Babies are hard. I think everyone knows that intellectually, but maybe not emotionally. My own first child was a needy, demanding, unhappy baby – I don’t want to claim too much; this was a quarter-century ago, and I wasn’t the main caregiver, either – so I have some insight but nothing like expertise.
The mother in Proxy Mom: My Experience with Postpartum Depression has a fairly typical, average baby: no more needy than most, no specific problems, nothing out of the ordinary. Just crying every hour or few hours, all day every day, needing something that’s often not clear. Just an ordinarily demanding, life-altering baby, on top of everything the pregnancy and birth already did to her body.
This graphic novel is loosely a memoir – writer Sophie Adriansen and artist Mathou both lived through versions of this story, the same year, each having a first baby with a man who already had older children. And, from the story, I guess they both had problems attaching, with feeling “motherly,” at least at first – that’s a lot more common than people realize.
A baby is a wrinkled, red-faced, crying lump, capable only of wanting things. That’s not inherently lovable. It takes a lot of hormones hitting just the right way to forge that connection, and sometimes it takes quite a while – sometimes it fizzles at first.
Sometimes, like with Marietta in this story, it’s more overwhelming and painful than wonderful and special. And the realization that life is not going to be “like before, but with a baby” but instead “completely different, in ways you didn’t expect” is frightening and unnerving: there’s now this tiny person that is utterly dependent on you for everything, needy in a way no other human being has been for you before.
This is the story of about those first six months, the toughest time, for Marietta and her husband Chuck and baby Zoe. How she was overwhelmed by the pain at first, in the hospital, after a tough labor and pain during breastfeeding. How Chuck was the experienced one – but not the one whose body was battered by the birth, and not the one there all day every day with tiny needy Zoe. How she wanted that deep connection with her baby, but it wasn’t there at first – how she found it, how she got there in the end.
There are no huge problems. This is not the kind of memoir subtitled “how I got through This Horrible Thing and it made me a better person.” Birth is natural. Babies are natural. Crying babies and post-partum pain and being overwhelmed are entirely natural. It’s huge for the woman going through it. It feels too big too handle: being responsible, every second of every day, for another person, a person who can do nothing at all for herself.
But Marietta made it through. She didn’t get back “her old life, but with a baby” – she got back a new life, with a lot of the pieces of the old one, plus a baby, transforming everything else as a baby always does. Adriansen and Mathou have lived this, and they tell that story naturalistically and realistically, always through Marietta’s viewpoint, always focused on how she feels about herself and her baby.
They tell that story in a lovely, immediate way through cartooning. Mathou’s style is warm and inviting, big eyes and rounded bodies and slightly exaggerated expressions. Adriansen keeps the captions short and focused – this is the kind of book that could have a blizzard of expert opinions footnoted on every page, but she smartly knows they’re not needed. Marietta’s situation is natural: millions of women go through it every year, and need support and love and attention to get through it.
This US edition was translated and Americanized by Montana Kane from the original French, including, I assume, some facts and figures Adriansen includes along the way. I noticed the numbers were about the USA, but nothing else about the translation, which is the best reaction to a translation: if you don’t notice it, it’s done right.
This is the kind of book that says “you’re not alone” to a huge number of women struggling with what is usually the biggest, hardest, most exhaustingly wonderful thing that they’ve ever had to deal with. It says that clearly, lovingly, from the point of view of another woman who has been through it.
SYNOPSIS It’s a home run with this hilarious and beloved comedy starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna. With baseball lineups and locker rooms left empty during World War II, the newly-founded All-American Girls Baseball League brought talented women to the big leagues and fans to the stands. The indomitable Dottie Hinson (Davis) finds herself leading a rag-tag group of players who end up winning over the heart of their has-been coach, Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks). Lori Petty, Rosie O’Donnell and Jon Lovitz round out the all-star roster. Based on the true story of the pioneering women who blazed the trail for generations of athletes.
