Melissa McCarthy Gets Some Action in the First Trailers for 'Spy'

No matter how you slice it, audiences love Melissa McCarthy. What's more, they love her when paired up with director Paul Feig who she worked with on the hit comedies Bridesmaids and The Heat. While we wait to find out of they'll get together again for Ghostbusters, the duo have another potential smash on their hands with Spy (formerly Susan Cooper), an espionage comedy that we now have green and redband trailers for.

McCarthy stars as Susan Cooper, a former schoolteacher who becomes a lowly analyst for the CIA who is forced into the field when another agent becomes compromised. This looks pretty funny, especially Jude Law as the secret agent whose allergies fouled up the prior mission. Beyond the spy stuff it looks like trademark McCarthy, and with a cast that includes Rose Byrne, Jason Statham, Bobby Cannavale, Miranda Hart, and 50 Cent she's going to have a lot of help.

Spy hits theaters on May 22nd.

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Snoopy is the Red Baron in New 'Peanuts' Trailer

What would the perpetually worried Charlie Brown think of his first foray into the realm of 3D animation with the Peanuts movie? We could probably expect a cry of "Good Grief!", but it actually looks like 20th Century Fox, Blue Sky, and director Steve Martino have nailed the spirit of Charles M. Schulz's beloved comic strip just right.

A new trailer for Peanuts gives a new look at the Paul Feig-produced film and the wonderfully detailed animation. It's amazing how much they've been able to capture the look of the strip and cartoons while keeping the style fresh for those who may be less familiar. But really, is there anybody out there who isn't familiar with Charlie Brown? Is there anybody out there who doesn't already love Peanuts? And if so, do we really want to know those people? I don't. The story is still pretty vague but we know it will have Snoopy taking to the air as the Red Baron, while Charlie Brown goes on some kind of quest to get something he's sure he needs.

Peanuts moves the football on November 6th.

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Paul Feig says 'Ghostbusters' Reboot will be Scarier than the Original

Once maligned as a troubled project that would never happen and nobody wanted, the Ghostbusters reboot is now something everybody wants to talk about. Credit Paul Feig for drumming up interest in the comedy by giving it an all-female twist, and now in a conversation with Empire he revealed another change he has in store by upping the scare factor.

Feig: "I want ours to be scarier than the original, to be quite honest. [Screenwriter] Katie Dippold and I are so focused on wanting to do scary comedy. We don’t want to hold back."

The original movies were never meant to be scary in the first place, so already Feig is looking to make his version very different. That also partially explains his reasoning for wanting to do  a true reboot rather than a remake or sequel...

Feig:  “There’s something fun about introducing our world, which has never seen ghosts to the phenomenon of ghosts. I love origin stories and to introduce new characters."

Feig's had a lot of success with R-rated comedies like Bridesmaids and The Heat, but those weren't popular, well-known franchises. Ghostbusters is, which is why Feig and Sony Pictures are going to make sure it's rated in such a way that everybody will have a chance to check it out...

Feig: The reason I do a lot of R-Rated comedies is that you want a movie to feel honest. But the Ghostbusters world doesn’t need that level of swearing. We’ll have to be PG-13 with this one. I would like to make it R-Rated, but I won’t. You want the biggest number of people to watch it and not be put off by it."

Probably a smart move. Ghostbusters likely won't arrive until some time in 2016, but until then fans will be eager to see who gets cast in it. Rebel Wilson, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, and others have been mentioned and may find themselves battling the paranormal if everything comes together.

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Jennifer Lawrence could Star in 'Ghostbusters' Reboot along with Emma Stone and Melissa McCarthy

All of the bad mojo surrounding Ghostbusters is gone now that Paul Feig is planning an all-female reboot, and it seems some of Hollywood's top ladies are down to be a part of it. While Bill Murray may have his dream casting for it all thought out, others are throwing their names into the ring. Rebel Wilson recently revealed she had met with Feig about a role, and apparently so has Jennifer Lawrence. In a strange MTV UK video where they ask celebrities their dream cast for Ghostbusters, Lawrence revealed she had met with Feig, too.  She doesn't come right out and say it was for Ghostbusters, but given the context why else would she mention it?


