After completely transforming to play professional boxer Christy Martin, Sydney Sweeney's new sports biopic has failed to live up to expectations, marking one of the worst worldwide box office openings in history.

The new movie, titled Christy, hit screens on November 7 and earned just $1.3 million worldwide over its opening weekend. The movie released in 2,011 theaters, meaning the movie averaged just $649 per theater.

This puts Christy amongst the 15 movies with the worst openings on over 2,000 screens, as per Box Office Mojo. The 2012 flick The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure sits at number one, but many other films in the list were either released during the pandemic or re-releases. Christy has yet to release its official production budget, but World of Reel pegs it at around $30–40 million, meaning the film has little chance of earning its budget back.

This stands in complete contrast to Dan Trachtenberg's Predator: Badlands, which was released on the same day and managed to earn $80 million worldwide. However, despite Christy's lackluster theatre presence, the movie actually stands at a respectable 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics praising Sweeney's performance.

Directed by David Michôd, the film explores the real story behind pro boxer and winner of the WBC female super welterweight title in 2009, Christy Martin. The movie follows small-town West Virginia girl Christy, who, through grit, raw determination, and the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, shot to stardom.

The official synopsis reads, "But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it—confronting family, identity, and a relationship that just might become life-or-death. Based on remarkable true events, Christy Martin’s story is one of resilience, courage, and the fight to reclaim one’s life."

Christy also stars Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, and Katy O'Brian.

Christy is out in cinemas now. For more, check out our list of the best sports movies, and keep up with upcoming movies heading your way.

This year has been one of the most unpredictable yet at the box office. Ne Zha 2 still remains the highest-grossing movie of 2025, several Marvel movies have failed to soar at the box office and, now, F1 races past a Brad Pitt box office milestone that we're surprised hasn't been broken before.

F1, which stars Pitt as over-the-hill F1 driver Sonny Hayes alongside up-and-coming APXGP teammate Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), has taken $552 million at the worldwide box office. That is now Pitt's highest-grossing movie as a lead (and discounting the likes of his blink-and-you'll-literally-miss-it cameo as The Vanisher in Deadpool 2).

For reference, F1 comes in ahead of World War Z ($540 million), Troy (just shy of $500 million), Mr. and Mrs. Smith ($487 million). If we adjust for inflation, 2001's Ocean's Eleven ($450 million) might rank as Pitt's most successful movie, however.

Despite Brad Pitt being an undoubted A-lister, his reluctance to step into superhero media and IP franchises – that aforementioned Deadpool 2 cameo aside – means he has never come close to a billion-dollar taking at the box office.

Still, there's plenty of fuel left in the tank. Next up for Pitt is Netflix's The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a 1970s-set follow-up to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with Pitt reprising his role as Tinseltown's hard-hitting stunt double. Quentin Tarantino will pen the script, with David Fincher on directing duties.

For more, be sure to dive into all the upcoming movies heading your way in 2025 and beyond.

Most sporting films can’t hope to match the appeal of the thing itself – football being the most obvious example. But while the best boxing movies are unmissable, it’s increasingly hard to justify the sport’s existence at all. Paying people to hurt each other is unconscionable and watching the process panders to our very worst instincts.

The films, however, are often fabulous, and have done much to elevate the art form. Dating back to 1894 quasi-documentary Leonard-Cushing Fight, the genre played a part in the emergence of full-length features (1897’s 100-odd-minute-long The Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight), as well as the coming of sound (1929’s part-talkie The Shakedown), among other landmarks. Imagine a world without the training montage – courtesy of 1976’s Rocky et al – if you can.

While the sport has attracted some shady characters over the years, the films call to world-class directors such as Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood and Michael Mann, and acting heavyweights such as Robert De Niro, Hilary Swank and Denzel Washington, many of them Oscar-garlanded for their troubles. Then there are supreme documentaries such as 1996’s When We Were Kings and 2008’s Tyson.

The appeal of the boxing film is simple. It’s human drama boiled down to its essentials: two people in a ring, each trying to prove something through the medium of punching. As a character, the boxer, often a fighter who’s really fighting with themselves, is almost mythic: they’re an embodiment of the American dream; an avatar for the dark heart of humankind.

True, Method actors like De Niro and Day-Lewis may bust a gut training to convince viewers they’re the real deal, but choreography and camera tricks take over when the fighting starts. Watching on screen, we get a ringside seat to explore our endless fascination with violence – without anyone getting seriously hurt. Surely that’s a win-win… or is it just me?

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When Total Film meets Challengers stars Zendaya and The Crown’s Josh O’Connor in London in June 2023 they are good-naturedly trash-talking their third wheel, Mike Faist, who can’t make this chat due to his commitment to West End stage show Brokeback Mountain. "Oh, you heard? Terrible!" Zendaya – or ‘Zee’ as her co-stars call her – jokes with a laugh before talking proudly of her absent colleague’s performance as Jack Twist, which she, her boyfriend Tom Holland and O’Connor had seen the night before. Faist, when we meet a few days later between shows, keeps up the banter and teasing when he laughs about O’Connor’s preparation (or lack thereof) for playing a champion tennis player. 

The dynamic between the three is very much in keeping with the chemistry and vibe at the heart of Luca Guadagnino’s follow-up to cannibal romance Bones and All, a switch in direction that he describes as "a fairly fizzy, sexy movie about the world of tennis". Written by playwright turned screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, Challengers charts the relationship between best-friend players Patrick (O’Connor) and Art (Faist) as they meet tennis prodigy Tashi (Zendaya) in their training teens and interchange as her boyfriend/friend. Years later, when Art is a top seed in a crisis and Tashi now his wife and coach, the duo run into Patrick again, who’s struggling to make ends meet but still has fire in his game – in every way. As Art and Patrick compete in a lowranking challengers match (Art to flex, Patrick to win cash), old resentments and attractions come into play…

Zendaya produces as well as leads on the project – all the push-pull of the men’s achievements, psychological warfare and heartbreak revolves around her queenly Tashi who witheringly comments that she is ‘taking such good care of my little white boys’ – and felt that the script spoke to her immediately after Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal brought it to her. "It felt like the right fit," she says, snuggling in her Challengers-logoed sweater (‘from the wrap [party]’). "Spider-Man was a big thing for us, and it’s been hugely a part of my life. But it was very different in the sense that I was definitely just an actor in that, and in that world. I think her bringing this to me in the capacity of being collaborative was very exciting. It was special to start putting something together. The first person, and only person, that we really talked to was Luca, because I was so excited by the fact that he felt what I felt about what I had read, and wanted to have a conversation with me about it. I felt very honoured in that way. He’d already read it, and was like, 'I know what kind of movie I want to make.' And then when we talked about it, and those movies aligned – the movie I saw in my head, and the movie he saw in his head – and kind of connected in this crazy way, I just knew that this felt like the right fit."

With Tashi on centre court, Zendaya and Guadagnino set about casting her ‘little white boys’ – Art, a perfectionist and pragmatist; Patrick, a firebrand and disrupter. Guadagnino legendarily does not believe in chemistry reads, preferring to match talent by intuition, and he and his star/producer landed on the same Brit playing a prince for their chaotic tennis brat. "When I first read the script, I was shooting Spider-Man: No Way Home and I watched The Crown," Zendaya recalls. "I was like, 'Yo, this guy is amazing! Josh O’Connor. He would be perfect for this.' Then when I talked to Luca, without having said anything, he was like, 'So I’m thinking of Josh O’Connor.' I was like, 'OK! That was in my head, too!' And then his magical mind found Mike as well, and put this beautiful trio together. He really has an understanding of casting in a way that I think is really special."

O’Connor agrees. "He’s told me he’s not interested in the chemistry and stuff like that. But I think that’s only because he has a very good understanding of what will work. I remember the first day of rehearsals, and I was sitting watching Zee and Mike doing a scene in this space, and it was just immediately apparent. I was like: 'It’s perfect casting.' And the three of us, I think, were just perfect in that sense, and also very open actors. Zee and Mike were always offering stuff up, and always pushing each other, and me. We were all kind of helping ourselves along that way."