DISC DETAILS AND BONUS MATERIALS 4K ULTRA HD DISC • Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative • English Dolby Atmos + English 5.1 + English 2-Channel Surround • Special Features: o Domestic Theatrical Trailer o 5 International Teasers & Trailers
BLU-RAY DISC™ • Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master • English 5.1 + English 2-Channel Surround • Special Features: o Feature Commentary with Director Penny Marshall and Actresses Lori Petty, Tracy Reiner and Megan Cavanagh o Nine Memorable Innings Documentary o Deleted Scenes o The Enduring Legacy of A League of Their Own o 3 Episodes from the 1993 TV series A League of Their Own o “This Used to Be My Playground” Music Video by Madonna
CAST AND CREW Directed By: Penny Marshall Produced By: Robert Greenhut and Elliot Abbott Screenplay By: Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel Based on a Story By: Kim Wilson & Kelly Candaele Executive Producer: Penny Marshall Cast: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Jon Lovitz, David Strathairn, Garry Marshall and Bill Pullman
SPECS Run Time: Approx. 128 minutes Rating: PG for language. 4K UHD Feature Picture: 2160p Ultra High Definition, 2.39:1 4K UHD Feature Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible) | English 5.1 DTS-HD MA | English 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD MA
Before Buffy, there was Nikita. French filmmaker Luc Besson’s fifth film caused an international stir as he provided the world with a female protagonist with a dark edge reflecting the times. His 1990 film, La Femme Nikita, proved such a smash that it was remade in America as Point of No Return and spawned a Canadian television series (1997-2001) and Nakita, the CW series (2010-2013).
Anne Parillaud’s depiction of a woman given a second chance was mesmerizing and unforgettable, giving the movie an enduring appeal. As part of Sony Home Entertainment’s 100th-anniversary celebration, the original film is now available in an upgraded 4k UHD steel book edition.
We watch the transformation of a juvenile delinquent, guilty of killing a police officer during a robbery, taken by a secret government organization that faked her death. For three years, she is weaned off her drug addiction and trained and transformed into Nikita, a deadly operative always on call to her handlers. There are several lovely set pieces that establish just how effective their training has been. And that might have been fine for an action film, but Besson, who also wrote the screenplay, added in a psychological element that gave us something different.
Nikita, who goes by the name Marie, tries to live a normal life, even falling for Marco (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a store clerk. As he grows curious about the lack of family and friends, she convinces her handler, Bob (Tchéky Karyo), to pose as an uncle. That holds him off for now.
Things build up as Bob summons her to assassinate a target when she and Marco are together. The tension is nicely built as they talk through the bathroom door, and she manages to complete her mission, although it makes her question her life.
Later, after a botched mission, the Centre sends Victor (Jean Reno) to clean the mess, and the two get tangled up for the remainder of the story. Their escapades make Nikita question her choices, setting up a satisfying conclusion that leaves Parillaud convinced there is no need for a sequel. Filmmakers around the world have tried their own hand at adapting this story, which speaks to the strength of Besson and Parillaud’s work.
Sony has upgraded the high-definition transfer so every frame sparkles with depth and clarity, making this disc the definitive video version of the film. The French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is excellent, although there is no Dolby Atmos option.
Surprisingly, the release is just the 4K disc, with no special features, no Blu-ray disc, or Digital HD code. In the steel case, the film sits alone, protected in its hard shell, somewhat like Nikita herself.
SYNOPSIS In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.
DISC DETAILS AND BONUS MATERIALS 4K UHD, BLU-RAY™ & DIGITAL EXTRAS
o Deleted & Extended Scenes o Easter Eggs Unleashed o Return to the Firehouse: Making Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire o Busted: Capturing the Ghosts of Frozen Empire o Manifesting Garraka o New York, New Gear o Welcome to the Paranormal Discovery Center o Knowing the Score o Commentary with Director, Co-Writer Gil Kenan
DVD
o Return to the Firehouse: Making Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire o Busted: Capturing the Ghosts of Frozen Empire
2-MOVIE COLLECTION SPECIAL FEATURES 4K UHD, BLU-RAY™ & DIGITAL EXTRAS GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE o Deleted & Extended Scenes o Easter Eggs Unleashed o Return to the Firehouse: Making Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire o Busted: Capturing the Ghosts of Frozen Empire o Manifesting Garraka o New York, New Gear o Welcome to the Paranormal Discovery Center o Knowing the Score o Commentary with Director, Co-Writer Gil Kenan
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE o We Got One! Easter Eggs Revealed o Ghostbusters: A Look Back o Bringing Ecto-1 Back to Life o The Gearhead’s Guide to Ghostbusters Gadgets o Deleted Scene o And more!
