that Cruise is one of the few producers the others being George Lucas Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer who are able to guarantee the success of a billion dollar movie franchise Since 2005 Cruise and Paula Wagner have been in charge of the United Artists film studio with Cruise as producer and star and Wagner as the chief executive Cruise is also known for his controversial support of and adherence to the Church of Scientology Cruise married Mimi Rogers on May 9 1987 they divorced on February 4 1990 Rogers is generally believed to have introduced Cruise to Scientology Cruise met Nicole Kidman on the set of their film Days of Thunder The couple married on December 24 1990 He and Kidman adopted two children Isabella Jane and Connor Antony They separated in February 2001 Cruise was next romantically linked with Pen lope Cruz the lead actress in his film Vanilla Sky After a three year relationship Cruise announced that their relationship had ended in January In April 2005 Cruise began dating actress Katie Holmes Shortly after they began their highly publicized relationship on June 17 2005 Cruise announced he had proposed to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris On April 18 2006 Holmes gave birth to a baby girl named Suri at Saint John s Health Center in Santa Monica California Cruise stated that the name derives from the Hebrew word for princess or the Persian word meaning red rose She is the first biological child for both Holmes and Cruise On November 18 2006 Holmes and Cruise were married at the 15th century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano Italy in a Scientology ceremony attended by many Hollywood stars Cruise owns a home in Murrieta California

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Pierce Brosnan says ‘keep Bond British’ – even though he was Irish – Daily Star

Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan has said it is a “given” that Daniel Craig’s successor should be British.

It comes following concerns that the franchise will not be British anymore in the wake of Amazon MGM Studios taking creative control over the 007 character. In February, the US film and television production and distribution studio announced it will be co-owners with Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, who have produced the Bond films together since Brosnan’s first movie – 1995’s GoldenEye.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Irishman Brosnan said: “I thought it was coming for some time I guess, but I think it was the right decision for Barbara and Michael. It takes great courage for them to let go, they will still have a say in matters, I hope that (Amazon) handles the work and the character with dignity and imagination and respect.”

Irish actor Brosnan, 71, who played Bond in four films, added that “no one really knows” what will happen to 007 in Amazon’s control.

“In this world that is moving so fast now, at the speed of light, (the change) does come with a certain lament,” he said.

There has been increasing speculation about the future of the series, with no announcement of a new actor to play the famous spy since Daniel Craig’s final portrayal in 2021’s No Time To Die.

“History has been passed on and I’m very proud to have been part of the history and the legacy of Bond and the movies that I made with Barbara and Michael”, Brosnan added.

“That we moved the needle, that we brought it back to life. It had been dormant (for) six years and GoldenEye was such a success that it continued and went from strength to strength … I wish them well.”

Brosnan was introduced as Bond in GoldenEye, at the inception of Broccoli and Wilson’s creative takeover, and his last film was 2002’s Die Another Day.

Since the first 007 movie, Dr No in 1962, the official Bond film franchise has been controlled by members of the American-British Broccoli family, either single-handedly or in partnership with others.

Broccoli and her half-brother Wilson have produced the last nine Bond films, including Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace, Spectre and No Time To Die, and have been honoured with CBEs and won the outstanding British film Bafta for 2012’s Skyfall along with director Sir Sam Mendes.

In 2022, Amazon acquired MGM, including the rights to distribute James Bond films, and will now have control of the intellectual property rights.

In 2023, they brought out the spin-off Bond Prime Video game show 007: Road To A Million, fronted by Succession actor Brian Cox – which is set to return for a second series.

There have been reports in the Wall Street Journal previously about disagreements between Broccoli and Amazon MGM Studios over creative control, with her reportedly saying “don’t have temporary people make permanent decisions”.

There have also been claims by the newspaper that Amazon MGM Studios wants to expand Bond into TV and other ventures.