Winning the set

When the trailer for the film was released, it set the internet aflame with the palpable sexual ferocity between Zendaya and both co-stars, but also between the two men. Art and Patrick have a close friendship that dances around the edges of attraction, and that informs their battle on the courts and in Tashi’s affections. That frisson, which can’t be manufactured, was found in a pre-shoot rehearsal period in Boston in the spring of 2022, where the threesome honed their forehand and foreplay. 

"We kind of went to summer camp," Zendaya smiles. "It was an acting/tennis summer camp. You wake up really early. Everybody’s like, 'OK, let’s stretch together.' We stretch, we play PE games…"

O’Connor interjects: "Eat eggs, eat chicken and broccoli…"

"Broccoli! And work out, and play tennis, rehearse all day. It was a dream in that respect, you get paid to do what you would want to do anyway."

"That’s kind of what we do as actors," Faist nods. "You just kind of learn new skills with everything, and each time it just feels like, 'OK, what kind of camp is this going to be?' And the three of us, really, we had a lot of fun training together and working together. It was definitely a memorable summer."

"I love rehearsal space," Zendaya enthuses of the process, "because it’s just a time to throw things out there, and see if anything sticks. So by the time you’re on set, you feel free. You’ve had the conversations and the fear, and you’re not losing time. You can just play."

That play also included movie nights watching Ratatouille ("Some light-heartedness to balance some of the talk and the energy of these characters," Zendaya chuckles) and time building the sexual power play and dynamics at work within the trio. "Josh and I are just kind of, genuinely, these walking goofballs, who just like acting," Faist smiles. "I think Josh and I came out of this with a very similar mentality. And we just spent so much time together on this, all the time." Two goofballs trying to woo a goddess could edge into bawdy comedy territory and though Challengers does offer humour, it delivers simmering sex scenes, as audiences might expect from Guadagnino’s sensuous output. 

"Look, it’s a very vulnerable thing what we do, already, to begin with," Faist shrugs of ensuring the physicality of the characters felt as authentic as the tennis. ‘And then to add on these funny layers – you know, it can be so uncomfortable. So it was really important that we were all very honest and comfortable with each other, and made sure that we were creating a safe enough environment to be willing to play and do these things. It’s such a weird thing, because you have a whole crew of people standing over there, on the other side. There’s a camera pointing at you, and then they’re like, 'OK, do this awkward thing.'

"And you’re like, 'OK, let’s do this awkward thing, and try to come across as believable.' So you’re doing it, and all of a sudden, they say 'cut', and you give each other fist bumps or something. Something goofy to kind of break the tension of it all. I’m always like, 'All right, who am I making out with today?'"

For Zendaya, the very real bond the trio built before cameras rolled is what makes the characters so believable for audiences. "Just being committed to the work, and holding space for each other, and being patient with each other, and just being really helpful, and just being in those rooms, and just talking shit through – I think it ultimately led to being in a space where we could just be like, 'All right, let’s play.' I felt like I was, you know, filling the role of a leader, but also being led in many ways by their performances, and how they show up to work every day."

That process is a form of magic, says Faist – sometimes the talent put in a room together just gels and that gets captured on camera. "At the end of the day, you have a bunch of alchemists who are extremely passionate, who have no idea how to make the potion work. But for some reason, they’re just going to try…"

Advantage

Emotional dynamics sorted, the trifecta also had to nail looking like top seeds who knew their way around the professional tour. Having been on the project from that start, Zendaya trained with the film’s tennis consultant, former pro and Andre Agassi coach Brad Gilbert, and further refined her court style in the six-week rehearsal period. She became so convincing a grand slammer that Guadagnino gushed about her skills at the Academy Museum Gala in October 2022: "We edited the movie and we almost actually don’t use any of her double. She’s so good." 

O’Connor and Faist had less time, coming later to the project and directly off other sets. Their approaches mirrored their characters according to the actors. Faist, who admits his experience of tennis was playing one season in high school, was filming Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders in Ohio immediately before arriving in Boston and was anxious about training enough to convince as a pro. "Whenever I work, I just kind of obsess about things. I get tunnel vision; I’m a bit of a perfectionist. So when I found out that I got this I was very nervous about the whole thing because my character was probably a top-three tennis player in the world, and had been for some time." Adding to his neurosis was Brad Gilbert’s insistence Faist achieve a powerful one-handed backhand. "I was in Ohio, and I got in touch with some professionals there through Brad, and, for six weeks, trained every day for about four hours. When we got to Boston, I was so nervous, because I knew Zee had been training and I just assumed Josh had been, too. And when I get there Josh is holding the racquet, and questioning, 'How do you hold this?' because he had been up on a hill in Italy shooting a movie for the past six weeks [La Chimera]. Once that happened, I kind of calmed my nerves, and thought, 'This is going to be OK. I’m not, at least, Josh!'" 

O’Connor is Patrick-esque sanguine about his lack of tennis know-how, confessing he based his off-court mind games and meltdowns on Medvedev and Kyrgios. "It was either acting or tennis for me…" he jokes. "No, I’m rubbish, and I had never played any tennis. Zee was pretty fast in getting the moves down and Mike, though we joke, was actually unbelievably good…"

"But you’re supposed to have a certain style of play," Zendaya assures. "Like, there’s technique, but then also it has to be a little fucked-up, too."

O’Connor laughs. "That worked in my favour because if anyone was like, 'Hey, Josh, it’s not like that' – I was like, 'I know, but it’s a character choice. That’s how he holds it!'"

Playing such competitive sportspeople can’t be too dissimilar to the rigours of acting, Total Film suggests, the commitment required to make that elusive top-seeded player spot and the rivalry in the audition room. "It feels like what we do is more of a team sport," Zendaya disagrees. "You have so many departments and so many people creating this one thing. I don’t ever look at it like, 'I’m an actor, you’re an actor. We’re on separate sides of the thing.' I try not to be in comparison or competition with anyone, except for Zendaya yesterday."

For O’Connor, acting is too multi-discipline to be as competitive as grand-slam rivals. "It’s kind of impossible to be competitive; it would be like a painter being in competition with a sculptor. What Zee offers as an actor is so completely different to what Mike offers, to what I offer. With tennis, there are small margins, and those players are all so good, and it’s down to psychological competition."

Challengers is out in theaters on April 26. This article first appeared in issue 341 of Total Film. You can subscribe to Total Film here. 

For more on Challengers, read our Big Screen Spotlight feature on why it doesn't need sex scenes to make it the sexiest film of the year.

Anyone for tonsil tennis? It’s the least you’d expect from Luca Guadagnino, the Italian maestro who defiled a peach in Call Me by Your Name and made cannibalism look sexy in Bones and All. It’s hardly surprising, then, to see the 'sport of kings' receive a racy makeover in his stylish latest, in which the on-court rivalry between two friends turned adversaries – cool customer Art (Mike Faist) and wild card Patrick (Josh O’Connor) – comes with a sizzling undertow of erotic tension.

The nominal source of their antipathy is Zendaya’s Tashi, a Serena-ish prodigy turned exacting taskmistress who, having had her playing career curtailed by a cruel injury, has devoted herself to making husband Art the best he can be. A previous dalliance with Patrick when they were all promising up-and-comers, though, means her loyalties are nothing if not divided when her past and present partners come face to face again at a middling ‘challenger’ event.

But wait! Might Art and Patrick have their own private ball-game going on, one in which Tashi is merely a bystander? That’s the provocative proposition at the heart of Guadagnino’s drama, a tricksy affair story-wise in which three narrative threads – the trio’s amorous history, the run-up to the tournament and its sweat-drenched, grudge-match climax – are weaved together by writer Justin Kuritzkes into one serpentine, Dunkirkian tapestry.

Keeping a handle on these multiple/simultaneous time frames can occasionally be as arduous as the tennis itself, elevated here by DoP Sayombhu Mukdeeprom into a dizzying battle of attrition and wills (at one point the ball becomes his camera’s PoV as it zooms from racquet to racquet, while elsewhere it’s a projectile fired so directly at the viewer one almost feels obliged to duck). 

Guadagnino, however, ensures things are always entertaining, one pivotal clinch involving two of his protagonists – a parking-lot embrace in the middle of a windstorm, incongruously scored by an angelic boys’ choir singing Welsh hymn Levy-Dew – reaching an almost operatic level of sensuality and emotion.

