Fresh Spring VFX

By CHRIS McGOWAN

Game of Thrones (Photo courtesy of HBO)

Visual effects talent worked on a trio of high-profile movies releasing this spring that come laden with blockbuster expectations – Avengers: Endgame with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, Ad Astra with Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones, and Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Will Smith. With all that big-screen firepower, however, the biggest VFX event of spring may be the final series run of Game of Thrones on television.

In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, visual effects also play a major role and bring verisimilitude to a variety of city-squashing giant beasts that threaten humankind. And effects masters signed on to enhance Pet Sematary, the Hellboy reboot and Shazam!

VFX Voice has compiled a list of some of the top effects-infused productions due this spring along with their visual effects producers, supervisors, and the VFX houses involved. This is not intended to be a complete listing. The coverage period is April and May. Release dates are subject to change.

Game of Thrones (HBO)

Release date: U.K., April 14; U.S., April 14

Visual effects royalty returns for its eighth and final season. David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, David Nutter and Miguel Sapochnik will be the directors. Joe Bauer is the Visual Effects Supervisor.

Pet Sematary (Photo © 2018 Paramount Pictures)

Pet Sematary (Paramount Pictures)

Release date: U.K., April 5; April 5

Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer direct this new film adaptation of the Stephen King novel, in which Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and two kids move to a rural home located near a most peculiar burial ground. Paul Docherty is the VFX Production Manager. Mr. X is handling VFX.

Shazam! (Photo © 2018 Warner Bros. Pictures)

Shazam! (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Release date: U.K., April 5; U.S., April 5

One magic word transforms young Bill Batson (Asher Angel) into superhero Shazam (Zachary Levi), but he must also learn to get serious with his newfound powers. David F. Sandberg helms the movie based on the DC Comics character. MPC (VFX Supervisor Asregadoo Arundi) and Mr. X (VFX Supervisor Aaron Weintraub) are the main visual effects houses.

Hellboy (Photo © 2018 Lionsgate)

Hellboy (Lionsgate)

Release date: U.K., April 11; U.S., April 12

Director Neil Marshall reboots the Hellboy film series, as David Harbour (Stranger Things) portrays the title character who must save mankind from Nimue, an ancient sorceress (Milla Jovovich). Steven Begg is the Production VFX Supervisor, and Mr. X, Digital District, Rhythm & Hues, Goodbye Kansas and WWFX participated in the VFX.

Missing Link (Photo © 2018 Annapurna Pictures)

Missing Link (Annapurna Pictures)

Release date: U.K., April 5; U.S., April 12

Mr. Link, eight feet tall and furry, hopes explorer Sir Lionel Frost can help him locate long-lost relatives in Shangri-La. Zach Galifianakis, Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson are among the vocal talents in the animated tale from director Chris Butler and the Laika stop-motion-animation studio. Richard Thwaites is Visual Effects Production Supervisor and Steve Emerson is Visual Effects Supervisor.

Avengers: Endgame (Photo © 2018 Walt Disney Studios)

Avengers: Endgame (Walt Disney Studios)

Release date: U.K., April 26; U.S., April 26

After Thanos wipes out half of all life in the universe, the remaining Avengers must undo the Mad Titan’s deed. With an ensemble of Marvel superheroes like this – Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chadwick Boseman and Mark Ruffalo – Thanos (Josh Brolin) is hard-pressed to finish off the rest of the cosmos. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo direct. Dan DeLeeuw is Visual Effects Supervisor, Jen Underdahl is a Visual Effects Producer, and DNEG, Weta Digital, Framestore, ILM and Digital Domain contributed VFX.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (Photo © 2018 Warner Bros. Pictures)

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Release date: U.K., May 10; U.S., May 10

Ace detective Harry Goodman has gone missing and it will be up to his son Tim (Justice Smith) and wise-cracking Detective Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) to discover his whereabouts in the sprawling metropolis of Ryme City. The Rob Letterman film has Visual Effects Producers Greg Baxter and Geoff Anderson, bolstered by Visual Effects Supervisor Erik Nordby for MPC, with VFX work by Framestore, Image Engine and Clear Angle Studios.

John Wick: Chapter 3 (Photo © 2018 Lionsgate)

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (Lionsgate)

Release date: U.K., May 17; U.S., May 17

This stylish action series starring Keanu Reeves continues, with Chad Stahelski directing and a host of stars in the cast, including Ian McShane, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne and Anjelica Huston. Kerry Joseph is the Visual Effects Producer. Image Engine and Proof Inc. are on board for VFX.

Ad Astra (20th Century Fox)

Release date: U.K., May 24; U.S., May 24

Twenty years after Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) left for Neptune to find signs of extra-terrestrial life, his son Roy (Brad Pitt) goes in search of him in this James Gray film. Bradley Parker is Production VFX Supervisor, Allen Maris is Visual Effects Producer, and Christopher Downs and Jiwoong Kim are Visual Effects Supervisors. Weta Digtal, Vitality VFX, Mr. X, Method Studios, MPC, Capital T, Shade VFX and Brainstorm VFX are handling the VFX load.

Aladdin (Walt Disney Studios)

Release date: U.K., May 24; U.S., May 24

Guy Ritchie helms the live-action remake of the 1992 animated feature with Will Smith as the voluble Genie. Jeff Capogreco, Chas Jarrett and Michael Mulholland are Visual Effects Supervisors working with the talent at ILM, Magiclab, Host VFX, One of Us, Clear Angle Studios and Nvizage.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Release date: U.K., May 31; U.S., May 31

Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) and Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) lead the cast in the latest telling of the Godzilla saga, joined by Vera Farmiga, David Strathairn and Ken Watanabe, not to mention Mothra, Rodan and three-headed King Ghidorah. Maricel Pagulayan is Visual Effects Producer, Guillaume Rocheron is Visual Effects Supervisor, and DNEG, Clear Angle Studios, Method Studios, MPC, Raynault VFX, Ollin VFX, Factory VFX and Rodeo FX all participated.