Well, if you’re like me and you’re missing Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page, well, don’t worry about it, because he is coming back in the television reboot of the classic Western film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. According to The Mirror, the actor, who’s 34, will play outlaw Butch made famous by Paul Newman in the 1969 film, with the action being transported to what they’re calling an alternative America.
Well, the Amazon series entitled simply Butch and Sundance will be helmed by Marvel directors, the Russo brothers, in hopes of spinoffs and a larger franchise to follow. Regé-Jean is joined by Top Gun’s Glen Powell, who is said to be stepping into Robert Redford’s boots as the Sundance Kid. Both actors are serving as executive producers and it’s based on, you know, that true story, the original film, which had been ranked the 73rd greatest movie of all time by the American Film Institute, follows the story of a wild west outlaw bunch of guys. Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy, and his partner, Harry Longabaugh, the Sundance Kid.
It comes after Regé-Jean’s name was again rumored to be in contention to play the role of James Bond after this cryptic announcement for October 5th, which officially has been dubbed James Bond Day. We don’t even care about that. All I care about is that Regé-Jean Page is back. I love the idea of him being Butch Cassidy.
The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, slayed at the box office over the weekend, bringing in more than $19 million domestically. The Woman King was released by Sony and Tri-Star on 3,765 locations. It carries a production budget of about $50 million, which was co-financed by eOne.
The film is about the all-female army of the kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa in the 1800s. It got glowing reviews after its debut at the Toronto Film Festival and is currently boasting a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
I’ve gotta tell you though, there are critics calling out the fact that the film downplays the role that the Dahomey of West Africa and the female military members had in the transatlantic slave trade in the 1800s. Davis is catching a bit of heat for starring and producing the film, which many believe attempts to rewrite history. Well, we’ve had our history rewritten so many times, I guess they’re upset when we try to do it ourselves.
The director, Gina Prince-Bythewood, reacted to the critics, telling IndieWire, “I learned early on you cannot win an argument on Twitter. And I know all of that is going to go away once they see the film. There’s an assumption we’re not dealing with it and we are dealing with it. So I have to live in that confidence. They’re going to see the film and they’re going to see it.”
And apparently, she was right, because $19 million is not bad. Go, Viola Davis and crew.
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