It might be too heady a brew for some, especially those whose appreciation of tennis is limited to strawberries and cream. On the acting front, though, it’s a virtual grand slam, Zendaya, Faist, and particularly O’Connor fine-tuning their characters’ 13-year romantic imbroglio into a lusty love match for the ages.

Challengers is in UK cinemas and US theaters from April 26. 

You think of sports anime and, chances are, you think of Haikyu, the legendary volleyball anime that follows diminutive spiker Hinata’s ‘rise to the top.’

After four seasons, Hinata’s journey is about to come to an end with a two-part film – starting with HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle. 

The movie was released in Japan in February and now, thanks to Crunchyroll’s presentation at CinemaCon, we now have a western release date to look forward to.

HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle is releasing on May 31 in the US, UK, and Ireland with other countries – such as Australia, Italy, and Brazil – getting it a day earlier on May 30.

Those who have followed Haikyu from its tentative steps on the court will know what to expect next: The Dumpster Battle follows Karasuno’s volleyball team as they get set to face their eternal rivals Nekoma High in the next round of the Nationals. 

If it’s anything like Hinata and Karasuno’s previous duels with Nekoma and the wallflower-like setter Kenma, we could be in for an all-timer – and it feels especially exciting given that a theatrical release away from Japan was by no means a guarantee.

Crunchyroll has also acquired the theatrical rights to the Blue Lock movie (June 28) and Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom (release date TBA), meaning that the schedules are suddenly peppered with some big-time anime adventures.

For more, be sure to check out the rest of the new anime coming out in 2024. Then dive into our guides to Demon Slayer season 4 and Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 for the latest on the upcoming seasons to some of the best anime around.

Triumph and tragedy form an inseparable tag team in writer/director Sean Durkin’s (Martha Marcy May Marlene) emotional chronicle of the Von Erich clan, a close-knit family of sibling wrestlers whose rise to prominence in 1980s Texas was accompanied by a remorseless, almost Shakespearean succession of setbacks.

Giving their sport a level of respect not often granted, the film calculates the cost the boys paid trying to live up to their father-slash-coach’s exacting standards – a price that made each of them genuinely fear that their surname came with a curse. 

Named for a head-gripping palm move that patriarch Fritz (Holt McCallany) made his signature during his time in the ring, The Iron Claw is upfront from the start about wrestling’s choreographed fakery. Yet it also gives its practitioners their due by showing both the arduous training required to mould their muscular physiques, and the risk of serious injury they face even when partaking in pre-scripted theatrics.

The most startling transformation here is Zac Efron’s, the High School Musical heart-throb resembling Lou Ferrigno’s Hulk as the ambitious, if somewhat charisma-light, Kevin. Yet Durkin’s saga is very much an ensemble effort that ensures all of the brothers – blond-haired trash-talker David (Harris Dickinson), thwarted Olympian discus-chucker Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), and amiable wannabe musician Mike (Stanley Simons) – get their moment to shine.

That each fleeting snapshot of glory comes with a cruelly inexplicable postscript gives Durkin’s follow-up to 2020’s The Nest a chilling fatalism (not for nothing does Kevin insist that the son he has with Lily James’ veterinarian, Pam, has his mother’s maiden name on his birth certificate).

At the same time, though, the film embraces the camp world the boys operate in, with its baying audiences, pantomime villains, and lurid Spandex outfits. DoP Mátyás Erdély brings his camera in tight during the body-slamming action, so much so that you can almost smell the baby oil. Yet he is capable of great lyricism, too: an idyllic scene of the brothers spending a lazy day on the river pays off later on with a reunion that’s as poignant as it is unexpected.

Efron may be top-billed, but there is equally fine work from McCallany as the fam’s tyrannical taskmaster and Maura Tierney as the withholding mother behind him. Only James feels a little out of place, her vivacity striking a discordant note in a story so permeated with misfortune.

The Iron Claw is in US theaters now and in UK cinemas from February 9. 

2011's Warrior is undoubtedly one of the best sports dramas of the past few decades – and for my money, it's actually the greatest ever made. Directed by Gavin O'Connor, the film stars Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as two estranged brothers who end up fighting against each other in an MMA tournament. But the confrontation isn't just the physical fight, as they come to terms with their history, relationship, and more.

The pair are more than a match for each other in the ring, with both actors famously piling on the muscle ahead of shooting. In fact, Hardy's routine saw him gain 28 pounds of muscle, developing a physique which would later also serve him when portraying the villainous Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.

However, 13 years later, who would win in a fight now? Whilst promoting his latest film The Boys in the Boat, also a sports drama, we asked Edgerton whether he has been keeping up with any of the MMA training. And alas, his answer confirms he would no longer be a match for Hardy as he admits to GamesRadar+: "No, I haven't been doing any of the MMA. I've been doing a little bit of boxing – but that's nothing compared to Tom Hardy. He's doing jujitsu tournaments now! Strangely, in the film, his character actually wasn't so much into that side of things, but now he's doing a lot more of it. For me, whilst I do box, I'm more into gentle things these days."

Whilst Edgerton does say he's into more "gentle" activities, George Clooney's latest directorial effort The Boys in The Boat tells the astonishing real-life story of the University of Washington's Olympic medal-winning rowing team. In the film, the actor portrays Coach Al Ulbrickson and, whilst he does watch the crew from the sidelines, he still had to do some rowing: "I did some single scull rowing. We shot a couple of things where my character goes into the rivers to check the lanes and conditions. So, I didn't have to row out a stroke, but it had to look like I knew what I was doing. But those scenes aren't in the film because they ended up being unnecessary, not because I did a bad job. Well, I like to think so, anyway – but ask George!"

The Boys in the Boat is out in US theaters now and will release in UK cinemas on Friday 12th January.  For more from Edgerton, you can read our full conversation here. 

Meanwhile we also spoke to Clooney, and Turner about training for the new sports drama and why casting Hitler for the film was a strange experience. You can also hear more from the pair on the latest episode of the Inside Total Film podcast.

It seems like there's no shortage of chemistry in Luca Guadagnino's sizzling tennis drama Challengers (which you can see a sneak peek of above, courtesy of our exclusive image).

The movie charts the relationship between tennis players Art (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O'Connor), whose close friendship dances around the edges of attraction and informs their battle on the courts and in Tashi (Zendaya)’s affections. That frisson, which can’t be manufactured, was found in a pre-shoot rehearsal period in Boston in the spring of 2022, where the threesome honed their forehand and foreplay. 

"We kind of went to summer camp," Zendaya tells the new issue of Total Film magazine, which is out on newsstands on Thursday, August 17, in an interview conducted before the actors' strike. "It was an acting/tennis summer camp. You wake up really early. Everybody’s like, 'OK, let’s stretch together.' We stretch, we play PE games…" O'Connor interjects: "Eat eggs, eat chicken and broccoli…" 

"Broccoli! And work out, and play tennis, rehearse all day," Zendaya continues. "It was a dream in that respect, you get paid to do what you would want to do anyway."

"That’s kind of what we do as actors," Faist nods. "You just kind of learn new skills with everything, and each time it just feels like, 'OK, what kind of camp is this going to be?' And the three of us, really, we had a lot of fun training together and working together. It was definitely a memorable summer."

It wasn't all tennis and chemistry, either – this summer camp also included movie nights watching Ratatouille. "Some light-heartedness to balance some of the talk and the energy of these characters," Zendaya chuckles.

Challengers is now set to hit cinemas on April 26, 2024. In the meantime, check out our guide to the movie release dates to add to your calendar before the year is out.

• Pre-order The Marvels issue of Total Film now

This is just a snippet of our interview in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which features The Marvels on the cover. The magazine hits shelves this Thursday, August 17. This issue also comes with a free 48-page photo supplement looking behind the scenes at Warner Bros to mark 100 years of the studio. Check out the covers below:

If you're a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue? You'll get the magazine before it’s in shops, with exclusive subscriber-only covers (like the one pictured above). With our latest offer, you can get a free gift worth £69.99 when you take out a print/bundle subscription. Head to MagazinesDirect to find out more (Ts and Cs apply).

