Wagner Moura Nineteen Times

It's weird I didn't see Wagner Moura get dragged into the brown-word brouhaha that erupted when Steven Soderbergh broke our hearts, declaring he wants to make a movie about the Spanish-American War starring Moura that would use"a lot of A.I." -- if I missed somebody asking Moura about that shit please share it in the comments! Until then I am choosing to believe that Wagner didn't know anything about the A.I. part of this and has since bolted, just so's my crush on him can remain throbbing for a little longer. Thankfully for now we't throbbing just fine thanks to this new-ish photoshoot (via) ...

... and the news that Wagner will be starring opposite two of my favorite actors -- Ralph Fiennes and Colin Farrell, A mini-In-Bruges reunion! -- in Art, a film adaptation of the 1994 play by Yasmina Reza to be directed by the great Fernando Meirelles (thx Mac). The play's about three long-term friends who debate the meaning of art when one of them buys an extremely expensive all-white painting. Okay! I suppose somehow that will be made cinematic. And I bet it will be accomplished without any A.I. too. Keep that line of thinking going, Wagner! Hit the jump for all of the photos...

Would You Let Wagner Moura Drain You?

It's been eleven whole months since we heard that Mandy director Panos Cosmatos was going to make a sexy vampire movie titled Flesh of the Gods starring Oscar Isaac and Kristen Stewart -- long enough that I managed to totally forget that that sexy-sounding thing was a thing! Well it turns out the hold-up was Isaac, who's had to drop out of the project. But if you're looking at the above photo (which I know you are) then you can probably see where this is going -- yes indeed recent Oscar nominee Wagner Moura has snatched up the role! And yes okay I maybe just wandered off mentally-speaking, wondering what if it was Kristen Stewart who had dropped out and the movie was going to star Oscar & Wagner as the sexy couple instead... but let's not entertain the not-happening and instead enjoy the news that is. As I said in my post about this project last year I have mixed feelings about Mandy but there's no denying that Cosmatos is an interesting and exciting filmmaker -- I especially loved his episode of Guillermo Del Toro's horror anthology series Cabinet of Curiosities on Netflix. So if these folks wanna get together and riff on The Hunger in Cosmatos's Refn-adjacent style then I say bring it on, baby. Oh and this bit of news didn't surprise me -- A24 has boarded the movie as distributor. Has anything ever sounded more A24 than this? I can't wait for the merch! In summation since we're here and Oscar Isaac just came up hey look some new pictures of Oscar Isaac:

OSCAR ISAAC BREAK (via www.instagram.com/nicolewilson...)

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— Jason Adams (@jamnpp.bsky.social) April 1, 2026 at 3:30 PM

Good Morning, World

I'm sure Wagner Moura's career is going to get a great big boost from this past awards season where he was deservedly nominated for his ace turn in The Secret Agent. (How incredibly handsome did he look at the Oscars this past weekend when he was presenting and he put on those glasses? I swooned.) He's already got seven titles in his "upcoming" projects including a remake of Abbas Kiarostami's masterpiece Taste of Cherry (from the director of Jauja!) and a Star Wars project (of course) -- I'm sure much-deserved bigger projects are in the works though. I'd love to see him reunite with Secret Agent director Kleber Mendonça Filho again. That said -- I've never yet watched Narcos, the show where he played drug kingpin Pablo Escabar seen above, and... that picture is making me think I really should watch Narcos. There's also the Boyd Holbrook and Pedro Pascal of it. Hrm. Thoughts? Also if you wanna give me your answers for a Narcos-themed "Do Dump or Marry?" in the comments, those three are ready and willing...

This is Not an Oscars Post

I said all I needed to say on the Oscars yesterday at this link when I shared my ranking of the Best Picture nominees -- now I'm just saying goodbye for the Oscar Weekend, saying "See you on the other side." One of the above two fellows will probably be cradling a golden man in their strong arms come Sunday night -- y'all know who I'm rooting for but whatever will be will be. And so be it! That said my hypocrisy keeps on keeping on because have no doubt I'll be posting about the show on Bluesky as it happens, so if you do want to see me get disgruntled in real time make sure to follow me there. For some people watching me get annoyed is the real entertainment! I'll take it. Have a good weekend, stay safe and stay as sane as is possible in the year 2026. And in summation... I can't say I'd be furious if Wagner sneaked in and pulled it out (so to speak, ahem)...