4K UHD, Blu-ray™ & DVD include a digital code for movie and bonus materials as listed above, redeemable via Movies Anywhere for a limited time. Movies Anywhere is open to U.S. residents age 13+. Visit MoviesAnywhere.com for terms and conditions.
CAST AND CREW Directed by: Gil Kenan Produced by: Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, Jason Blumenfeld Written by: Gil Kenan & Jason Reitman Executive Producers: Dan Aykroyd, Gil Kenan, JoAnn Perritano, Amie Karp, Erica Mills, Eric Reich Based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters: An Ivan Reitman Film – Written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis Cast: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, McKenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts
SPECS Run Time: 115 minutes Rating: PG-13 for supernatural action/violence, language and suggestive references 4K UHD: 2160p Ultra High Definition / 2.39:1• Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), French (Doublé au Québec), Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English & French (Doublé au Québec) Audio Description Track 5.1 Dolby Digital • Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish • Color • Some of The Information Listed May Not Apply To Special Features or the Blu-ray disc ™ Blu-ray™: 1080p High Definition / 2.39:1 • Audio: English, French (Doublé au Québec), Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English & French (Doublé au Québec)- Audio Description Tracks 5.1 Dolby Digital • Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish • Mastered in High Definition • Color • Some of The Information Listed May Not Apply To Special Features or the DVD. DVD: 2.39:1 Anamorphic Widescreen • Audio: English, French (Double au Quebec) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish, English & French (Double au Quebec)- Audio Description Tracks Stereo • Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish • Color • Some of The Information Listed May Not Apply To Special Features.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Prepare for a harrowing adventure on July 9th as Civil War arrives on 4K UHD, Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital from Lionsgate. The nonstop action focuses on a team of military-embedded war correspondents racing against time to reach the White House before it’s too late. Featuring an all-star cast including Academy Award® nominee Kirsten Dunst (2021, Best Supporting Actress, The Power of the Dog), Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), Primetime Emmy Award® winner Nick Offerman (2023, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, The Last of Us), Jesse Plemons (Killers of the Flower Moon), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Dune), and Wagner Moura (Narcos). Civil War will be available for the suggested retail price of $42.99 on 4K UHD (+Blu-ray™ + Digital) and $39.99 on Blu-ray™ (+DVD + Digital).
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.
CAST Kirsten Dunst The Virgin Suicides, Spider-Man, Melancholia Cailee Spaeny Priscilla, Bad Times at the El Royale, On the Basis of Sex Nick Offerman TV’s The Last of Us, Devs, Parks and Recreation Jesse Plemons Killers of the Flower Moon, The Power of the Dog, TV’s Breaking Bad Stephen McKinley Henderson Dune, Lady Bird, Fences Wagner Moura TV’s Narcos, Narcos: Mexico, Elite Squad
SPECIAL FEATURES
Torn Asunder: Waging Alex Garland’s Civil War Six-Part Documentary
It’s not quite tripping myself up, but…I sometimes specifically pick really short books to read so that I can have something to write about here the next day. (More often when I’m doing a Book-A-Day run, but at other times, too. Like right now.) But then I usually find that the really short books don’t provide a lot of material to write about, because – and here may be the point where I’m stating the blindingly obvious – they are really short.
Now, that could be a feature: if I’m just trying to get done quickly, I read a short book, I write “hey, this book is short and is a really obvious thing” and go on with my life. But I feel like I’m short-changing you, my faithful reader.
(I address you in my head like that, when I’m feeling puckish, as if there actually is anyone who goes out of their way to read this random book-blog with no real theme and possibly the worst circa-2010 Blogger layout imaginable, in this the year of our lord twenty twenty-four. We all have our crotchets.)
Anyway, here I am again. Relationships According to Savage Chickens is a short collection of “Savage Chickens” strips by Doug Savage, one of a clump of themed books that came out around 2012 and only available digitally. (Well: now that I look more closely, this one and Zombies came out in ’12, and there were three more last year. That’s a good sign for the health of the ongoing Savage Chickens project, which I like to see: it’s still a funny strip, and I like to see funny things stay successful.)