Gran Turismo, based on the PlayStation game of the same name, follows the true story of Jann Mardenborough, played by Archie Madekwe, a teenage player of the game who ended up as a professional race car driver. You can see an exclusive look at the movie above, featuring David Harbour as Jann's trainer.

When it comes to the reality and immersion of the high-speed scenes – the real vehicles, the cast being put through the wringer, the commitment to high-tech filming methods – it’s hard to not think of Top Gun: Maverick. 

Total Film puts the comparison to director Neill Blomkamp in the new issue of the magazine, which is out on newsstands on Thursday, July 20, and he says that a VFX-heavy approach just wouldn’t have been right for this film. "What’s right is Archie in the [car], super-uncomfortable, with high Gs, nausea, at 200km an hour… So it’s a fair comparison. I don’t know what [Maverick director] Joseph Kosinski’s like, but I’m sure he wanted the same thing. We just need to make it feel real." 

Harbour also enthuses at the mention of Maverick. "I certainly hope we do as well as Top Gun: Maverick," he laughs. "But I made that comparison myself. I think there’s somewhat of a throwback quality to that film’s pace, and to what that film is doing, and there is to us as well. I feel like we are very related to that, and are in the same family as them." 

Gran Turismo releases on August 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of the year's most highly anticipated movie release dates.

• Pre-order The Creator issue of Total Film now

This is just a snippet of our interview in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which features Gareth Edwards' new movie The Creator on the cover. The magazine hits shelves this Thursday, July 20. Check out the covers below:

If you're a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue? You'll get the magazine before it’s in shops, with exclusive subscriber-only covers (like the one pictured above). With our latest offer, you can get an Alexa speaker worth £49.99 when you take out a print/bundle subscription. Head to MagazinesDirect to find out more (Ts and Cs apply).

Gran Turismo, a hit PlayStation racing-sim series, may not seem like a logical fit for Director 9 director Neill Blomkamp. But as he reveals in the new issue of Total Film magazine  – which is out on newsstands on May 25 – he's more than happy to take the wheel.

‘I'm just obsessed with cars. Totally obsessed. So I was like, 'Yeah, I should probably do this film,'" Blomkamp says of his petrolhead passions. 

Gran Turismo will revolve around the real-life inspirations of Jann Madenborough (played by Midsommar's Archie Madekwe, who you can see in an exclusive image above). David Harbour and Orlando Bloom will be coaching him from the sidelines, in what sounds like Blomkamp's take on the sports movie. 

"I think it probably will ultimately fall into that genre," he admits. "I definitely don't think of it that way but I think it's hard not to. It's definitely the closest that I'll ever get to making a sports film – that is for sure!"

• Preorder the Oppenheimer issue of Total Film now

Gran Turismo is scheduled for release on August 11. The above is just a snippet of our interview from Blomkamp from the new issue of Total Film magazine, which features Christopher Nolan's epic Oppenheimer on the cover. The magazine hits shelves this Thursday, May 25. Check out the covers below:

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The Gran Turismo movie has recently dropped its first high-octane trailer, but back in November 2022, Total Film was already getting revved up about the prospect of the racing game adaptation on set.

This year is finally proving to be a fertile time for live-action adaptations of video games. The Super Mario Bros. Movie has crossed the $1bn mark at the global box office, The Last of Us is one of the most acclaimed TV shows of the year, and even Tetris offered an innovative way to tackle the classic puzzler (by dramatising the surprisingly tangled rights dispute behind the addictive game’s distribution). But even so, the long-running racing-sim series initially seems like an unlikely candidate for the big screen treatment.

But there’s a great deal about Gran Turismo that’s unexpected. For starters, director Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie) is stepping away from sci-fi genre trappings for a story grounded in reality. And that’s not just the grounded physics of the real-word racing; it’s actually based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, who competed in the GT Academy - a racing program that courted contenders who were experts in the ultra-realistic driving sim to see if they could transfer their skills to real cars.

Talking of realism, the film is shooting on location at the Hungaroring racetrack near Budapest, Hungary. It’s a crisp autumn day and the track is dressed for a Le Mans sequence. We even step inside a hot set (that’s one that they’ll be filming on - so no messing with the props) decked out like the PlayStation lounge. The triangle, circle, cross. and square symbols are everywhere, and there’s a 10ft tall screen on which to practise your gaming skills.

During the day we’re introduced to the filmmaking team and the cast, and most of our interviews take place above the rumble and roar of engines outside, as stunt drivers take lap after lap in Nissan GT-Rs, pursued by car-mounted camera arms. Here are five key takeaways we learned from our on-set chats with the key cast and crew…

This is Neill Blomkamp’s version of a sports movie

Gran Turismo marks a gear shift away from the genre pieces that South African and Canadian director Blomkamp is best known for. Years ago, he was famously attached to an ill-fated big-screen adaptation of Halo, before District 9 launched his filmmaking career. While Gran Turismo qualifies as a video game adaptation, it is, he admits, the closest thing he’ll make to a sports movie. Even if he doesn’t quite see it that way.

“The things that drew me to it were, I’m always doing science-fiction with a heavy amount of some kind of otherworldly, non-real worldbuilding,” he says. “And so one of the things about [Gran Turismo] was, this is a contemporary, real world, in a way that has this globetrotting, everyday realism about it that I felt, for some weird reason, massively creatively inspired by. So, like, building real-world sets, and mimicking real-world things. Even just bringing the Tokyo headquarters of Nissan to life in Budapest. How do we create that? It’s an interesting, weird challenge I wouldn’t normally do. And it’s super-creatively fulfilling. But that’s how I look at it. I don’t look at it like a sports movie at all. But ultimately I guess it probably is.”

The film will blend video games and real-world racing

Gran Turismo the movie occupies an unusual space between rousing true story and gratifying video game adaptation. Jann Mardenborough’s experiences form the film’s dramatic backbone, but ultimately, self-confessed petrolhead Blomkamp hopes it will also delight fans of the game. “I was trying to think of a way to connect this kid who plays Gran Turismo in his parents’ house who, in real life, ended up racing at Le Mans,” says Blomkamp. “I tried to bring some of the virtual Gran Turismo simulated-reality into reality, almost subjectively from his point of view. Like, this is how he remembers it, and how that overlays into the real world. That was one of the ideas that I wanted to inject into the script, and the way that we shoot it. It was like: how do we do that?”

Another reference point - albeit not a deliberate one - is Netflix documentary series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Blomkamp hadn’t seen the show before commencing work on this film, but it provides a useful counterpoint. “In the crew, and in people I speak to, things like Drive To Survive had piqued their interest in a good way,” says Blomkamp. “When I speak to them about the film, they’re really into it because they’ve been watching this series that explains how racing happens behind the scenes. And I feel like a lot of the stuff that we’re shooting captures what I’m seeing in Drive To Survive: the way the teams work behind the scenes, the way the pits feel, the way the whole caravan of racing moves from one location to the next. We have a lot of that stuff in the film.”

Working with the car companies is trickier than working with Sony

Collaborating with Sony on one of their crown-jewel properties might sound like a recipe for micro-management and compromises, but not so, says Blomkamp. “That has actually worked in a way that I think has been beneficial,” he says. “It hasn’t really been negative. It’s been helpful to have different departments that are usually not speaking to one another, to communicate. It’s kind of cool. It sounds like it would be a hindrance, but it isn’t.” In fact, it was other collaborations that proved more troublesome. “It’s been more difficult to get the exterior brand committees on board, because that’s something that’s strange about this movie: how many real-world, other brands are involved. You almost need to pull back. When you look at races, there’s just advertising everywhere. It’s too much sometimes.”

And as Blomkamp explains, car companies are only really willing to provide their goods for the production if their car actually wins. “I never really think that product placement ever really works. When you get into it, and you start asking people to give you stuff in exchange for being on screen, it comes with so many different strings attached to it, that at some point it’s not worth it. But when we started off trying to get car companies to give us cars, every single one of them was like, ‘yes, but as long as we win.’ So most of them, I guess, were approached as if we’ll rent them. So that was the biggest weird conundrum. You get a sign-off where no cash really exchanges hands. ‘You get to use the car and you get to use our name, but we’re not giving it to you because it doesn’t win.’ And that’s kind of where we ended up.”