Wagner Moura Break

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Wagner Moura Nine Times

I posted two photos from this photoshoot of The Secret Agent actor and probable Oscar nominee Wagner Moura way way way back in November (what was that, fifteen years ago at this point?) but I kept hoping that Elle Man magazine would drop the rest of the photos from it without all of their annoying type all over them... ultimately to no avail. Hope died this day! It's a shame -- it's probably the sexiest shoot of him all awards season. 

So I'll post them now I suppose -- even though per usual all that type physically  and spiritually injures me -- since the nominations are tomorrow morning (P.S. What are you hoping to see get nominated tomorrow?) and we're praying Wagner makes it in. I'm really not too worried for him! I think he's got this. But perhaps ogling him will help a little. Well it helps me a little anyway. And really -- what's more important than that? Hit the jump for the rest...

Somewhere Between Mescal & Moura...

... is where I'd rather be.

Wagner Moura Two Times

The Secret Agent, the ace new movie from Bacurau and Aquarius director Kleber Mendonça Filho, is out in theaters today! (Check this link for tickets near you.) And its sexy slash super talented star Wagner Moura has been on the awards trail in support of it, which has been a big boon to those of us who like looking at Wagner Moura. Especially since it is a movie that treats him very much as a Movie Star, and makes him look about as fine as he can -- just take one look at the main still from the movie and tell me you don't want to watch two hours of that! But beyond starriness Moura gives another world-class turn in the film -- he shot immediately onto my radar in 2013 in Neill Blomkamp's otherwise forgettable Elysium (he'd already been working, mostly in Brazil, for 15 years before that) and it's been a real pleasure watching him fulfill that promise year after year. TSA is definitely his best work to date, and it'd be awesome if he manages to score an Oscar nom for it -- that said I'm also rooting for Lee Byung-hun in Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice and I foresee AMPAS being stingy when it comes to giving away slots to non-English language performers. They'll usually go for one, not two. So if I had to bet I'd give the edge to Wagner -- this movie isn't as tonally tricky as Park's movie; as dark as it gets, it goes down easier. Anyway I'm rooting for the both of them, and Wagner if you need a date to the ceremony I am (sorry boyfriend) available... (pics via)

Three Hot Men For the Price of None

I'm not in Toronto right now with all of the other critics but that's okay because the actors on the scene are giving the rest of us a real fucking show -- this weekend it was one hot sexy snap of our faves after another. The menfolk are demanding attention! And we're ready to give it! Even though I shared all three of these pictures on Bluesky already they need to be documented here at MNPP proper. Most especially the above photo of James McAvoy manspreading in a kilt -- that's a look for the record books. You know that line in Clueless about an "unequivocal sex invite"? It's very much that. God damn James, you devil. 

Not that this photo of Chris Evans inviting us to the gun (and pec) show is any sorta slouch! Chris is looking good! (What's new?) Not that I have any idea what movie either him or James are at TIFF for -- I thought for a second that Chris might be reprising his role from the first one in the new Benoit Blanc mystery that premiered at the same time this photo dropped but no, we're not that lucky. (Word on the new Knives Out is semi-ecstatic though so I'm extremely excited.) Anyway finally that brings us to longtime crush Wagner Moura, and we do know what movie he's at TIFF for -- he's there for The Secret Agent, the extremely buzzy new movie from Bacurau director Kleber Mendonça Filho. As a massive Bacurau-head (yes that's a thing) I'm practically foaming at the mouth for this one -- thankfully I only have to foam for a little over week since I'll be seeing it for NYFF next Thursday. Look at that sweet smile! Aww. 