When I say “short,” I mean “fifty single-page cartoons.” That would be tiny for a book with a square binding, though about twice the side of a modern comic book – so I guess it all depends on perspective.
We start and end with “Romeo and Juliet” jokes. Savage is modern and at least mildly edgy; this isn’t glurge in any way. I still like his rounded line: his chickens are just funny, with their big round eyes, their little wattles, and the way they look just a bit too big and ungainly for any possible situation.
As always, tastes in humor will vary. I think Savage is funny, and I wish he had more books that were somewhat longer (so I didn’t feel awkward trying to write about them). I hope you will have a similarly positive reaction to his work.
Few military regiments are better known than the 54th Massachusetts, thanks to Ed Zwick’s brilliant 1989 film Glory. Based on the letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the books Lay This Laurel (1973) by Lincoln Kirstein and One Gallant Rush (1965) by Peter Burchard, the screenwriter Kevin Jarre humanizes the black men who volunteered to fight for the union, most of whom died in battle.
When released, the movie was revelatory, catapulting Denzel Washington to the Hollywood A list with his Academy Award-winning performance as Private Silas Trip. He was surrounded by a strong supporting cast led by Andre Braugher and Morgan Freeman. As Shaw, Matthew Broderick completed his journey from heartthrob Ferris Bueller to an accomplished adult actor. His Shaw was courageous, bucking the hierarchy to get his men shoes and refusing his pay until the Army honored its promise of equal pay to the men. But we watched him struggle to connect with his soldiers whose experiences were entirely alien to him. They slowly formed a bond that was sealed with blood and honor.
The film was a major critical success. As part of Sony Home Entertainment’s centennial celebration, Glory is being released this week in a 4K Steelbook, complete with Blu-ray and Digital HD code. It’s largely the same pressing as the 2019 Ultra High Definition released but boasts superb Dolby Vision color grading. The haze of the battlefield, the campfire scenes, and the dress parade all shine in this transfer with excellent clarity. The Dolby Vision color grading is just stunning to watch on your home screen.
The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is carried over and sounds just fine, with dialogue, sound effects, and James Horner’s somber score well presented.
This new edition offers the same UHD Special Features and the Blu-ray is exactly as the 2009 previous edition. The UHD offers up Picture in Picture Video Commentary (1080p, 2:02:14) from Zwick, Broderick, and Freeman.
The Blu-ray offers Audio Commentary: Director Edward Zwick, Virtual Civil War Battlefield, The Voices of Glory, The True Story Continues, Original Theatrical Making-Of Featurette, and Deleted Scenes With optional director’s commentary.
There are times when I don’t have much to say here. I read a book, I mostly liked it, I’ve already read a number of things by the same creator, I don’t have anything particularly new or specific to say this time.
And that sounds so horribly minimizing, doesn’t it?
But “this is good stuff, in line with the same person’s previous good stuff” is actually very positive. (Right? I think so, anyway.)
So, with that caveat: I just read Noah Van Sciver’s 2016 collection of comics short stories, Disquiet. It’s a general, miscellaneous collection – everything I’ve seen from him previously has been more focused, from the graphic novels Fante Bukowski and Saint Cole to the self-explanatorily themed As a Cartoonist collection.
But this one is just some stories and art Van Sciver did, over about the previous five years, collected between two covers and assembled into a plausible order. They have different tones and styles and concerns – some modern-day, some historical, one more folkloric – and they’re separated by individual pieces of Van Sciver art, so they each sit separately, like objects on a shelf. I like that in a collection, frankly – with prose, it tends to be a thing of making sure there are blank left-hand pages where appropriate, and maybe icons or dingbats or similar decorative elements, but comics-makers are more likely to just have more art, that they did, which can help to divide stories from each other.
I guess I might as well take the stories one at a time:
“Dive Into that Black River” is a nearly wordless, two-page spread, more of a poster than a narrative comic. It’s the opposite of “hang in there, baby!” if you think of it as a poster.