Meanwhile, her name has popped up in relation to the project elsewhere, and of course it's part of the Sony hacking scandal that has exposed everything about the studio. In an email sent from Sony's Amy Pascal to Ivan Reitman, she says Lawrence, Melissa McCarthy, Emma Stone, and others are interested in gearing up their proton packs...

"Paul's movie is gonna be the first one and from what I'm hearing jennifer lawrence and Emma stone and Melissa McCarthy and Amy schumer and liszzy [Lizzy] Kaplan [Caplan] just to name a few have already said thy wanted to be in...."

All of those names make some degree of sense as they have close connections to Feig; not to mention they're all hilarious and extremely talented women who could make this movie pretty amazing.

Pascal also says Feig's Ghostbusters "isn't a sequel to the 80s movies and it is gonna be totally original with completely different characters", which sounds like exactly what a reboot should be. Probably the smart way to go as there wasn't this much excitement for the film until Feig came aboard. But at the same time, Sony knows a lot of people were clamoring for Bill Murray to return, although the actor remained completely uninterested in it. And apparently Sony was considering some heavy legal action to try and force him to come back. In an email from October 2013 between two Sony legal execs, they considered taking an "aggressive" stance against Murray, but feared what would happen if all this came out in the public. Whoops.

“In order to more fully evaluate our position if Bill Murray again declines to engage on ‘Ghostbusters’, AG requested that we identify ‘aggressive’ litigation counsel with whom we can consult to evaluate our alternatives and strategize,” the email read. “[Harkening back to his prior employer, of course, raised the name of David Boies.] Personally, while I’m fine with aggressive, I think we are in much worse shape if this goes public so seems to me we should look for someone who isn’t seeking the spotlight.”

So no go on suing Murray. Wise move. Could you imagine the distraction he'd be on set if forced to be there? Crazy.  [TheDailyBeast]

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Paul Feig talks Female-Led 'Ghostbusters', Calls it an Origin Story

For years it looked as if nobody really wanted to see another Ghostbusters except for Sony, Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman, and Dan Akroyd. Fans weren't really clamoring for it, and Bill Murray never entertained the idea of coming back. How quickly things change, though. Last summer it was rumored that Paul Feig, director of successful comedies Bridesmaids and The Heat, would take over the film and bring on an all-female cast. That got people excited again, and with his The Heat co-writer Katie Dippold coming aboard yesterday, Feig is now opening up about the newly-confirmed project.

Speaking with EW, Feig says his vision is for this Ghostbusters to be completely separate from the originals; a total reboot, basically.

Feig: "My favorite thing to do is work with funny women. I was like, what if it was an all female cast? If they were all women?  Suddenly, my mind kind of exploded: that would be really fun. And then I thought, well, what if we just make it new? It’s not coming into the world that existed before. It’s always hard if the world has gone through this big ghost attack, how do you do it again? I wanted to come into our world where there’s talk of ghosts but they’re not really credible, and so what would happen in our world if this happened today?"

He went on to talk about his desire to not step on the earlier films with his take, while also taking advantage of new technology and setting it in a more contemporary setting.

Feig:  "Yeah. I love origin stories. That’s my favorite thing. I love the first one so much I don’t want to do anything to ruin the memory of that. So it just felt like, let’s just restart it because then we can have new dynamics. I want the technology to be even cooler. I want it to be really scary, and I want it to happen in our world today that hasn’t gone through it so it’s like, oh my God what’s going on?"

And what about the dream cast of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Linda Cardellini, and Emma Stone that Murray suggested? Of course it sounds pretty darn good to him.

Feig:  "It's an awesome cast. I've got a lot of ideas on that but nobody set in stone. That's part of the fun for me is figuring out what's the best combo, what's going to be relevant and fun. Bottom line: I just want the best, funniest cast. For me it's just more of a no-brainer. I just go, 'what would make me excited to do it?' I go: four female Ghostbusters to me is really fun. I want to see that dynamic."

