Universal Touts Nope, Jurassic World And More At CinemaCon

Nope

by James White |
Published on

It might not have had big sequel news or a title to reveal at CinemaCon this year, but Universal could boast the biggest list of movies and a more varied slate than any other studio presenting this year so far.

The company led off with Jordan Peele's Nope, the director on stage to show a new trailer, which he asked attendees to keep quiet ahead of its weeks-away general release.

On the other end of the schedule, everything was wrapped up with Jurassic World Dominion, as Bryce Dallas Howard and Jeff Goldblum introduced a clip showing both the legacy cast (Goldblum, Sam Neill and Laura Dern) aiding the World team (Howard and Chris Pratt) in finding Blue the raptor's offspring. Of course, you can read much more about the movie in the latest issue of Empire.

In between, the studio touted its many wares (while staying silent on the Fast X director issue).

Comedy came in the form of Billy Eichner's LGBTQ+ rom-com Bros, which features gay, trans or non-binary performers playing all the characters. There was also Filipino comedian Jo Koy's comedy Easter Sunday, positioned as the next big laugh-grabber featuring a chaotic family.

Jamie Lee Curtis joked about finishing up her run as Laurie Strode with Halloween Ends, which showed some violent footage featuring Laurie going toe-to-toe with Michael Myers.

Allison Williams was there to talk new Blumhouse techno-terror M3GAN, about an android doll that causes trouble for a family. A trailer for Beast, meanwhile, saw Idris Elba facing off against a giant lion. Our bet is still on Big Dris.

André Øvredal’s Last Voyage Of The Demeter, meanwhile, adapts a chapter of Bram Stoker's Dracula and charts the ill-fated journey of the passengers on the ship with the vampire travelling between Carpathia and England.

George Clooney and Julia Roberts (who did not show) are starring in Ticket To Ride, about a divorced couple trying to stop their daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) making the same mistake they did and leaping into marriage. But as the trailer suggests, could the couple discover that their feelings are not entirely gone? All sounds point to maybe...

Animated antics came courtesy of Steve Carell and Minions: The Rise Of Gru as the latest Despicable Me movie finally heads our way. Also represented? Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, which screened a work-in-progress new trailer.

David Harbour enthused about playing a sweary, John Wick-style Santa in Violent Night, where his character must rescue a family taken hostage. It looks like a bloody delight.

On a more serious note, She Said the drama about the investigative reporters at the New York Times who helped to break the Harvey Weinstein story that kicked off the #MeToo movement, stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan. They play the reports who worked on the story, Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, and offered up a trailer.

Focus Features, meanwhile, had its own section, talking up the imminent Downton Abbey: A New Era, and new releases from the likes of Todd Field and James Gray.

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