The cast aren’t the biggest gamers

Archie Madekwe (Midsommar, Voyagers) is stepping into the spotlight in the lead role, and coaching him from the pit stops will be Orlando Bloom and David Harbour. Madekwe describes his previous experience of the game as “minimal”. “I did not know much,” he laughs. “This whole thing has been an education. Growing up, I’ve dabbled on the PlayStation. But it was a true immersion [to prepare for this film]. I couldn’t even drive before I had this job. I was filming something else before, I’d wrap, and I’d run straight to driving lessons.”

Similarly, Bloom admits to “honestly not a huge amount” of experience of the games before the film. “I am a fan of speed. So I’ve kind of done countless track days – on motorcycles, mostly. Like Supermoto and then some superbikes and then some motocross.” Bloom plays Danny Moore, a fictionalised version of GT Academy founder Darren Cox. “You know, as a kid, I played Daytona in the arcades. The great hook for this, maybe, is the title. Gran Turismo has an emotional connection for anyone who played the game. It takes you back.

"And then in Neill we have this remarkable visionary who’s done all these sci-fis, and he’s taking that insane visionary, larger-than-life look at moviemaking into a very grounded story of the character of Jann Mardenborough.”

This is a different kind of video-game adaptation

Towards the end of the visit we also speak to Carter Swan, senior producer at PlayStation Productions who previously helped shepherd Uncharted and The Last of Us to the screen. “It's a different kind of adaptation, right. But I think that's what makes it so exciting,” he says. “And that's what we look for at PlayStation Productions… Other video game adaptations in the past tried to copy the game and put it on the screen and you can't do that. It's a 60-hour immersive experience versus a two-hour passive experience. We approach it in a way where we're just trying to tell that real-life story and get everything that happens as accurate as we possibly can. So it'll be compelling and exciting, and people will relate to it out in the world and understand that it's based on Jann, a real person. And I think that's what makes this one special in the space.”

That’s not to say that there won’t be references and allusions for fans of the gaming series. “I also think, to our astute fans - and I am one of them - who has played every game religiously since they started back on the [PS1], if you really look at it, it does mimic the gaming experience a little bit. We've tried to do it. We've been in there very smartly and subtly. And I think it’s in a way that our fans will recognise but doesn't overwhelm Jann's story and take you out of it.”

Gran Turismo opens in cinemas on August 11. You can see what other video game adaptations are in the works via our guide.

Creed 3 includes a subtle anime reference that you may not have noticed. More specifically, one of Adonis Creed's boxing get-ups, which features a reference to the movie Akira.

Designer Raphael Phillips, who worked on the movie, tweeted: "So, [costume designer Lizz Wolf] hits me one Sunday afternoon in 2021 and was like: 'Raph! Michael [B. Jordan] loves anime so much, what if we pitch him some Akira inspired shorts?' We took inspo from the design lines of Kaneda’s classic fit, and he loved it."

Kaneda is the protagonist of Akira, the 1988 Japanese animated action movie set in a dystopian version of Tokyo in the then-future year of 2019. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo and based on his manga of the same name, it follows the leader of a biker gang whose childhood friend gains telekinetic powers after a motorcycle accident and threatens to destabilize the military rule of the city. 

The pictures attached to Phillips' tweet show that Kaneda's trademark red outfit heavily inspired the red shorts that Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) wears when he faces Ricky Conlan (Tony Bellew), his opponent in the first Creed movie, for a rematch in the ring.

Jordan, the star of the Creed series who also stepped behind the camera to make his directorial debut for the third movie, has been vocal about anime such as Naruto inspiring the film's fight scenes. When defining the relationship between his character Adonis and the boxer's new rival and childhood friend Damian (Jonathan Majors), Jordan told Polygon that he looked to titles like Dragon Ball Z, My Hero Academia, and Fullmetal Alchemist.

Creed 3 is in cinemas now. For more viewing inspiration, check out our picks of the best upcoming movies on the way in 2023 and beyond.

Creed 3 star and director Michael B. Jordan has revealed why Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa isn't in the movie, the character's first absence from the franchise since its inception in 1976. 

"First of all, Sly and Rocky's DNA is through this entire franchise," Jordan told HOT97. "You can't have these movies [without that]. That underdog spirit, I think, connects the underdog in all of us. I think what we love about these movies so much is that we see somebody that's going through hardships, that's able to rise from the ashes and reach the mountaintop, and we connect with that. For us, we connect with characters that can do the same, and that's what we want to do with Adonis Creed."

Whereas the first Creed movie had a lot of focus on Rocky and Apollo's relationship and Creed 2 was about Adonis forming his own legacy away from his father's shadow, Jordan emphasized that he wanted the third installment in the trilogy to be all Adonis.

"I want Adonis to stand on his own two feet," he continued. "In order to do that, we had to go into the past. What were those transformative years, those childhood traumas that shaped [Adonis] today? I think the room for this story was really about Adonis Creed moving forward with his family, and having him move forward. That's kind of how we rolled out the story for this one."

The childhood trauma in question concerns Damian Anderson, who's played by franchise newcomer Jonathan Majors. Damian and Adonis met while living in a group home in Los Angeles as teenagers, but their lives went in very different directions after one fateful night in 2002. Reunited in the present day, Adonis quickly learns that you cannot outrun the past.

Creed 3 is in cinemas now. For more viewing inspiration, fill out your watch list with our picks of the best upcoming movies on the way in 2023 and beyond. 

Creed 3 is set to have a trilogy-best opening weekend at the box office when it opens this Friday (March 3). 

The movie is expected to make between $36 and $40 million in the US during its opening weekend. In doing so, the movie would knock Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania off the top spot. Now in its third weekend in theaters, the latest Marvel movie is expected to earn between $16 and $19 million this weekend. The first Creed movie debuted at $29.6 million back in 2015, while 2018's Creed 2 opened to $35.5 million. 

Creed 3 marks series star Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut. Jordan also plays Adonis Creed in the trilogy, the son of legendary boxer Apollo Creed who was played by Carl Weathers in the original Rocky movies. He's joined by Jonathan Majors as Damian Anderson, a figure from Adonis' past. 

Tessa Thompson returns as Adonis' now-wife, Bianca, and Phylicia Rashad is back as Adonis' adoptive mother Mary Anne. Florian Munteanu and Tony Bellew also return as Adonis' boxing opponents from the first two movies, Viktor Drago and Ricky Conlan. This is the first movie in the series not to feature Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa, who was Adonis' coach in the first two films.

Creed 3 arrives on the big screen on March 3. In the meantime, fill out your watch list with our guide to the rest of the year's most exciting upcoming movies, or get straight to the good stuff with our list of all the most important movie release dates. 

Sylvester Stallone has shared his original plans for an unmade seventh Rocky movie in a now-deleted Instagram post. The actor, who wrote all six Rocky movies and directed four of them, posted a slideshow of photos showing artwork from John Rivoli of Rocky Balboa in his signature fedora, along with a series of handwritten notes.

"This was the beginning EXCERPTS of screenplay for ROCKY 7, sadly because [of] certain individuals, it will never happen, but it’s something I want to share with the diehard fans. Always Keep punching. Painting by [John Rivoli]. #Irwinsfault," Stallone captioned the images, referring to Rocky and Creed producer Irwin Winkler (H/T Collider).

In a second, also now-deleted post, Stallone added: "Part two I know it’s confusing, but I think you get the idea. Rocky was back trying to fight for the neighborhood that made him and that he still loves." 

Stallone's handwritten notes mention the restaurant named after Rocky's late wife Adrian (Talia Shire) as the character reminisces about her, while another scene mentions a young fighter named Chucho the Mutt – a potential new mentee for Rocky?

This isn't the first time Stallone has lashed out at Winkler on social media. Last summer,  he posted a picture of Winkler as a snake with a knife coming from his mouth on Instagram with the caption: "A VERY flattering portrait of The Great Rocky/Creed "Producer, IRWIN WINKLER."

The next installment in the Rocky franchise is Creed 3, which Stallone isn't involved in, and arrives on the big screen on March 3. In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of the most exciting movie release dates coming our way in 2023.