Hatchets, Crocs, And Hot Boys Kissing

Been awhile since I did a post where I directed y'all to some recent blu-ray releases of note and since I have a few listed on my calendar for today why not? Otherwise I'm just scouring social media for more photos of Theo James in his speedo and there's only so much of that one can do without literally exploding. So today in blu-ray news, first up -- there's Alex Garland's Civil War, which was divisive but not really the way that I think Garland intended it to be. I reviewed it at Pajiba, saying "the film gets to it by coasting on a journalist’s ethics of pure objective documentation over anything resembling subjectivity, and this film that basically demanded to be made at this moment in time doesn’t quite earn its laurels by its end." The movie feels like a cop-out to me. But it's worth seeing and thinking about anyway, and the 4K disc is gorgeous -- you can practically count every hair in Wagner Moura's sexy mustache. 

Also out today is a blu-ray of the sleazy 1979 Jaws rip-off Crocodile from Synapse Films -- this movie isn't my favorite 70s "When Animals Attack!" flick -- heck it's not even in the top 10 -- but it's got its moments, and lots of fun Godzilla-esque miniature work as its enormous croc rampages through puppet-sized Thai villages. My favorite thing is how wildly the size of the crocodile itself vaccillates across the course of the movie -- it's the size of a Brontosaurus in those rampages but then when it goes to eat somebody its mouth is one-person sized. It'd probably be a lot of fun when drunk or stoned. Not that I would know! I am a good, pure, innocent boy, and prefer watching endless underwater shots of bottomless women while sober thank you very much.

Speaking of misogynist sleaze, I meant to mention to the fans of the franchise that Adam Green's Hatchet series of films finally got a proper blu-ray boxed-set release a couple of weeks back -- Hatchet: The Complete Collection contains all four movies (including Victor Crowley) and a fifth disc of special features and the only place to buy it is on Dark Sky's website right here. I personally hate these movies but I know they have lots of fans and I will admit that the practical gore effects do totally rule, and they definitely typify the Aughts era of Bro Horror. Not my cuppa but mileages vary! But finally and most importantly...

... Luca Guadagnino's Challengers is out on blu-ray today! Or at least they say it is -- Amazon has delayed sending my copy because of "supply chain issues, and I am very upset about it. But I suppose some of you probably got your copy, to which I say ROT IN HELL. Ahem. No no, enjoy! I mean that sincerely. ENJOY IN HELL, FUCKFACE. Okay this isn't going right. Here is my review of the film -- obviously I loved it, Luca has yet to do me wrong, and I'll be watching it a jabillion times over. Now if only Trent Reznor & Co would drop the score on vinyl already! They're teasing this out like we're all Josh O'Connor watching Mike Faist change in the lockerroom dammit.

Oh and one bit of news on the pre-order front -- this spring's horror hit Late Night With the Devil is dropping on blu-ray here in the U.S. in September, and you can pre-order it right now right here. I liked, not loved, it -- my high expectations have been slaughtering movies left and right this year -- but it's fun and worth a watch or two. I'll definitely re-watch it when it hits with my lowered expectactions and can foresee it becoming one I revisit every so often when the mood strikes. David Dastmalchian of course rules.

Pictures of Wagner

Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho's 2019 film Bacurau is a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned so obviously I'm going to be paying attention to whatever he does next -- especially given how it's been five years since Bacurau and all he's made in that time was last year's doc Pictures of Ghosts, which was about the history of movie theaters in his hometown Recife (well technically it was about much more than that, but that was the baseline). So today's word on what he's up to was always going to be exciting -- add in that what he's up to will star the terrific actor Wagner Moura (most recently seen being sexy af in Civil War) and it becomes doubly exciting. It's much bigger scaled than Filho's previous work -- titled The Secret Agent, Moura will play:

"... a university professor in his 40s who is on the run. He travels from São Paulo to the seaside city of Recife during Carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son. But he soon finds out he has been tailed and spied on by neighbors in his new refuge, leaving him no possible escape from the tentacles of corruption.”

There's more info from the director himself at that link above -- he says that making Pictures of Ghosts was integral to his process of getting to this one because it helped him deal with the intimate history of the place, and the time, where he grew up and where the film will be set. Anyway we can't wait!