“The Lizard Laughed” is the story of one day in the life of Harvey, a middle-aged man in New Mexico, whose estranged son Nathan comes to visit. They’re meeting for the first time in close to twenty years, since Harvey ran out on the family when the boy was nine. They go on a hike; the two have little in common, as you’d expect. It doesn’t end the way Nathan expected, which is good for Harvey. Harvey didn’t have any real expectations; he may be too self-centered for that anyway.
“it’s over” is a two-pager in a straightforward confessional/realistic mode, in which a young man reconnects with an old girlfriend for a one-day fling on his thirtieth birthday – which also turns out to be a major (fictional) world-historical event.
“The Death of Elijah Lovejoy” combines a two-page text introduction to the overall life of that 1830s abolitionist with a comics retelling of the mob that attacked his printing press, burning it down and killing him. (This might be the most Van Sciverian comic here, to my eye, all sweaty/bloody men fighting for their rigid views in the19th century.)
“The Cow’s Head’ is some kind of fable, I think – a young woman (who has the same name as Van Sciver’s then-girlfriend, who also wrote the book’s introduction – possibly coincidence but I doubt it) is driven out of their rural hovel by her cruel stepmother, finds shelter, and is polite to a flying, talking head of a cow. (As you do, in fables.) This, as also happens in fables, leads to better things for her, though not for her sad-sack father.
“Down in a Hole” is a weird one, in which a former TV kid-show clown goes spelunking and is captured by the secret subterranean race of mole people. Both of those random elements are equally important, and then there’s a twist ending. There’s a lot going on here, and I bet there’s some subtext or purpose I just didn’t get.
“Untitled” is told in small-format pages – maybe it was a minicomic? – and focuses on a young woman, visiting her parents for Christmas. She lives nearby – close enough to bicycle – but rarely visits. It’s a slice-of-life mood piece, so I won’t try to explain the moods.
“Dress Up” is the doubly-narrated story of a good Samaritan/vigilante who foiled a robbery, as told by him to a young female reporter a little later, after the initial media furor has quieted a bit.
“When You Disappear” tells the story of a prison break, two men fleeing to New Jersey, there talking and separating. It’s based on a dream, but is less “dream-logic-y” than that might imply.
“Punks Vs. Lizards” is a pulpy post-apocalyptic story about, yes, punks who battle giant intelligent lizards that have apparently conquered the world. Our Hero defeats one particularly powerful lizard at great cost.
And last is “Nightshift,” in which yet another young woman tells how she worked at a bakery overnights for a while, saving up money to get out of this unnamed town.
I found all of the stories interesting, and many of them compelling. They were aiming to do different things, and all were good at what they aimed to do (assuming I was correct). This is a probably a better introduction to Van Sciver than the two or three books of his I actually read first, if anyone thinks his work sounds interesting.
New York, NY— June 5, 2024 — Return to Avengers Mansion this September in AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!
From the pages of Jed MacKay’s hit run on Avengers, this new spinoff series will be written by Scarlet Witch scribe Steve Orlando and drawn by an epic lineup of comic powerhouses like Cory Smith (Wolverine, Ghost Rider), Scot Eaton (Cable), Marcelo Ferreira (Moon Knight: City of the Dead), Valentina Pinti (Immortal Thor, Blade), and more.
Inspired by the team he pulled together during Blood Hunt, AVENGERS ASSEMBLE sees Captain America take on a new initiative—recruiting new and classic Avengers for an all-new squad! Cap’s team will operate out of Avengers Mansion and tackle one crisis after another on globetrotting superhero missions! Expanding the scope of current Avengers storytelling, AVENGERS ASSEMBLE will offer readers a modern take on classic Avengers adventure and drama. With a new threat to every issue, these fast-paced stories will be jam-packed with action intermixed with exciting team bonding, thoughtful character development, and interpersonal stakes!
As vampires attack the Marvel Universe, a ragtag group of volunteer Avengers set out to change the tide of battle. And in the aftermath, Captain America will form the Avengers Emergency Response Squad! Steve’s handpicked team of veterans and newcomers live and train in Avengers Mansion, and when Captain America sounds the mission horn, whoever’s on base has seconds to pack up and deploy.
Reporting for duty are Captain America (Steve Rogers), Wasp, Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Hercules, She-Hulk, Photon, Night-Thrasher, Lightning, Wonder Man, Shang-Chi, and Lightspeed (Julie Power).