Steven Soderbergh decided he had to make a third Magic Mike movie when he saw Magic Mike Live in London. Blown away, he was captivated by the idea of making a fictionalized version of how Mike came up with the live show. On the one hand, the film would be Soderbergh’s 42nd Street, a backstage musical that delves into the mechanics of putting on a show. On the other, it would allow him to train the spotlights on some fascinating themes.

"It was clear that a movie about this process was going to be a wonderful Trojan horse to discuss or expand on some ideas that were nascent in the other two films,” Soderbergh tells Total Film in the new issue of the magazine, featuring Oppenheimer on the cover.

"Primarily, what is desire? What is sexy? What is fantasy? What is the role of fantasy in someone’s life? It was a really great opportunity to talk about some relationship stuff regarding sexuality that the movies have been gradually moving towards. And so I really pitched it as a twofer. I said, 'We get to do this forensic study of how to put on a dance show, and we get to really do a deep-dive on these other ideas that we’ve been trying to build on in each of the two films.'"

Channing Tatum, who’d mined his own experiences as a stripper to bring the eponymous dancer to the screen, had previously said two movies were enough. But so strong was Soderbergh’s idea that he immediately agreed to put on the rip-off trousers once more (before, no doubt, tearing them off again to a roomful of lusty whoops). The story would see Mike’s girlfriend (Salma Hayek) persuade him to quit bartending and go back to the thing he was put on god’s green earth to do. And so he travels to London to orchestrate an eye-widening, heart-pounding, groin-tingling show in a famous old theatre that’s never seen the like.

• Order a copy of Total Film's 2023 Preview issue, fronted by Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer

For more, pick up a copy of Total Film’s 2023 Preview issue, fronted by Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. You order here, and the magazine will be available in shops and on digital newsstands from Thursday, December 15. And the print version of this new issue comes with a special 52-page supplement counting down the best films, must-see moments, and breakout stars of 2022.

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Sylvester Stallone has revealed that Creed 3 would have gone in a different direction if he'd been involved with the upcoming Rocky spin-off.

"That’s a regretful situation because I know what it could have been," Stallone told The Hollywood Reporter about Creed 3. "It was taken in a direction that is quite different than I would’ve taken it. It’s a different philosophy – Irwin Winkler’s and Michael B. Jordan’s. I wish them well, but I’m much more of a sentimentalist. I like my heroes getting beat up, but I just don’t want them going into that dark space. I just feel people have enough darkness."

Stallone wrote all six Rocky movies and directed four of them, as well as being a producer for the first two Creed movies. However, he's stepped away from the franchise for Creed 3. The latest installment in the series sees leading man Michael B. Jordan, who plays Adonis Creed, step into the director's chair.

"This is a classic case of them going around and trying to continually cherry-pick aspects of ‘Rocky’ without even asking me if I want to join in," Stallone added. "I’m not an executive producer on the ‘Creed’ movies. Ryan Coogler is. Michael B. Jordan is. [Producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff’s] children are. Not mine. I’m the only one left out."

Creed 3 arrives on the big screen on March 3, 2023. While we wait, check out our guide to the rest of the upcoming movies that we think should be on your radar.

Creed 3's Michael B. Jordan says he was "very blessed" to have worked with Jonathan Majors and Tessa Thompson on the Rocky spin-off sequel – and not just because the duo helped calm his first-time director jitters while they were filming it. 

At a recent trailer launch event, the Black Panther actor opened up about those initial nerves and collaborating with his co-stars, telling Total Film and other media: "Jonathan Majors is incredible. Very lucky to have him be a part of this. For me, as a director, just to have that running mate, and have that scene partner, made all the difference in the world. 

"He's extremely talented. The world is finding out daily how incredible this man is in the work that he does, he's finally getting the props that's due. He showed up every day ready; ready to go to war, ready to work."

Set seven years after the events of its predecessor, Creed 3 sees Jordan's Adonis living the high life – Rolls Royces, fancy houses, Forbes covers, the works – having made a name for himself in the world of heavyweight boxing. Both at the top of their game, the biggest challenge Donnie and his musician wife Bianca (Thompson) find themselves facing these days is juggling their successful careers with raising their deaf daughter (Mila Davis-Kent). But when Donnie's vengeful former friend Damian Anderson (Majors) gets out of jail and challenges him in the ring, he discovers it could be more than just his championship title on the line. 

"I was nervous about it connecting with people. I was in my own head. You're creating, developing things and you're working with the writers [Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin] and stuff," Jordan recalled. "You're like, 'Man, is this something that people will fuck with? But telling the truth and being honest in storytelling is one of the greatest gifts that you can have and give. And through and through, we just continued to tell the truth."

Despite playing rivals on screen, Jordan said he and Majors "bonded in a way" he never has with a fellow actor on set before – and he puts that down to his new role behind the camera. "I really understand that [dynamic] now, and it's a bond that'll last forever. It was extremely helpful.

"I've been so lucky to work with [Tessa] over the years," he continued. "She's a rock. Trust is a huge thing when acting together, and having her trust me with a story was the biggest compliment she's given me thus far. The encouragement and confidence that I have with my cast helps me go out and do things that seem, you know, impossible. Or at least really, really tough to do. So knowing I got that support in front of the camera with these guys, knowing they're giving me this space to do all the other things that a director has to do and still show up every day, giving 110%? I'm blessed."

Jordan jokingly rounded off the Q&A by explaining "the art of the training montage". He laughed, "Get any and everything you can. Every push-up, every speed bag moment," before getting serious and adding: "No, I think: what are the stakes? How is your character leaving the montage better than he was when he first started? I think that's a good process to stick to."

Also starring the likes of Wood Harris, Selenis Leyva, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad, Creed 3 releases in US cinemas on March 3, 2023. While we wait, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies coming our way throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond.

Michael B. Jordan has been itching to get behind the camera since he starred in Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station back in 2013. But it wasn't until he heard that Rocky spin-off Creed 3 was without a director that he figured it was the "perfect time" for him to do so.

As the sequel's first trailer landed online, the Black Panther actor explained that after 20 years of being on sets, he felt like he'd finally gotten to a place in his career where he wanted to tell a story himself – and not just "execute somebody else's vision" – before he agreed to helm the third installment. He also opened up about how his frequent collaborator Ryan Coogler, who directed the first film, pushed him to snap up the opportunity. 

"At 35 years old, I had a lot to say as a young man, as a young Black man... just my life experiences and I could actually share that, share a piece of myself with the world, through these characters and through this story," he told Total Film and other media, noting how connected he feels to titular boxer Adonis Creed having played him for the last eight years. 

"I was talking to Ryan Coogler back when we were doing Creed 1, and he was just like, 'It's never the right time. You just gotta jump in at the deep end and go for it, you know?'" Jordan continued. "He gave me a lot of encouragement. So I just felt like it was the right time for me."

Creed 3 catches up with Donnie and musician Bianca (Tessa Thompson) seven years after the events of Creed 2, as they juggle raising their deaf daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent) and their super successful careers. When Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors), a menacing character from Donnie's childhood gets out of jail and swiftly challenges him in the ring, Donnie soon discovers that it could be more than just his championship title on the line. 

Phylicia Rashad returns as Donnie's mother Mary Anne in the sports drama, while Orange is the New Black's Selenis Leyva, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Spence Moore II, Canelo Álvarez, Wood Harris, and Florian Munteanu, who is back as Viktor Drago, round out the cast.

"Thematically, for us, family is always the core [of these movies] – you know, family and heart. So I think there's a bit of having to face your past and find out who you really are," Jordan said. "It's sort of a homecoming as well, You know what I mean? Remembering where you come from, I think is really important. Settling debts and being accountable for your actions is something that we wanted to look at as well. 

"This movie has a lot of me in it, and hopefully a lot of other people as well. I wanted to create a story where everybody felt like they could relate to something."

Creed 3 releases in US cinemas on March 3, 2023. While we wait, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies coming our way throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond.

Michael B. Jordan's Adonis is forced to confront his dark past in the tense first trailer for Creed 3. For the trilogy capper, the Marvel actor takes over directorial duties from Black Panther's Ryan Coogler and Steven Cable Jr. – as his character steps into the ring with one of his most formidable opponents yet, his former friend, Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors). 