Masters of War

Inside of my review of Alex Garland's new movie Civil War it didn't really feel like the right place to go on about how sexy Wagner Moura is in the movie, so let me do it right here -- hubba hubba y'all. He's always struck me as a truly transformative actor who doesn't often rely on the sexy, but when he wants to be our man Wagner can bring it and he brings it to Civil War a hefty amount. Garland shoots the hell out of the strange and surprising planes of his face and I just wanted to slide down them like a disgruntled wall climber. Anyway that said yes indeed I reviewed Civil War today and you can read my thoughts over at Pajiba. The movie is a thrilling watch that I nevertheless wish had been a little more bold and courageous about its specifics. In the interest of both sides (which is what the film wants) I did read a very fine piece on the film right here that argues the movie doesn't need to be specific, but I still don't entirely buy that argument, nor have I ever bought the argument that journalists should strain for total objectivity. As a person who's had the foundations of my life politicized I have just never felt the roominess to make that case and it will always feel like a cop-out to me. Yes war is hell, but we're in it! So somebody better check and see who the fucking devils are poking us in the ass with their pitchforks. But anyway the movie's still a thrill and I do recommend seeing it; I hope that comes across in my review, mixed though it might be. Here is the trailer if you missed it when I posted it before: 

At War With Myself

Well it is time now for me to go see Annhilation and Ex Machina writer-director Alex Garland's new movie Civil War, which stars Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura (seen above) and which sounds like quite the politicized barn-burner -- watch the trailer here if you haven't yet. Feeling like I might have to take a Xanax before going into this one! Anyway Civil War is out in theaters next Friday, April 12th. And you should expect to hear more about it from me some time between now and then! As an aside this seems a good moment to let y'all know I am out for the first half of next week -- it'll be quiet round here for both Monday and Tuesday, but as the eagle finds its nest so I shall return for Hump Day. 

Chuck Makes War Not Love

Even though Charles Melton didn't get his (deserved) Oscar nomination for his performance in Todd Haynes' May December (aka my #8 movie of 2024) it looks like the role put him on the radar of serious filmmakers and he's escaping Riverdale purgatory at last. He's just signed on to star in Alex Garland's next movie, a war film that we have no other info on besides that the Annhilation and Ex-Machina director is co-directing alongside Ray Mendoza -- they worked together on Civil War, which is out April 12th and which I weirdly never shared the trailer for so that is below. With a cast that includes Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Cailee Spaeny, Jesse Plemons, and Nick Offerman? Sign me up.

Glover the Lover

I haven't seen any of it myself yet but I've only heard mixed-to-bad things about the Mr. and Mrs Smith series that's hitting Amazon today... and yet, as seen in my tweet down below, I kind of don't care when they've got Donald Glover looking like that on it. I'm easy like that! Plus Maya Erskine of PEN15 fame??? Yeah there's no way in hell I'm not watching this show. Then you keep glancing down the cast list -- Alexander Skarsgård! Paul Dano! Wagner Moura! Ron Perlman! John Turturro! Parker f'ing Posey! Does it even matter if the show is good when it's got this cast? (Cut to me, very sad, in about twelve hours.) Anyway no matter what this show's existence reminded me of that time Donald strutted around the streets of Manhattan in the sluttiest short-shorts outfit imaginable and for that we all (i.e. me) win.

I haven't watched #MrAndMrsSmith but I have seen these images of Donald Glover in it and HOO BOY pic.twitter.com/HMr3n170LZ

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) February 2, 2024

Good Morning, World

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Did y'all watch Narcos? I didn't watch Narcos even though I love its leading men with the heat of a vinyl backseat in Charleston August -- Pedro Pascal! Wagner Moura! And today's birthday boy, Boyd Holbrook! I just seem to have an aversion to dramas about the drug wars -- I can't think of a single one I love. I don't even truly love Brian De Palma's Scarface (besides Michelle Pfieffer obviously) -- if you asked me to rank my favorite BDP movies Scarface probably wouldn't even crack the Top 10. 

