If you’re a screamer, FX’s ‘Grotesquerie’ wants to hear it

Aldis Hodge plays brilliant criminal psychologist Alex Cross in the forthcoming Prime Video series based on James Patterson‘s bestselling book series, and at New York Comic Con on Friday he talked about Cross with ABC Audio.

From the drop — a trailer of the show — fans were all in, the actor says. “The fan reaction really blew me away. I kept looking at YouTube, and it said over 14 million views, I’m talking within the first six days, and it kept growing.” 

“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” he said.

Hodge continued, “The fan reaction being so strong, it really just validates all the hard work of the entire team … and it lets me know just how special this is to the audience.” 

The series was renewed for a second season before production was even completed on the first, which Hodge said “shows a great deal of faith and belief in us, and gives us all a great deal of confidence.” 

He adds, “We came into a second season not comfortable — because we know we set a bar and we have to surpass that bar in the next one. But we know we have real support, and it is at times rare to have that kind of support … when you put your heart into something.” 

Aldis says, “It just elevates things and makes us go harder.” 

He adds with a laugh, “We still hopes this first season bangs, now, don’t get me wrong! But we want every season to be an elevation of the predecessor.” 

Cross debuts Nov. 14 on Prime Video.

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While the original Joker had been compared to Martin Scorsese‘s Taxi Driver, that film’s acclaimed screenwriter Paul Schrader wasn’t impressed with Todd Phillips‘ panned sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux.

In a chat in Interview magazine, Schrader said he got to the theater to see the movie, but “I saw about 10 or 15 minutes of it. I left, bought something, came back, saw another 10 minutes. That was enough.”

He added, “It’s a really bad musical.”

When pressed for details, he had some choice words for Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, as well as their respective characters Joker/Arthur Fleck and Harley Quinn.

“I don’t like either of those people,” he sniffed.

“I don’t like them as actors. I don’t like them as characters. I don’t like the whole thing. I mean, those are people who, if they came to your house, you’d slip out the back door.”

The Oscar-nominated writer used to be a film critic, and it seems other critics agree with his review: Joker: Folie à Deux has a 33% from them on the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

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Saoirse Ronan stars in the trailer for Steve McQueen‘s upcoming historical drama, Blitz.

Set in England during World War II, the trailer follows 9-year-old George, played by Elliott Heffernan, who embarks on a journey to return home to his mother, Rita, played by Ronan. Rita searches tirelessly for her missing son, who finds himself in great danger as he makes his way back to East London.

“You’re responsible for his safety,” Ronan’s Rita says in the trailer. “Why can’t you tell me, where’s my boy?”

Later on in the trailer, while standing in front of a crowd, Rita says, “This is for all the parents whose children have been evacuated, and for my boy, George.”

The Oscar-winning McQueen wrote and directed the Apple Original Film, which also stars Paul Weller as George’s grandfather Gerald, as well as Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine and Kathy Burke.

Blitz arrives in theaters on Nov. 1, before it streams on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22.

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