Scripted by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin, from a story they co-wrote with Ryan Coogler, the movie picks up seven years after the events of Creed 2. In it, boxing champ Adonis and musician Bianca (Thor: Love and Thunder's Tessa Thompson), both juggling their super successful careers while raising their deaf daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent), find their flashy life threatened when Donnie's childhood pal Damian shows up out of nowhere. Turns out, the latter is harboring one hell of a grudge. 

"You don't remember me, huh?" Damian asks in the promo, which you can watch above, before Donnie twigs and a flashback suggests the pair ran into some trouble with the police when they were youngsters. "How long were you locked up?" Donnie quizzes Damian. 

"18 years, bro," he replies. "Just got out last week. I know I've been away for a while, but I kept myself in shape. Got gas in the tank." As Donnie invites him to come by the gym, it becomes clear these two aren't going to be training buddies...

In a later scene, Damian claims "he was the best" but he never got a chance to prove that because he was sent to jail, while Donnie got to live out both of their dreams. "You think you're mad," he shouts. "Trying spending half your life in a cell, watching somebody else live your life. I'm coming for everything!"

Looks like he's not interested in playing fair, either. As he prepares to fight Donnie, he lays into another boxer during practice and despite several warnings, has to be dragged off. "Damian's tryna hurt people," another character states. Given his rage, Donnie is going to have to give it all he's got to beat him and not end up like his late father, Apollo, who lost his life at the hands of rival Ivan Drago. 

Talking about the time jump during a press event prior to the teaser's unveiling, Jordan told Total Film: "It was important to get to a pivotal point in Donnie's career, and Bianca's career. We've seen them fall in love, we've seen them create life and a family together. I wanted to get to the next crossroads for them and to explore the choices that come along with that. It was... not specific, but it was a reflection of where I was in my life. Professionally, personally, and I felt like I had a lot to say around that."

Creed 3 also stars Phylicia Rashad as Donnie's adoptive mother Mary Anne, Selenis Leyva, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Spence Moore II, Canelo Álvarez, Wood Harris, and Florian Munteanu, who's back as Viktor Drago. It releases in US cinemas on March 3, 2023. 

While we wait, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies coming our way throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond.

Sylvester Stallone has responded to reports that Drago, a new Rocky spin-off, is in development – and the Rocky Balboa actor isn't happy. 

"Another heartbreaker… Just found this out… ONCE AGAIN, IRWIN WINKLER, this PATHETIC 94 year old PRODUCER and HIS MORONIC VULTURE CHILDREN, Charles and David, are once again picking clean THE BONES of another wonderful character I created without even telling me," Stallone wrote on Instagram. "I APOLOGIZE to the FANS, I never wanted ROCKY characters to be exploited by these parasites… By the way, I once had nothing but respect for Dolph but he NEVER told me about what was going on behind my back with the character I created for him!!! REAL FRIENDS are more precious than gold."

The spin-off, first reported by Deadline last week, is said to center around Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) and his son Viktor (Florian Munteanu). Drago first appeared in Rocky 4, before making another appearance with his son in Creed 2. 

In another post, he said: "After IRWIN WINKLER And FAMILY SUCK ROCKY DRY! Presumed to be the most hated, untalented, [decrepit] producer in Hollywood and his cowardly children have found their next meal… Drago? Throughout history so many artists in every industry, recording, painting, writing, you name it have been destroyed by these blood suckers who have destroyed so many families, lining their pockets with other people's work.. #parasite producers #exploited artists victims." 

Stallone wrote all six Rocky movies and directed four of them. He's been on board as a producer for both Creed movies, which star Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo, but he's stepping away from the franchise for the upcoming Creed 3.

Lundgren, AKA Ivan Drago himself, responded to Stallone's comments in his own Instagram post, writing: "Just to set the record straight regarding a possible Drago spinoff. There’s no approved script, no deals in place, no director and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor. There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr Balboa - just so all the fans can relax…There ya go."

Next up in the Rocky-verse is Creed 3, which is set to arrive on the big screen on March 3, 2023. In the meantime, check out our guide to this year's most exciting movie release dates.

Things are changing up in the Rocky-verse – a new spin-off is currently in development, Deadline reports, and Creed 3 has been delayed until spring 2023. 

While plot details are being kept under wraps, Deadline says that the new spin-off, titled Drago, will center around the Russian boxer of the same name, played by Dolph Lundgren, and his son Viktor (Florian Munteanu). Screenwriter Robert Lawton, who wrote the spec script for the 2020 documentary Becoming Rocky, is attached to pen the spin-off. 

Lundgren's Ivan Drago first appeared in 1985's Rocky 4 and the character also made an appearance in 2018's Creed 2 with his son, who was Adonis Creed's new rival. Drago Sr. is responsible for killing Apollo Creed, Donnie's father, during a match in Rocky 4. 

Meanwhile, Creed 3 was originally meant to hit the big screen on November 23, 2022, but now this date has been pushed back to March 3, 2023. Michael B. Jordan, who plays Adonis Creed in the series, is stepping behind the camera to make his directorial debut with the third installment, and Jonathan Majors is also joining the cast as a new opponent for Creed. 

Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, and Wood Harris are returning to the cast for round three, but the threequel will be the first Creed movie that doesn't feature an appearance from Rocky Balboa himself, played by Sylvester Stallone. 

While we wait for Creed 3 to arrive in theaters, check out our guide to the rest of the year's most exciting movie release dates.

Netflix has released a new Adam Sandler movie – and critics are full of praise for the film. Hustle stars Sandler as Stanley Sugerman, a scout for basketball team the Philadelphia 76ers who takes a talented unknown player (Bo Cruz) under his wing. 

This is far from the first Netflix movie to star Sandler – there's Murder Mystery, The Ridiculous 6, The Do Over, Hubie Halloween, and more – but Hustle currently sits at a solid 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, in stark contrast to Hubie Halloween's 52% or Murder Mystery's 45%. 

"There's pleasure and poignancy watching Sandler in Hustle as basketball scout Stanley Sugarman, a man whose infectious passion for the sport keeps hitting a wall of defeat," says The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney. "Adhering to the formulaic requirements of inspirational sports dramas while supplying plenty of individuality and characters worth rooting for, the Netflix feature scores." 

"Hustle is fiction, but it often feels like a true-life drama (thanks, in part, to the extraordinary roster of NBA players and associates who appear as themselves), and that dovetails with the new authenticity of Adam Sandler, who has learned to pour every bit of himself into a role," is the verdict of Variety's Owen Gleiberman. 

Polygon's Robert Daniels also has good words for the movie, despite finding it a little derivative: "It deploys an all-star ensemble, ingenious camerawork, and sharp editing to uplift a cliché story about earnest fatherhood and distant hoop dreams. But in the early going of Hustle, the bones of other, better movies are visible." 

Similarly, RogerEbert.com's Glenn Kenny liked the film, but with some reservations: "If Hustle passes around a lot of sports movie cliches, it does so with a light touch. And its sense of atmosphere, and depiction of Stanley's milieu, is sensitive and knowing. But be warned: this movie is VERY basketball-oriented. If you’re not a fan, you might feel a little lost." 

More critics have good words for Sandler's acting especially. "Sandler gives an open-hearted, humanistic performance as a down-on-his-luck, disheartened soul hungering for a challenge and change, staying within well-guided boundaries of likability. He's an assured actor, as adept with levity as with the role's more dramatic challenges," says AV Club's Courtney Howard. "Newcomer Hernangómez makes a formidable screen partner for Sandler, delivering vulnerability and nuanced grace. Also noteworthy, the bevy of basketball-star cameos doesn’t bog down any momentum; their addition – which in any other feature would be seen as a cheap ploy – gives the picture an air of authenticity." 

Stephanie Zacharek from Time says: "And while Sandler has given some fine dramatic, as opposed to comic, performances in recent years – most notably as an awkward son living in the shadow of his successful sculptor father in Noah Baumbach's The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) – he seems to be getting even better as he ages. As Stanley, he coasts breezily on a neurotic, self-deprecating cloud – this is a guy who, as the movie opens, is almost too comfortable with his lack of his success. Watching him learn to fight for what he wants is one of the movie's quiet pleasures."

Hustle is streaming on Netflix now, and you can fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix movies. 