Anyway I don't know why I am talking about Scarface now -- it's Boyd Holbrook's birthday! I deeply, profoundly recommend you take a hike through our Boyd Holbrook Archives here at MNPP -- there are posts, like this one especially, that will show you why he's a fave... in ways these gifs from Narcos might not. Not that I'm discrediting what's seen here! The stache, after all. But these are a little vanilla and when you see some of his modeling shoots from his younger days... hoo doggy. That's some Neapolitan shit. Hit the jump for the rest...

Good Morning, World

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Have any of you guys watched Netflix's new Pablo Escobar series Narcos yet? If so, any good? I have not but I'm somewhat curious, if only because what I've seen of Wagner Moura so far has been very good indeed, plus Pedro Pascal (aka that damn dead sexy Dornishman Prince Oberyn from Game of Thrones) is slinking around, apparently at least once half naked, as seen here. Y'all tell me if I should watch it and here in exchange hit the jump and you can have more Pedro flesh! It's a deal!

One Seventh Wagner

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The Brazilian actor Wagner Moura was the second best thing about Neill Blomkamp's film Elysium (we all know what the first best thing was) so I'm glad to hear he's getting more work here in the US - he's just been cast as 1/7th of The Magnificent Seven in the latest iteration of that well-trod tale. Antoine Fuqua, who recently spent a bunch of time training his camera on Jake Gyllenhaal's well greased nipples, is directing; the dude who wrote The Blind Side and the dude who wrote True Detective together wrote the script. Moura joins Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Luke "Homophobe" Grimes, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Haley Bennett in the cast. Anyway I really like Moura's face; it's both attractive and kind of off-putting at once. I'm totally into that.

I Am Link

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--- The Dwarf & The Director - A Brazilian actor named Wagner Moura is going to play Italian genius Federico Fellini in a bio-pic about his first trip to America in 1957 for the Oscars when he disappeared for a couple of days. The movie is being written and directed  the producer of the television show Homeland, which I totally adore. (He also produced Rubicon, which we were just talking about.) Naturally, this being a movie about Fellini, there's a role for Peter Dinklage too. Anyway this Moura guy looked familiar to me so I checked and yup, we've posted about him before - he's playing the bad guy in Elysium, director Neil Blomkamp's follow-up to District 9. 

--- Crazy Chloe - Chloe Sevigny has joined the second season of American Horror Story's cast, apparently as a main adversary for whoever the hell Jessica Lange is playing. I love Chloe but never got into Big Love so this is the first thing I'll be seeing her in in like fourteen years or whatever.

--- Stoner Show - We now have official word that HBO has picked up that nine-episode series True Detective starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as detectives on the trail of a serial killer that will be directed by Jane Eyre's hot piece of a director Cary Fukunaga. We heard about this a few weeks back, but now it's for sure and shit. Awesome.

--- Public Displays of Violence - Las Vegas is the lucky recipient of Eli Roth's Goretorium, a splatterriffic haunted house of sorts that'll be opening up in time for Halloween this year. Last year he had a Hostel-themed maze that was a big hit at Universal Studios, so I guess he's found a niche you know, other than making movies. Also look there to the right a shot of his furry boobs that I'd never seen, hooray.

--- Dead Kid Haunting - Henry Selick, the wonderful stop-motion artist who gave us The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline, is heading back into Neil Gaiman territory with an adaptation of Gaiman's recent wonderful dark kid's tale The Graveyard Book. Have you read it? It is terrific. I was going to complain that I wished I'd been able to have Neil Gaiman writing when I was a kid, but then I realized I had all the Roald Dahl I could ever want and that was pretty freaking great, so no complaints. Selick is also doing some kind of top-secret project for Pixar.

--- Gone Batty - Oh and I guess there's a new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises too? I've actually totally watched it but am I totally weird for not being driven all that mad with enthusiasm over it? In comparison to the coolness every frame of Prometheus is emanating, TDKR just isn't making me go too wow. Still I suppose I'm psyched to get my Tom Hardy fix, if nothing else. And the hour's worth of IMAX footage will surely be something. That shot of the bridges collapsing is cool. But yeah these positives are totally half-assed compared to the endless stream of exclamation points I can't help hollering about Prometheus. Ridley seems to be winning the Summer hype, at least round these parts, which is... unexpected, to put it mildly.


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