Robert Pattinson sci-fi ‘Mickey 17’ opens in first place, but profitability is a long way off

Entertainment | Robert Pattinson sci-fi ‘Mickey 17’ opens in first place, but profitability is a long way off

“Parasite” filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s original science fiction film “Mickey 17” opened in first place on the North American box office charts. According to studio estimates Sunday, the Robert Pattinson-led film earned $19.1 million in its first weekend in theaters, which was enough to dethrone “Captain America: Brave New World” after a three-week reign.

Overseas, “Mickey 17” has already made $34.2 million, bringing its worldwide total to $53.3 million. But profitability for the film is a long way off: It cost a reported $118 million to produce, which does not account for millions spent on marketing and promotion.

A week following the Oscars, where “Anora” filmmaker Sean Baker made an impassioned speech about the importance of the theatrical experience – for filmmakers to keep making movies for the big screens, for distributors to focus on theatrical releases and for audiences to keep going – “Mickey 17” is perhaps the perfect representation of this moment in the business, or at least an interesting case study. It’s an original film from an Oscar-winning director led by a big star that was afforded a blockbuster budget and given a robust theatrical release by Warner Bros., one of the few major studios remaining. But despite all of that, and reviews that were mostly positive (79% on RottenTomatoes), audiences did not treat it as an event movie, and it may ultimately struggle to break even.

Originally set for release in March 2024, Bong Joon Ho’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning “Parasite” faced several delays, which he has attributed to extenuating circumstances around the Hollywood strikes. Based on the novel “Mickey7” by Edward Ashton, Pattinson plays an expendable employee who dies on missions and is re-printed time and time again. Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo also star.

It opened in 3,807 locations domestically where it performed best in New York and Los Angeles. Premium large format showings, including IMAX screens, also accounted for nearly half of its opening weekend. Internationally, it did especially well in Korea, where it made an estimated $14.6 million.

Second place went to “Captain America: Brave New World,” which added $8.5 million from 3,480 locations in North America and $9.2 million internationally. Its global total currently rests at $370.8 million. The Walt Disney Studios is on track to become the first studio to cross $1 billion in 2025 sometime this week.

Holdovers “Last Breath,” “The Monkey” and “Paddington in Peru” rounded out the top five. The weekend also had several other newcomers in “In the Lost Lands,” a fantasy film from Paul W.S. Anderson starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista, and Angel Studios’ “Rule Breakers,” about Afghani girls on a robotics team.

Neon upped the theater count for “Anora” to nearly 2,000 screens after it won five Oscars on Sunday, including best picture, best director and best actress. It earned an estimated $1.9 million (up 595% from last weekend), bringing its total grosses to $18.4 million.

According to data from Comscore, the 2025 box office as a whole is up 1% from where it was last year as of this weekend and down 34.2% from the last pre-pandemic box office year of 2019.

“That is the rollercoaster that is the box office,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “You have two or three down weeks, it can profoundly impact the bottom line and the percentage advantage. But it will come back again.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

Death of a Unicorn review – goofy eat-the-rich satire isn’t fun enough

SXSW film festival: Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd and Richard E Grant lead a wasted cast in this silly and exasperating mishmash of comedy and gore

The unicorn has been a staple of folk mythology for thousands of years, dating back to at least ancient Persia, with consistent characteristics: a horse-like figure with a single majestic horn, fundamentally elusive and untamable, possessing magical healing properties. But such a creature, recognizable from medieval art to My Little Pony, is one of the less familiar elements of Death of a Unicorn, the debut feature from writer-director Alex Scharfman that premiered at the SXSW film festival on Saturday. The film, produced by clout powerhouse A24, traffics in well-trod territory: the prestige eat-the-rich satire with a stacked cast and a beautiful backdrop. So well-trod, in fact, that it’s a relief when the mythical beasts do arrive – if only to reveal dubious CGI and a questionable commitment to the bit.

Silly as it may sound, Scharfman treats this unicorn bit with sincere seriousness, aiming for relevance on the rapacious state of late-stage capitalism satirized in such recent hits as The Menu, Triangle of Sadness, Knives Out: Glass Onion, Parasite and Succession, among others. I know this road, you know this road, even disaffected college student Ridley (Jenna Ortega) knows this road as she and her credulous father Elliot (Paul Rudd), a corporate lawyer, drive into the Canadian Rockies for a retreat with Elliot’s billionaire boss and his family. “Philanthropy is just reputation laundering for the oligarchy,” she retorts when her father tries to extol the largesse of the Leopolds, a clan of pharmaceutical executives loosely based on America’s Sackler family.