Netflix’s summer movie slate is set to kick off with the release of Adam Sandler’s Hustle. The new trailer for the film gives us a glimpse at the emotional sports drama landing on the streaming platform this June.

It stars Sandler as Stanley Sugerman, a basketball scout who’s losing his love for the job. He’s sent across the world looking for talent for the Philadelphia 76ers as his dreams of becoming a coach remain unfulfilled. That is until he discovers Bo Cruz (played by NBA player Juancho Hernangómez), a streetball player in Spain with huge potential who Stanley takes under his wing.

The trailer sees him turn his back on scouting, as he puts all of his energy behind building Bo’s career – but it seems the path to the top will not be easy. In the two-minute clip, we see the pair dealing with Bo’s homesickness and self-doubt, Stanley’s overbearing boss, and the pressures of family life for both of them. We get a glimpse at Stanley's wife, Teresa (Queen Latifah) in the trailer as well as Ben Foster as his boss. But, can the underdogs come out on top? 

The new movie is directed by Jeremiah Zagar with Sandler and basketball legend LeBron James producing. It forms part of Sandler’s Netflix deal which also features Murder Mystery 2, starring Jennifer Aniston, which is currently in post-production. He’s also leading the biopic Spaceman based on the life of Czech astronaut Jakub Procházka for the platform expected out later this year. 

Hustle is released on Netflix on June 8. Check out our guide to the best Netflix movies to watch in the meantime.

Adam Sandler has revealed that a plot point of his upcoming Netflix movie, Hustle, was changed at the request of the streamer. 

The sports drama follows a former basketball recruiter, played by Sandler, who tries to revive his career by bringing a player from overseas to play in the NBA. 

“It was written originally that I find a player in China and somehow, Netflix is not in China," Sandler told The Dan Patrick Show (via The Hollywood Reporter). "So they were like, ‘Would you guys please make it so we find someone in Latin America or Europe?' So the next thing you know, I’m in Majorca."

Alongside Sandler, the movie also stars Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, and Robert Duvall, as well as several cameos from NBA players and coaches. The character that gets recruited in Spain is played by Juancho Hernangomez, a member of the real-life NBA team the Memphis Grizzlies. 

"[Hernangómez] acts better than me in every scene," Sandler added. "It’s just like, god damn it. This guy is falling, crying in the middle of a scene, doing the right thing. Every joke he says, I’m like, 'He said it smoother than I would have.'"

This isn't the first time Sandler and Netflix have worked together – Sandler has starred in several movies for the streamer, including The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), Murder Mystery, and Uncut Gems. Plus, in January 2020, his production company Happy Madison signed a four-movie deal with the streamer, reportedly worth up to $275 million.

Hustle doesn't have a release date yet. While we wait for it to arrive on the streamer, check out our list of the best Netflix movies that you can watch right now.

There’s a moment in this horseracing flick when broken-legged gee-gee Soñador, suspended above ground, shoots a “Make it stop!” look to camera.

She has a point. When jaded trainer Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) decides to save the crocked nag, he and daughter Cale (Dakota Fanning) embark on a syrupy-sweet personal journey which sees an unhappy family reunited by their mutual horsey love. By the time Soñador’s galloping again, and ready to compete in the coveted Breeders’ Cup, squinting Kurt & Co are all smiles again.

Loosely based on a true story, first-time director John Gatins never convincingly covers the characters’ background but then no one will really notice. Dreamer is rarely adequate, dewy-eyed fluff for all the family that’s only spoiled by the gore employed in the horse’s horrible, shattering demise at the end. Nah, not really.

If Spinal Tap's a premier league mockumentary, then Mike Bassett: England Manager is struggling to avoid relegation from the third division.

Nicking its plot and characters from Bobby Robson's reign as England boss (small club manager takes on the top job and is hated by the press until succeeding at the World Cup), it makes a few decent tackles but barely gets in a shot on goal in the whole 90 minutes.

When real-life football documentaries can produce painfully comic moments like the televisual mugging that gave us Graham Taylor's ""Do I not like that!"" speech, then why bother with half-hearted rub-downs like this? The only highlight is Ricky Tomlinson's Bassett himself. Showing up the rest of the gormless clichés on display here (especially Dean Lennox Kelly's hamfisted Gazza clone), he delivers some scorching moments of comedy and, surprisingly, pathos. But film-making, like football, is a team game and even Tomlinson can't win this on his own.

Good football films are about as rare as bearable Madonna outings or Steven Seagal movies that don't make you feel like vomiting blood. But while John Hay's second feature (following '94's The Steal) preaches to the converted, it's far better than its silly premise promises.

For a start, you have to admire Hay for his sheer audacity - he persuaded someone to part with a wodge of cash in order to pen a love letter to Man City. He also got Ray Winstone and Robert Carlyle onside, before imagining the plot of every sports film you've ever seen, and then making one exactly the same.

So there's absolutely no doubt, from about 30 seconds in, that Jimmy will get to be the Maine (Road) man - yet, in a world of not one, but two, sequels to The Mighty bleedin' Ducks, you have to admit this was a shrewd move. And Jimmy Grimble rises above the usual sports adventure thanks not only to some top performances, but also to an even rarer quality - its football scenes.

Escape To Victory may have boasted the legendary skills of Pelé, but even he looked like a dodgy Sunday league player on celluloid. Grimble (Lewis McKenzie) however, looks fantastic. When he laces up his ridiculous old-fashioned boots, before waltzing round an entire team and swiping the ball effortlessly into the net past the sorry keeper, it's simply exhilarating (particularly if you were the fat or weedy kid at school who was never any good at sports).

Jimmy Grimble evokes bittersweet memories of schooldays, and it's good to see a film which deals with the trials for British youth, as opposed to a swarm of airbrushed Yanks scoring touchdowns, crying about who's going to take them to the sodding prom. A good result, then. And you can relax now - we've got through the whole review without a single mention of "pure fantasy football". Oh, damn it.

Barely a week after Denzel Washington bagged himself a Golden Globe for his portrayal of boxer "Hurricane" Carter, America's league of cynics whipped the knives out. With magnifying glass poised over the history books, the page-prodding analysts started seething at the apparent injustice of Norman Jewison's take on events. Lawyers didthe all legal legwork, not three liberal Canadians. Lieutenant Jimmy Williams was a phantom cop cooked up to personify a racist police force. And, wrongful incarceration or not, Carter was far from being a saint.

Accused of massaging the facts for the sake of a sentimental spin, the film's producers took the step of answering their critics on the movie's official Web site. They're convincing replies, but such twittering detracts from the real argument here. If you want the facts, go watch a documentary. If you want spectacle and emotion and exhilaration, go to the cinema. And The Hurricane makes for terrific cinema.

That's not to say it doesn't stumble at first. It might be more rewarding on a second viewing, but the fact remains a slow opening sputters on five false starts. In the space of its first 20 minutes, the crammed narrative kicks off in 1963 with Carter whisking fists in a Raging Bullish boxing bout, flips a decade to `73 with Carter chewing his lips in Trenton State prison, backpeddles to the triple-shotgunning of `66 and then flashbacks to his childhood.

It's obviously intended as both a time-trip through an incarcerated Carter's ever-rewinding subconscious and a viewer's introduction to the issues at stake, but the Russian-doll intercutting is complex and cluttered. It's only when the movie gets into its stride that the jigsaw slots together. As soon as Lesra becomes directly involved with the campaign to free Carter, the telling of a truly remarkable tale takes hold. And by that time - thanks to Jewison's increasingly assured direction - you'll be totally hooked.

Given the ambitious scope of an event-led biopic which spans several decades, it could be argued that a slightly simplistic screenplay never truly explores Carter's oft-hinted spiritual shadings. Yet if the script fails to drill under Carter's skin, Washington certainly does. Fleshing Rubin with multiple nuances and binding a stoic dignity into his despair, Washington's charisma means you're rooting for him from victim to victor.

Newcomer Shannon is also brilliant. Forming the movie's emotional epicentre, the scenes between the surrogate father and son pump with poignancy. Granted, an epic running time prompts the occasional narrative dawdle, but a genuinely uplifting finale is guaranteed to send you home gasping on the kind of magnificent high only cinema can deliver. You'll be KO'd.