Naomi Alderman’s 2016 dystopian thriller The Power was an instant classic of speculative fiction – the kind of thought experiment that destabilizes our sense of what’s possible. What would happen if teenage girls had the ability to electrocute at their fingertips? What would the world be like if women didn’t fear men anymore? How would women wield their new strength, and how would men push back? The novel imagines a cascade of aftershocks as the balance of gender power shifts. Toni Collette hadn’t read The Power when she agreed to star in the Amazon Prime Video series adaptation, premiering this March, playing fictional Seattle mayor Margot Cleary-Lopez. “I often don’t read the source material – I like to focus on the scripts that I’m given, because that’s what’s chosen to be focused on,” Collette tells Vanity Fair by phone from Sydney. But she also points out that the role came to her very abruptly. The series began shooting in early 2020, with Leslie Mann in the role of Margot, but the pandemic shut down production. Last year, Collette was brought in to replace Mann, and all her previously filmed scenes had to be re-done. Vanity Fair has posted a lenghty accompanying article for the teaser trailer, including an interview with Toni. Screencaptures from the trailer have been added to the photo gallery.

Warner Bros. Pictures has released a teaser trailer for Bong Joon Ho’s next movie “Mickey 17,” starring Robert Pattinson. Other cast members currently include Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo. Ho will also be writing and producing the film under his company Offscreen. “Mickey 17” is based on the Edward Ashton novel “Mickey7,” which was published in February 2022. The book tells the story of Mickey7, who is an Expendable, a disposable employee. He accepts a position to go on a human expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there is a mission that is considered too dangerous or downright suicidal, Mickey7 is sent. When one version dies it is simply replaced by a new one that retains most of their memories. “Mickey 17” will be the director’s first film following “Parasite,” which became the highest-grossing South Korean film in history. It also had the distinction of being the first non-English language movie to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Out of its six total nominations, “Parasite” took home Oscars for original screenplay, director, and international feature. “Mickey 17” is slated for release on March 29th, 2024. Check out the teaser trailer below:

After six deaths, Mickey7 is sent out on a routine mission where he becomes lost and is presumed dead. By the time he makes it back to the base, he has already been replaced by Mickey8. This is an issue because in this universe the idea of duplicate Expendables is despised. If found they will most likely be thrown into the recycler for protein. So now Mikey7 must hide his new clone on top of trying to help terraform an ice planet. There is currently no word on plot details or how closely Ho will be sticking to the source material. But the title does kind of hint that Mikey may be a 17th-generation Expendable.

Bleecker Street has unveiled the first teaser for its action-comedy Mafia Mamma, reteaming Toni Collette with director Catherine Hardwicke. The film written by Michael J. Feldman & Debbie Jhoon is slated for release in theaters on April 14, 2023. Mafia Mamma follows an insecure American woman (Toni Collette) who inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy. Guided by the firm’s trusted consigliere (Monica Bellucci), she hilariously defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business. Christopher Simon, Amanda Sthers, and Collette served as producers on the Vocab Films, IDEA(L) and New Sparta production. Mafia Mamma comes on the heels of Hardwicke, Collette and Simon’s collaboration on the 2015 dramedy Miss You Already, in which Collette starred opposite Drew Barrymore. Its cast also includes Giulio Corso, Francesco Mastroianni, Alfonso Perugini, Sophia Nomvete, Eduardo Scarpetta, Tim Daish, and Tommy Rodger.

The best thing coming out of the virtual press junket tour for “The Estate” (currently in US theaters, just skip the reviews) is Yahoo! Entertainment’s Roll Call interviw with Toni Collette, in which she not only talks about her iconic roles in “Muriel’s Wedding”, “The Sixth Sense” and “Hereditary”, but also about the roles she wanted to play or declined, including Martin Scorcese’s “Bringing Out The Dead” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary”. The video can be watched above and in the video archive. Here are the best takeaways:

On losing out “Bringing Out The Dead” while being offered “The Sixth Sense”:

I was actually in New York meeting Martin Scorsese for a film called Bringing Out the Dead. And I was so enamored by Marty and obviously wanted to [work with him]. I knew about him. I didn’t know who Night was. So I was kind of focused on trying to work with Scorsese. Who wouldn’t be? I still wanna work with him. … [Finally I called my agent back] and my agent said, “You’ve been offered…” and I screamed before he got it out. I thought he was saying “You’ve been offered Bringing Out the Dead,” and he said, “You’ve been offered The Sixth Sense.” And I was like, [disappointedly], “Aw.”

On turning down “Bridget Jones’s Diary”:

I really couldn’t make the decision. I was busy doing a musical on Broadway called The Wild Party and I wasn’t available. But sometimes I think about that and I think, ‘I don’t know, that character’s so similar to Muriel.’ It might have been too close. And I try not to repeat myself.

On her infamous last scene in “Hereditary”:

Well, the story to me is just a really sad story about a family grieving. And so when it came to doing that, which is an overtly horrific moment, it felt ridiculous. I was hanging up in the attic, and Ari Aster, the brilliant writer-director, had a very specific idea of the rhythm of how I use the piano string to saw my own head off. So I literally was watching him and he was moving how he wanted me to move until it got faster and faster. So it was kind of technical in terms of just pleasing him in the rhythm of how that movement was. And it was fun, actually. It was fun putting all the prosthetics on and getting all the blood lined up. But it just felt like a complete departure from what the film actually meant to me.

“The Estate” is receiving quite some buzz this week for its November 4 release. Anna Faris and Toni Collette have both participated in a virtual press junket for the film. So far, E! Insider and Entertainment Tonight have aired their segments in which the actresses talk about bonding on set to play sisters without any rehearsal time, if they would let their children watch their work. Toni also talked about this year’s 20th anniversary of “About a Boy” and if she keeps up with her co-stars Hugh Grant, Rachel Weisz and Nicholas Hoult. Screencaptures from both videos have been added, too. Edit: A 10-minute b-roll has been added as well.

…well, coverage might be too big of a word since Toni Collette didn’t attend the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards and didn’t win as Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for “The Staircase”. The award went to Amanda Seyfried’s portrayal of Elizabeth Holmes in “The Dropout”. Still, you can catch 2 seconds of Toni in the Lead Actress segment above and in the video archive. Thanks to the Emmys Youtube channel for posting full segments of the award categories and not only the winners. Much appreciated.