Welcome to B.H.’s Screen Time, where every week, we’ll give you the cliff notes on what’s happening in the entertainment industry. From various stages of development chatter and our take on the newest releases, to a fun throwback worth revisiting, think of it as an insider’s digest meets movie club.
Coming Soon
AMC is getting in on motorsport fever, but instead of flocking to Formula 1 like everybody else, the network is looking to serve up more of a Days of Thunder flavour with a high-profile NASCAR series currently dubbed Thunder Road.
Created by John Fusco – the man behind Netflix’s Marco Polo and screenwriter for the likes of Young Guns, The Forbidden Kingdom, and The Highwaymen – according to Deadline, it’ll be a “multi-generational saga of the Whitlock family, whose legacy in stock car racing is as deep as the family’s ties to the southern hill country roots that shaped them.”
Expect the usual dramatic tensions that come with dynasties, fierce rivalries, and the “untold stories behind one of America’s most iconic sports,” which originated from bootleggers evading police during the Prohibition era.
“You might call it Succession with stock cars,” remarked Fusco.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to bring this dramatic, action-packed, uniquely American story to life with AMC and NASCAR.”
John Fusco has signed on to executive produce alongside Cliff Roberts (Netflix’s Untamed) and Mark L. Smith (Untamed, American Primeval, The Revenant, Twisters). Tim Clark and John Dahl will also exec produce for NASCAR with Gladys Cheng as producer.
Thunder Road release date: TBA.
On the subject of thunder, Ryan Reynolds is tapping Amazon MGM to help him remake another classic action flick in Thunderbolt & Lightfoot.
Michael Cimino’s (The Deer Hunter) 1974 original starred Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges, and followed a legendary thief disguised as a preacher (Eastwood) making his escape from an old gang that believes he’s double-crossed them. The story really kicks into motion when the titular Thunderbolt crosses paths with a young drifter and amateur car thief, Lightfoot (Bridges).
The duo plots to join the old gang for a new bank job, where nothing goes right.
Reynolds is reportedly looking to assume one of the lead roles, possibly opposite Hugh Jackman, along with producing via his Maximum Effort banner. The Canadian star is also co-writing the screenplay with Enzo Mileti and Scott Wilson of Fargo season 4, Snowfall, and B.H.-approved MMA drama series The Kingdom fame; Deadpool & Wolverine editor Shane Reid will make his directorial debut with this project.
Thunderbolt & Lightfoot remake release date: TBA.
It’s a tragic fact of life that gun violence is simply par for the course over in the US, and HBO documentary Thoughts & Prayers will examine the breadth of this supposed “normalcy” in sobering detail.
As per the official synopsis:
The documentary captures the current landscape of safety rituals in schools and communities across America, where classrooms double as tactical training grounds, bullet-proof backpacks become armour, and conferences showcase the latest survival gadgets for a nation where mass shootings have become a part of everyday life.
Equal parts absurd and unsettlingly real, the film traces the $3 billion active shooter preparedness industry and its effect on students and educators, raising important questions about the unintended consequences of these intense preparations. In the absence of meaningful prevention efforts and gun reform… how far will Americans go to prepare for active shooters?
Thoughts & Prayers release date: November 19th, 2026, via HBO Max.
And finally, 20 years after screening as a two-volume deal, we have a trailer for the upcoming full uncut version of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (the film Quentin Tarantino initially intended for the world to see).
As indicated by its very title, it’ll merge Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 into a seamless rampage with never-before-seen bonus scenes in there too – stand by for where and when you’ll be able to catch it here in Australia.
Kill Bill – The Whole Bloody Affair release date: TBA.
How did we miss this?
Despite being fairly tapped in with the world of entertainment – it is my day job, after all – we somehow missed the usual anticipatory rollout of Netflix’s electric new historical drama Death by Lightning: stacked cast and all.
Based on the 2011 book Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard, it covers the rise and reign of a forgotten US president: James A. Garfield (Michael Shannon). The 20th commander-in-chief was known for a handful of things, including his hardline anti-corruption and pro-civil rights stances… and his assassination by “deluded admirer” slash OG celeb stalker Charles J. Guiteau (Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen).
The leads have been joined by Betty Gilpin as First Lady Lucretia Garfield, Shea Whigham as Roscoe Conkling, Bradley Whitford as James Blaine, and Nick Offerman as Garfield’s presidential successor Chester A. Arthur.
Death by Lightning is now streaming on Netflix and, on the merit of Shannon and Macfayden’s performances alone, it’s well worth your time.