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WIRE Buzz: Folk horror doc; Chance the Rapper's secret Lion King role; and more

By Josh Weiss
Midsommar

Start your day off on the right foot with another edition of WIRE Buzz! Discover the origins of folk-horror, learn about Chance the Rapper's secret Lion King role, and finish things off with the release change of a Dave Bautista spy comedy.

With Ari Aster's Midsommar now playing in theaters, the time is ripe to explore that unique sub-genre of horror known simply as "folk-horror."

EW reports that Kier-La Janisse will make her directorial debut with Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, a Severin-produced documentary that explores the origins of the genre and its popularization in movies like The Witchfinder General (1968) Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971), and, of course, The Wicker Man (1973).

“Folk-horror has exploded over the last decade with a multidisciplinary reach that few other sub-genres of horror enjoy, its manifestations on film, in visual arts, and music proliferating at a surprising rate,” said Janisse in a statement published by EW. “Moreover, the genre has inspired a rabid online fan base whose favorite pastime seems to be endlessly debating exactly what folk horror is.”

Midsommar, which opened in theaters last weekend, has made $13 million at the domestic box office so far.


Jon Favreau's remake of The Lion King (out in theaters next Friday) has one knockout cast, but there's an A-list voice talent none of us knew about: Chance the Rapper. Posting on Instagram, Chance revealed his association with the Disney film, writing:

"I grew up my whole life obsessed with all things related to #TheLionKing; like all three films, the Timon and Pumbaa TV show, the Broadway play, and especially the Broadway soundtrack. Needless to say, the original film was immensely impactful on my music and overall life. So when my big bro, Donald [Glover], got casted as Simba, he did the coolest thing ever and told director Jon Favreau to call me in as a consultant to keep the original flavor. So, for about a year I would go to the LK studio and see early animations, scenes, music direction, or assemblies, and they’d always be out-of-this-world amazing. One day, I’m there Jon asked me to do some singing stuff, another day he asks me to do some lines. It's all a blur, but I’ll tell u its one of the best blurs of my whole life. I am so blessed to know people like Donald and Jon man. AMAZING FILM, AMAZING CAST AND AN AMAZING NIGHT LAST NIGHT. GOD BLESS AND LONG LIVE THE KING."

Including a snapshot of the end credits as well, Chance confirmed that his secret Lion King role was that of a Bush Baby living in the bug-filled oasis inhabited by Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen).

In case you're not a biologist, Bush Babies are lemur-like mammals with wide eyes (very good for seeing in the dark) that are native to Africa.


Dave Bautista's espionage comedy, My Spy, will now be released sometime in 2020, TheWrap has reported. The STX-distributed film, helmed by Get Smart's Peter Segal, was originally slated to open in theaters late next month.

Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) stars as JJ, a veteran CIA agent on the verge of losing his job in the field. When a young girl by the name of Sophie (Chloe Coleman) immediately picks him out as a spy, JJ agrees to teach her the ways of spy craft, lest she rat him out to his disgruntled boss (Ken Jeong).

Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman in My Spy

Parisa Fitz-Henley and Kristen Schaal co-star.