When the Red Skull’s daughter discovers a dangerous artifact, Cap, Wasp, Photon, and Shang-Chi set out to stop her – while Hawkeye hosts a poker game for the late arrivals. Will the AVENG.E.R.S. pass their first real test? Find out in the debut issue!
“This is a great time to assemble!” Orlando shared. “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE is bringing a murderer’s row of classic Avengers back to the Mansion, and classic comics storytelling is coming with it! A team of icons and new recruits alike, but heavy on the icons! And in every issue, a barnburner of an entire story packed into twenty pages! West Coast Avengers was the first comic book I ever bought, full stop. So, to be part of a return to form, heavy on personality and rich in action, is more than exciting–it’s an honor! The Avengers Emergency Response Squad is always on duty starting this summer!”
And did someone say…jackets? The team’s trademark ‘90s leather jackets are back and more in style than ever! Check them out now in Cory Smith’s special Jacket Variant Cover, along with Francis Leinil Yu’s main cover and variant covers by Emilio Laiso and Betsy Cola.
JUNE 4, 2024 (Seoul, South Korea) – Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley, beloved James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan and Star Wars universe luminary Mark Hamill form the ultimate vocal rogues’ gallery in Mofac Animation’s upcoming The King of Kings, an animated family film inspired by a little-known short story by Charles Dickens depicting the life and times of Jesus Christ.
Kingsley voices High Priest Caiaphas, who presided over the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus. Hamill takes on the role of King Herod, who, according to the Gospel of Matthew, ordered the Massacre of the Innocents in an attempt to kill Jesus as an infant. And Brosnan gives animated life to Pontius Pilate, who ultimately ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. The triumvirate of villainous voices further enhances the A-list cast behind the faith-based animated film, which also includes Academy Award & Emmy Award winners Kenneth Branagh (Belfast) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Golden Globe winners Oscar Isaac (Show Me A Hero) and Uma Thurman (Hysterical Blindness), and Golden Globe nominee Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit).
Mofac Animation is seeking potential domestic and international distributors for The King of Kings, which is now in its final stages of production. The filmmakers anticipate a release date close to Easter 2025.
In the film, Charles and Walter Dickens embark on a multi-dimensional adventure as the master storyteller engages his youngest son’s vivid imagination with the fascinating life of Jesus, his well-known trials and tribulations, and his notable colleagues and foes. The film’s rich animation allows the Dickens pair (and the family cat Willa) to become intrinsically immersed in the ancient tale, interacting with Jesus, his disciples, and his detractors – while the stellar cast behind the voices brings these well-known characters to animated life like never before. The result is an animated film that makes the biblical journey easily relatable, readily understood, and captivatingly entertaining for families and, especially, children of all ages.
“The true measure of a hero is always judged by the strength of his foes, and Sir Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, and Mark Hamill deliver impactful performances that elevate their respective villains to appropriately biblical heights,” says producer Anfernee Kim. “This cast is laden with winners of every major acting award, and they’ve all bought their A-games for a story most deserving of their impressive collective talents.”
After earning an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two BAFTA Awards for his riveting portrayal of Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Ben Kingsley has continued to bring unequaled detail and nuance to each role he portrays, remaining a coveted and ubiquitous talent. Spanning more than half a century, Kingsley’s film career includes an additional trio of Academy Award nominations for his performances in Bugsy, Sexy Beast, and House of Sand and Fog, and a wide range of outstanding showings in movies like Schindler’s List, Operation Finale, DaliLand, Jules, Searching for Bobby Fischer; Elegy, Iron Man 3, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Hugo, Ender’s Game; and The Boxtrolls, for which he won the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Voice Acting in an Animated Feature. Kingsley’s notable television work includes Emmy Award-nominated performances in Mrs. Harris and Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story and a Screen Actors Guild award-winning role in Anne Frank: The Whole Story. Steeped in British theatre, he began his professional acting career with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967, performing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, and in the title roles of Othello and Hamlet, among others. His diverse theatrical portfolio has also encompassed productions of The Country Wife, The Cherry Orchard, A Betrothal, and Waiting for Godot. Kingsley was recently seen in Wes Anderson’s Academy Award-winning adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. He’ll next reprise his beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe character Trevor Slattery in the upcoming series Wonder Man for Disney+; star in Lionsgate’s The Killer’s Game; play Emperor Kisra in Rupert Wyatt’s actioner Desert Warrior; stars in Simmons/Hamilton Production’s upcoming shark-infested thriller Deep Water and in Nick Hamm’s upcoming biopic William Tell; and perform in Terrence Malick’s The Way of the Wind. He will also join The King of Kings co-star Pierce Brosnan in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club. In 1984, he was awarded the Padma Sri by Indira Gandhi and the government of India; and in 2002, Kingsley was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year’s Eve Honors List. Kingsley received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.