When asked if he would be open to having any of the original cast return, Feig seemed open to it but really wants to move forward without looking back.

Feig: "Well, I mean, look, those are my comedy heroes. So as far as I’m concerned, anybody wants to come back I welcome with open arms. It would just be in different roles now, but it would be fun to figure out how to do that."

The idea for Feig and Dippold is to try and make this Ghostbusters scarier than before, and to make sure any nods to the prior films are done only when they make sense for the story.

Feig: "We want to have fun with giving nods to what came before, but we don’t want to be bound by it because Katie and I already have talked at length and we have really fun ideas for things. But we want to tell the stories that we would like to tell, which means we want to tell the character arcs that we want to tell, which means we want to start with some of our characters in a different place or with different personalities and things they have to overcome and learn through the experience of this first movie. My number one thing is always about character and what is somebody learning from or transforming through whatever happens to them in the movie. So I think there will be definitely room to play with that. We want to do clever nods to it, but not cloying nods to it. We want to have the ability to really bring it into modern day."

After leading Bridesmaids and The Heat to well over $200M at the box office, Feig is amazed that women are still being given short shrift as comedic forces.

Feig:  "I just don’t understand why it’s ever an issue anymore. I’ve promoted both Bridesmaids and The Heat and myself and my cast are still hit constantly with the question, “will this answer the question of whether women can be funny?” I really cannot believe we’re still having this conversation. Some people accused it of kind of being a gimmick and it’s like, it would be a gimmick if I wasn’t somebody whose brain doesn’t automatically go to like, I want to just do more stuff with women. I just find funny women so great. For me it’s just more of a no-brainer. I just go, what would make me excited to do it? I go: four female Ghostbusters to me is really fun. I want to see that dynamic. I want to see that energy and that type of comedy and them going up against these ghosts and going up against human detractors and rivals and that kind of thing. When people accuse it of being a gimmick I go, why is a movie starring women considered a gimmick and a movie starring men is just a normal movie?"

Feig's next film is the espionage comedy, Spy, which reteams him with McCarthy and Rose Byrne. That one is due out in May 2015, so we may be waiting awhile longer before his Ghostbusters gets moving. 

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'Ghostbusters' Reboot Lands 'The Heat' Writer

There's more reason to be excited over the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot, and no it doesn't involve Bill Murray coming aboard. Paul Feig, who recently came aboard to helm what would be a female-led reboot, is making things official by bringing on his The Heat co-writer, Katie Dippold. Does this mean Murray's hope for Melissa McCarthy to be part of the film will come true?

THR adds a few more details to information we'd heard over the many years Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ivan Reitman were developing a sequel together. Basically the plan had been to have the original Ghostbusters pass the torch to a younger group. This newer version Feig is putting together will have no connection to the earlier films.

So no casting yet, and certainly nothing on Murray's other hopefuls like Emma Stone, Linda Cardellini, or Kristen Wiig, but adding Dippold certainly suggest McCarthy could be on board. We shall see.

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Paul Feig Eyes Female-Led 'Ghostbusters 3'

There have been so many starts, stops, and different ideas for Ghostbusters 3 that it's tough to take any updates seriously. Basically, everything was screwed up by Bill Murray's refusal to participate, leaving Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ivan Reitman scrambling. The plan had been for the film to be a "passing of the torch" to a new team of young Ghostbusters, but now as another director enters the picture a new take on the material has finally given reason to take it seriously.

THR reports Bridesmaids and The Heat director Paul Feig is the frontrunner to direct the film, which is now being eyed as a total reboot with a group of female Ghostbusters. Feig, who had also circled Bridget Jones' Diary 3 for a time, has been a force when it comes to female-led comedies. And given his history with Melissa McCarthy (he'll also direct her next film, Spy), one has to think she'll be high on his list of potential stars.