There is nothing about the Leopold family – terminally ill patriarch Odell (Richard E Grant, bringing a dash of British colonialism to this tale of American capitalism), wife Belinda (Téa Leoni) and feckless son Shep (Will Poulter) – that could surprise or perversely amuse anyone familiar with this genre. Just jobs for the actors to so, boxes of craven behavior and delusions of infallibility to check, mellifluous single notes of callous narcissism to hit. Which all the performers do well, Poulter especially, though that does not leaven a pervading sense of boredom.

What is surprising, at least initially, is to see how Scharfman devises the promise of the title, which arrives abruptly in the first few minutes: Elliot, distracted by a tiff with Ridley, accidentally hits a unicorn, rendering it immobile but still alive, and the duo spattered in purple blood. Ridley, a lonely daughter without a mother, forms an instant bond with the creature rendered as a freewheeling acid trip through the cosmos with a touch of its horn. Elliot, a widower hellbent on making some cash to support his daughter, beats the unicorn to death with a tire iron, the first of many tough instances for the squeamish among us.

Back at the estate – which is indeed beautiful and managed by put-upon head of staff Griff (Barry’s Anthony Carrigan) – the oligarchs strain to not say what the creature really is, nor squander its potential when it becomes clear that unicorn blood can cure everything from teenage acne to cancer. It’s a mode of writing that grows tiresome quickly. Ortega, the nominal star of the film though remarkably underused, provides the film’s sole grounding point, as Ridley intuits something darker afoot and begins to research unicorn folklore, correctly interpreting the famous medieval unicorn tapestries at the Met’s Cloisters as evidence that such hubris will only invite destruction. (If nothing else, this film will activate some latent art history nerds.)

Indeed, these unicorns are not rainbows and butterflies but the all-powerful monsters of yore, capable of jump scares and very bloody impalements, among other gory violence. Scharfman has a solid handling on the trappings of the mega-wealthy, though his interstitials of deluxe service feel derivative of The Menu; less so the mechanics of a creature feature in which the unicorns range from indestructible to wary of doors. Not that the internal logic would matter, if the stakes felt compelling (you know how this will go for the rich, who are of course very bad), or if the monster madness felt inventive (it doesn’t, although the specter of a sharp-toothed horse is a strangely intriguing conceit). Death of a Unicorn clocks in at under two hours, but feels longer, its inherent silliness not matched with the necessary self-awareness, chemistry or fun.

What does work, however, is a last-minute play to connect Ridley’s ineffable connection to the slain unicorn with the magical realism of grief, the way we see things, realms, creatures and spirits that may or may not be there in the aftermath of loss. There’s something weird and moving and different in that interpretation, if only for a brief few minutes, that brings a small point to the tedious lunacy of the ultra-rich that comes before. But by large, this beastly feature is exactly what you would expect it to be: fashioning itself different but in fact much like the others. A unicorn, this is not.

Pierce Brosnan “Laments” Amazon’s James Bond Takeover: “Everything Changes, Everything Falls Apart”

Major New James Bond Candidate Is A Better Choice For Bond 26 Than Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Henry Cavill, Or Idris Elba

After Amazon took control of the James Bond movies, Pierce Brosnan is expressing his concerns about the franchise’s future. Brosnan was the fifth actor to play 007, having starred in GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002). His tenure came six years after Timothy Dalton’s time as Bond ended with 1989’s Licence to Kill. It is currently the largest gap between Bond movies, though the current delay is likely to surpass it. Amazon’s takeover of the Bond franchise means that there is still no word about a new actor’s casting.