Pierce Brosnan is a legendary Irish American actor, film producer, environmentalist, philanthropist, artist, and two-time Golden Globe Award nominee known for his rich and extensive career in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Brosnan is notable for his roles in iconic films such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Mamma Mia, The Thomas Crown Affair and the James Bond franchise (GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day). Most recently, Brosnan was seen in The Last Rifleman, which is inspired by a true story of a World War II veteran living in a care home in Northern Ireland who, on the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, decides to escape the home and embark on a journey to France to pay his final respects. He was also recently seen in director Phillip Noyce’s hitman thriller, Fast Charlie based on Victor Gischler’s Edgar Award-nominated novel, Gun Monkeys, and in the DC/Warner Bros. film Black Adam. Upcoming, Brosnan will star in Max’s The Great Lillian Hall opposite Jessica Lange; the sports drama Giant; the Focus Features spy thriller Black Bag for director Steven Soderbergh; and in the Irish romance film Four Letters of Love opposite Helena Bonham Carter. Brosnan expanded the range of his film work by launching his own production company, Irish DreamTime. Alongside his wife, Keely Shaye, he is an advocate for environmental causes, actively supporting various organizations dedicated to conservation. Brosnan’s involvement extends to co-producing documentaries like “Poisoning Paradise,” shedding light on pressing environmental issues. Beyond acting and activism, he showcases his artistic talent through painting, with his works exhibited in prestigious galleries and auctions worldwide. Recently, Brosnan debuted his first solo art exhibition, “So Many Dreams,” encapsulating his artistic journey throughout the years. Brosnan was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997.
Mark Hamill’s career has encompassed all aspects of entertainment, including stage, screen, television, and new media. He is best known as Luke Skywalker in George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy – A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back. and Return of the Jedi. He later reprised the role for Lucasfilm’s latest Star Wars trilogy – The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. Hamill’s film career has included The Big Red One, Brigsby Bear, The Machine and the cult classic Corvette Summer. He is currently co-starring as Arthur Pym in Mike Flanagan’s latest limited series, The Fall Of The House Of Usher, and recently wrapped production on Flanagan’s latest Stephen King-based project, Life Of Chuck.
Additionally, his TV career has boasted roles in classics ranging from The F.B.I., The Partridge Family, One Day at a Time and The Streets of San Francisco to contemporary offerings like The Flash (1977 & 2015), Just Shoot Me, Criminal Minds, What We Do in the Shadows, The Big Bang Theory and The Mandalorian. Hamill has also crafted a prolific voiceover career, performing in hundreds of television cartoons, feature films and video games. Hamill first played the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, a role for which he established the standard in animation – ultimately winning a BAFTA Award for his portrayal of the Joker in the Arkham Asylum video game series. An Emmy Award winner for his performance in Elena of Avalor in 2021, Hamill’s recent voice work includes lending his voice to Granduncle in the English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award-winning The Boy and The Heron. Hamill was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.
The King of Kings is directed by Seong-ho “Jay” Jang (Joint Security Area, The Taste of Money, Last Knights), one of the most respected filmmakers in Korea and an unparalleled pioneer in the visual effects realm. The film is co-written by Jang and Rob Edwards (Disney’s The Princess and the Frog and Treasure Planet). Emmy Award-winning dialogue & casting director Jamie Thomason (Spirited Away, The Tigger Movie) and veteran filmmaking executive Andrew Mann (Imperium, Gold, Transfusion) serve as executive producers. Anfernee Kim (Last Knights, John Woo’sThe Crossing 2) is the film’s producer.