This still seems to be pretty early on and considering we've already seen Phil Lord & Chris Miller (21 Jump Street), Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), and others pass on it there's no guarantee Feig will accept. Sony will want to hurry if they plan on hitting the spring 2015 filming date, but this story opens up new questions that could cause delays. Does a total reboot mean Akroyd and Hudson will have nothing to do with the film? Also, what does this mean for the script by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg? Does it need to be completely reworked or begun anew?

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Ali Larter Leads 'The Diabolical'; David Dobkin Takes Hugh Hefner Bio; Paul Feig Lands New Comedy

* The gorgeous and sorely under-seen Ali Larter doesn't get around on the big screen as much as she used to , so it's good news to find out she's landed the lead role in The Diabolical, a horror film from co-writer/director Alistair Legrand. She plays a single mother haunted nightly by a strange presence, which her scientist boyfriend seeks to hunt and destroy despite paranormal experts being too afraid to take it on. [Deadline]

* Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin is the man to helm Warner Bros.' untitled Hugh Hefner biopic, chronicling the life of the Playboy founder and renowned ladies' man. No exact details are available about what it will cover, but it has a script by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Rush) who knows a thing or two about biopics of this sort.  I guess this makes up for WB shelving Dobkin's big budget Arthur & Lancelot awhile back.

* Paul Feig keeps lining up one project after another, all in the comedy realm as is to be expected. He'll produce and potentially direct an untitled laugher based on a pitch by Melissa Stack, who wrote the Cameron Diaz rom-com The Other Woman which just released a trailer that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Considering he's remained pretty close with Melissa McCarthy of late, working with her on Bridesmaids, The Heat, and the upcoming spy flick Susan Cooper, one has to wonder if they'll team up for this too. Meanwhile, he's also busy directing fun little trailers for the Academy Awards, featuring host Ellen Degeneres. Check it out below.  [Variety]

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Paul Feig to Produce and Oversee Animated 'Peanuts' Movie

20th Century Fox aren't yanking the football away when it comes to their upcoming 3D CG-animated Peanuts movie. Rather they're moving along pretty fast in bringing the popular Charles Schultz comic strip characters to the big screen, and they've just taken a very significant and inspired step forward. Deadline reports that Bridesmaids and The Heat director Paul Feig has come aboard to produce and "oversee" the film, to be animated by the talented folks at Blue Sky Studios.

Feig has never worked in animation before, and despite most of his features being of the R-rated variety, he considers Schultz a major influence on his career....

Feig: “Growing up, Peanuts was my Star Wars. Charles Schulz’s characters influenced everything in my career, especially Freaks And Geeks. I’m thrilled I finally get to be pals with Charlie Brown and Snoopy.” 

Craig and Bryan Schultz, Charles' son and grandson respectively, are co-writing the script alongside Cornelius Uliano. Steve Martino (Ice Age: Continental Drift) is directing for a release on November 6th 2015. 

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It's a 'Bridesmaids' Reunion as Rose Byrne Joins Melissa McCarthy in Paul Feig's 'Susan Cooper'

We're probably never going to get a Bridesmaids sequel (*sniffle*), but we can still get a reunion of its amazingly talented female cast, and its decidedly male director. A few months ago Melissa McCarthy took the starring role in Susan Cooper, a new spy comedy from Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, and while we haven't heard much since, it just got a little bit better now that Rose Byrne is in early talks to co-star.

Designed as a potential franchise, the film centers on a female super spy similar to James Bond, but with a tone that resembles McCarthy's hit buddy comedy, The Heat. Feig, who will write the script and produce, has spoken often about a desire to develop more female-led films, and was attached to direct a new Bridget Jones' Diary movie before that fell through.

Byrne has been on an absolute roll ever since the nearly $300M Bridesmaids haul, and this year alone she's starred in The Internship, The Place Beyond the Pines, Insidious Chapter 2, and the romantic comedy I Give It A Year. Filming on Susan Cooper will take place between seasons of McCarthy's (terrible) CBS comedy Mike & Molly. [TheWrap]

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Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig Together Again for 'Susan Cooper'

For obvious reasons, Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig are in no hurry to quit one another. Their success with Bridesmaids and this year's The Heat has them looking for more ways to keep working together, and now it sounds like they'll reunite for a project that Feig is hoping will develop into a franchise.