In an interview with The Telegraph, the former Bond star expressed his sorrow about the takeover. While he knew that it was coming, he is concerned about the end of the Barbara Brocolli and Michael G. Wilson era. He expressed that they will have influence over Amazon, but he still “laments” the decision, as he is worried about how the media giant will handle the franchise and its leading character. Check out his quote below:

In this world that is moving so fast now, at the speed of light, [the takeover] does come with a certain lament. I thought it was coming for some time I guess, but I think it was the right decision for Barbara and Michael. It takes great courage for them to let go. They will still have a say in matters. I hope that [Amazon] handles the work and the character with dignity and imagination and respect. No one really knows [what will happen]. History has been passed on, and I’m very proud to have been part of the history and the legacy of Bond and the movies that I made with Barbara and Michael. That we moved the needle, that we brought it back to life. It had been dormant [for] six years and GoldenEye was such a success that it continued and went from strength to strength…You know, everything changes, everything falls apart, and I wish them well.

What Brosnan’s Concerns Mean For Amazon And Bond Other Bond Stars Are Also Speaking Out Close

Brosnan’s voice joins a chorus of other Bond actors who are speaking out after Amazon’s purchase. Timothy Dalton commented that “They’ll be doing their best to make a lot of money” while also sharing his hope that they will “make good movies”. Daniel Craig expressed his respect for Wilson and the Broccolis without commenting on Amazon itself. Each of their statements have been fairly muted, as none of the actors shared too many concerns outright. Even Brosnan’s comments are largely positive, even if he did express his “lament”.

Seven actors have played Bond so far, which includes Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.

The concerns about Amazon’s takeover largely relate to the company potentially losing the core of Bond’s character. Brosnan is particularly concerned about an American playing the next James Bond, but there is also a potential that Amazon will attempt to create a Bond universe. The company reportedly planned several 007 TV shows during the Broccoli and Wilson era, but they were quickly rebuffed. Without anything to hold the new producers back, they could very well oversaturate the market with content.

Related James Bond TV Shows Suggested By Amazon & Shot Down Before Creative Takeover Reportedly Revealed

Amazon recently took over creative control of the James Bond franchise, but before they did so, they had reportedly suggested multiple 007 TV series.

Posts 3 Our Take On Pierce Brosnan’s Amazon Comments He Shares The Public’s Concerns

Brosnan’s concerns about Amazon are entirely legitimate, but so are his more optimistic comments. In Hollywood, everything does change and that change is not necessarily negative. The Bond movies were extraordinary under Wilson and the Broccolis, and that does not mean that they cannot be similarly excellent in the coming era. The franchise has survived a change in creative control twice before. There could very well be another brilliant era ahead. Amazon may make mistakes, but future James Bond movies still have potential.

Source: The Telegraph

James Bond

Created by Ian Fleming, Albert R. Broccoli First Film Dr. No Latest Film No Time to Die Upcoming Films James Bond 26 Summary

The James Bond franchise centers on the fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, also known by his code number 007. Created by writer Ian Fleming in 1953, Bond has been featured in novels, films, television, radio, comics, and video games. The film series, produced by Eon Productions, is one of the longest-running and highest-grossing franchises in history, known for its blend of espionage, action, and sophisticated style.

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The Accountant 2 review – Ben Affleck’s autistic assassin returns for solid sequel

SXSW film festival: There’s more ludicrous plotting and macho action in Amazon’s decent enough fan service follow-up

Ben Affleck may have given up Batman, but he’s not done with superheroes. In the 2016 film The Accountant, Affleck played Christian Wolff, one of many aliases for an autistic mathematical savant who worked as a forensic accountant and money launderer for every stripe of black money organization. A plethora of confusing and/or outright sad flashbacks served as his superhero origin story: a cold military PsyOps father trained Chris, bullied for his difference and struggling with tantrums, and his neurotypical brother to become lethal fighting machines. The film, written by Bill Dubuque (co-creator of Netflix’s Ozark), treated Chris’s neurodivergence as a superpower, the key to exceptional skill in all fields – a noble intention, though one squandered by the misanthropic stupidity of everything around it.

