Casino Blackjack

Casino Blackjack is a Hollywood action epic starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Yeoh, and Ed Norton. It tells the story of a vengeful acrobatic thief (De Niro) who moves on from his own family's lives, and their famous plucky billionaire boss (Brad Pitt) (Jack Nicholson) is locked away behind bars and for sale.

The plot is loosely based on Robert De Niro's real life, though there are subtle nods to Niro's work. The '80s comedy starring Ed Norton is the focus of the show, which takes place in 1995 in Dallas, Texas, and made by filmmaker Morgan Creek (Candyman).

Westworld director Reed and company are on board to direct. The plot follows in the footsteps of his previous film, It Comes at Night. "We're definitely going to take some of our inspiration from Denis Belnades, as much as we've learned from his films, and also from his work on Showtime's Succession," De Niro said in a statement.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Lionsgate Entertainment's Karla Souza added, "We're definitely trying to honor some of his work, to create a film that is as cool and exciting as the others."

Filming on the highly anticipated Westworld series began in September 2020, and the series began in February 2021. While filming took place predominantly in the Dominican Republic, Souza told THR (opens in new tab) that the writing team took in over 400 directors, who have now been hired.

"We were tremendously lucky to have a script that includes some of the most powerful actors in Hollywood and also set up a world of characters, and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to start off as a 20-something that does this amazing film in a way that only a Hollywood filmmaker can," Souza said.

While Souza's not exactly a household name, he's made a name for himself on TV, playing actors who are far more interesting than their contemporaries. Another example is Liam Neeson, who starred in Neeson's signature action film One Day on Earth.

After years in the making, the actor has more than earned himself an Emmy for his work in war movies like Farscape and the 2013 true crime drama Three Fingers. He's also got a role in the FX comedy The Undoing, which was directed by The Raid screenwriter Alex Garland.

Finally, Souza teased that he has been developing a future as a writer for a video game.

"I've been working on a long career at the moment with Brothers in Arms 2, the last game I ever made, and they are two huge franchises that have sold like crazy, and I just can't believe how much they've been staying out of the industry for so long," he said.

The comments were delivered via video messages sent by Souza.

The Final Fantasy 14 players have plenty of fun with the new 5.3 patch, but with regards to expansions and that post-launch content, some members of the Final Fantasy 14 community said that Square Enix doesn't listen to feedback.

"We're working to add more content to the game and are continuing to improve on what we've done so far," Souza said. "This will be in the form of paid expansions, although you'll be able to purchase these for free as we have an ongoing plan for the next year."

But that doesn't mean that Square Enix won't listen to the players who have stuck with Final Fantasy 14 as it relates to its continued support.

In August, the game's producer, Naoki Yoshida, said that after much debate and backlash, Square Enix "doesn't listen" to players.

"I understand that there are a lot of people who are waiting for the next numbered Final Fantasy 14, but I'd like to see those people give the game a try," Yoshida said at the time.

The problem isn't so much the game's content as it is the lack of new content, but rather the game's difficulty and features.

Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada said that Final Fantasy 14's growth has been "long-term", and this year's major expansion, Stormblood, is slated for release this winter. The game's four expansions, titled Heavensward and Shadowbringers, were released by that point. The next expansion, Stormblood, is due in 2016, and all the new content and features in the expansion will come at the same time.

"We want to give players a more fulfilling experience when they decide to launch the game, and I'm happy with that," Yoshida said. "I think players are always looking forward to the next chapter of the story and it's a really fun time to explore new areas. I think we're always looking for new ways to expand the Final Fantasy universe, and we think there's something special about making a game with this many new elements and bringing so much new to the table."

Square Enix has announced that the game's four expansion packs are coming in 2017, and both have their own weekly schedules.