In practice, Chris was a pretty standard-issue movie assassin, and The Accountant a solid but overly complicated and forgettable action movie that did not need nor set up a second chapter. Nevertheless, business persists. Like Another Simple Favor, this year’s SXSW opening night premiere film, The Accountant 2 is a long-gestating sequel from Amazon MGM Studios to a modest 2010s movie costarring Anna Kendrick that performed well outside of theaters; The Accountant was low-key the most-rented movie of 2017 in the US, gaining a relatively loyal if quiet following. And also like Another Simple Favor, The Accountant 2 is not so much a redux as fan service that leans into the inherent ridiculousness of the enterprise. The Accountant 2, which reunites Dubuque with director Gavin O’Connor, is an even more convoluted, impenetrable, outlandish spectacle of male hyper-competence than its predecessor, doubling down on what one might call divorced dad camp.

That’s mostly for the better. The Accountant 2 is a more fun affair than The Accountant, if you’re a fan of very loud shoot ’em ups, nonsensical crime webs and rogue good guys fighting obviously very bad guys, though this outing is sadly missing Anna Kendrick. (Her Dana, Chris’s erstwhile accounting accomplice/romantic interest, is presumably living well outside Chicago.) Chris, meanwhile, has spent the intervening eight years – the sequel was in development for at least six – keeping to himself in his Airstream of black-market alternative payments. He’s still receiving arrangements from his handler Justine (Allison Robertson), a nonverbal autistic savant based at the Harbor Neuroscience treatment center in New Hampshire, but mostly laying low in Boise.

Chris gets back in the action game, however, at the call of Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), a former ally of sorts from the treasury department’s financial crimes enforcement office, who all inexplicably have guns and combat training. The death of someone close to both plunges them into an investigation that involves, in no particular order: an organized crime network based out of a fish shop; Central American human trafficking gangs; the cruelties of the migrant journey from El Salvador to Texas; a series of high-profile hits around the world; one missing autistic youth in Juarez; and an elusive assassin known as Anaïs (Daniella Pineda). I’m not explaining more for the sake of spoilers and because I genuinely could not follow the labyrinthine and once again poorly integrated plot, but suffice to say, it’s both a lot and inconsequential. The plot is not the point. The point is that Chris calls on his estranged hitman brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) for assistance, allowing for the film’s chief pleasure: two macho actors chopping it up as brothers who don’t know how to be brothers. Just two lifelong loners – no partners, no kids, no friends, no dependents – wondering if they’re happy.

The Accountant had an air of overweening self-seriousness to its proceedings, occasionally leavened by Chris’s inability to read social cues (with Affleck’s performance of neurodivergence boiling down to just avoiding eye contact); the sequel attempts more goodnatured humor, laughing with Chris’s idiosyncrasies – hacking a dating algorithm but struggling with the dates, figuring out how to line dance, continually surprising people with his Clark Kent-style pocket protector to action hero reveal. Affleck still plays Chris as a slightly more socially awkward version of an unflappable movie assassin; Bernthal, who played Braxton in the first movie with a sort of impenetrable worldly panache, goes fully off the chain, chewing every scene as a hitman of supreme confidence and desperate vulnerability who cannot sit still. Not exactly continuous, but highly watchable.

Together, the pair carry what could and nearly does devolve into an illegible pursuit of indecipherable crime under a hail of gunfire. All that, plus an Avengers-esque hub of teenage autistic savants using their special abilities to outwit and out data hunt everyone else. (“That’s my people,” says Chris.) I wouldn’t necessarily call it progressive to show neurodivergent youth hacking through every privacy law imaginable in the name of ability. But it is a nice sentiment of inclusion – the film cast many autistic actors for the roles – and a gesture at celebrating difference, though of course that difference only skews in favor of extreme skills.

Still, sentiment aside, this is a movie of cinematic adrenaline and ludicrous set-ups – ironically for its hero, stupid pleasures, but the fun kind of stupid, the kind that draws loud cheers from a crowd at a SXSW premiere and gets people streaming on the couch. It’s neither groundbreaking nor exceptional, but it does deliver above the admittedly low bar for a questionable sequel, with enough juice for another at-home hit.

Robert Pattison sci-fi ‘Mickey 17´ opens in first place, but…

“Parasite” filmmaker Bong Joon Ho´s original science fiction film “Mickey 17” opened in first place on the North American box office charts. According to studio estimates Sunday, the Robert Pattinson-led film earned $19.1 million in its first weekend in theaters, which was enough to dethrone “Captain America: Brave New World” after a three-week reign.

Overseas, “Mickey 17” has already made $34.2 million, bringing its worldwide total to $53.3 million. But profitability for the film is a long way off: It cost a reported $118 million to produce, which does not account for millions spent on marketing and promotion.

A week following the Oscars, where “Anora” filmmakerSean Baker made an impassioned speech about the importance of the theatrical experience – for filmmakers to keep making movies for the big screens, for distributors to focus on theatrical releases and for audiences to keep going – “Mickey 17” is perhaps the perfect representation of this moment in the business, or at least an interesting case study. It´s an original film from an Oscar-winning director led by a big star that was afforded a blockbuster budget and given a robust theatrical release by Warner Bros., one of the few major studios remaining. But despite all of that, and reviews that were mostly positive (79% on RottenTomatoes), audiences did not treat it as an event movie, and it may ultimately struggle to break even.

Originally set for release in March 2024, Bong Joon Ho´s follow-up to the Oscar-winning “Parasite” faced several delays, which he has attributed to extenuating circumstances around the Hollywood strikes. Based on the novel “Mickey7” by Edward Ashton, Pattinson plays an expendable employee who dies on missions and is re-printed time and time again. Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo also star.

It opened in 3,807 locations domestically where it performed best in New York and Los Angeles. Premium large format showings, including IMAX screens, also accounted for nearly half of its opening weekend. Internationally, it did especially well in Korea, where it made an estimated $14.6 million.

Second place went to “Captain America: Brave New World,” which added $8.5 million from 3,480 locations in North America and $9.2 million internationally. Its global total currently rests at $370.8 million. The Walt Disney Studios is on track to become the first studio to cross $1 billion in 2025 sometime this week.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Robert Pattinson as Mickey 18, left, and Mickey 17 in a scene from “Mickey 17.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Holdovers “Last Breath,” “The Monkey” and “Paddington in Peru” rounded out the top five. The weekend also had several other newcomers in “In the Lost Lands,” a fantasy film from Paul W.S. Anderson starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista, and Angel Studios’ “Rule Breakers,” about Afghani girls on a robotics team.

Neon upped the theater count for “Anora” to nearly 2,000 screens after it won five Oscars on Sunday, including best picture, best director and best actress. It earned an estimated $1.9 million (up 595% from last weekend), bringing its total grosses to $18.4 million.

According to data from Comscore, the 2025 box office as a whole is up 1% from where it was last year as of this weekend and down 34.2% from the last pre-pandemic box office year of 2019.

“That is the rollercoaster that is the box office,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “You have two or three down weeks, it can profoundly impact the bottom line and the percentage advantage. But it will come back again.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Mickey 17,” $19.1 million.

2. “Captain America: Brave New World,” $8.5 million.

3. “Last Breath,” $4.2 million.

4. “The Monkey,” $3.9 million.

5. “Paddington in Peru,” $3.9 million.

6. “Dog Man,” $3.5 million.

7. “Anora,” $1.9 million.

8. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $1.7 million.

9. “Rule Breakers,” $1.6 million.

10. “In the Lost Land,” $1 million.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Robert Pattinson in a scene from “Mickey 17.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows actors Anamaria Vartolomei, left, and Robert Pattinson, center, with filmmaker Bong Joon Ho on the set of “Mickey 17.” (Jonathan Olley/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Actor Robert Pattinson, right, and Bong Joon Ho, left, pose for the photographers as they arrive for the screening of the film ‘Mickey 17’ at the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)

Director Bong Joon Ho poses for the photographers as he arrives for the screening of the film ‘Mickey 17’ at the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)