McCarthy has taken the lead role in Susan Cooper, a spy flick Feig began discussing just last month. Essentially it's aim is to be a "realistic" female-driven James Bond film, inspired by Feig's love of Casino Royale. While it doesn't exactly sound like a natural fit for McCarthy, Feig has been pretty good at bringing out the best in her.

We haven't heard much about another project the two are collaborating on, the "unconventional love story" Dumb Jock that may co-star Jon Hamm. Hopefully that one is still alive and kicking, because it sounds like there could be some trouble rounding up a sequel to The Heat.

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First clip from 'The Heat' with Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock

If the success of Identity Thief proved anything it's that audiences love Melissa McCarthy so much they'll go see her regardless of the reviews. Fox is banking on that loyalty to continue this summer with The Heat, a new buddy cop comedy that pairs McCarthy up with Sandra Bullock.

The first clip from the film has arrived courtesy of MTV, and it's basically an expanded look at a scene heavily featured in the previous trailers. McCarthy again shows off her loud, uncouth side as a Boston detective who must team up with Bullock's straight-laced FBI agent to take down a drug lord. The plot seems inconsequential for the most part, and just serves as a chance to show these two funny ladies in a string of physical gags.

McCarthy reteams with her Bridesmaids director Paul Feig for The Heat on June 28th.

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

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New red band trailer for 'The Heat' with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy

We're going to be seeing an awful lot of Melissa McCarthy in the coming months, with the Bridesmaids stand-out(who is still slummin' on Mike & Molly for some reason) appearing in Judd Apatow's This is 40, Identity Thief with Jason Bateman, and finally The Heat opposite Sandra Bullock, which we now have a new red band trailer for.

There isn't anything all that different about this cut of the trailer, which is unfortunate because the first one didn't inspire a lot of confidence. McCarthy plays a brash, loud-mouthed Boston cop who partners up with Bullock's straight-laced FBI agent for some reason, making for an oil 'n water combination that presumably should lead to some laughs. So far I don't see it, but maybe the end results will be better? There's too much talent for it to be a total drag.

Directed by Paul Feig, The Heat arrives on April 15th 2013.[IGN]

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First trailer for Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock's cop comedy 'The Heat'

The idea of teaming up comedic standout Melissa McCarthy with Sandra Bullock for a buddy cop comedy would seem rife with comic potential, which is why many were eagerly awaiting to see how The Heat would ultimately pan out. It'd have to be like Bridesmaids meets Miss Congeniality, right? Well, yes and no. The first trailer for the film has now hit the web, and while seeing these two great actresses together is fun, there aren't a whole lot of laughs to be found.

Directed by Bridesmaids' Paul Feig, the two ladies play a mismatched pair of law enforcers tracking down a drug kingpin and causing a ton of havoc along the way. Bullock's straight-laced FBI agent clashes with McCarthy's abrasive Boston cop, but nothing that indicates a laugher with any sort of edge to it. There's greater potential in this comedy pairing than we're seeing here, so hopefully future trailers will live up to that promise. Funny that Bullock's character is Jenny McCarthy, while McCarthy's is Cynthia Bullock. Ho ho ho....ugh.

Co-starring Demian Bichir, Michael Rapaport, and Tony Hale, The Heat opens on April 5th 2013....

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Chris Rock, Idris Elba, and Jamie Foxx circling the lead in 'The Intouchables' remake

The Intouchables wasn't just a comedy hit in its native France, it proved to be a global phenomenon nobody could have expected. Voted the "cultural event" of the year in France, the film(my review here) tells the story of an unlikely friendship struck between Philippe, a wealthy quadriplegic, and Driss, his streetwise Senegalese caretaker. Released here in America only a few weeks ago by The Weinstein Company, it's proven to be something of a success here as well, so it was no surprise when we learned a remake was in the works. Paul Feig(Bridesmaids) has been attached to direct the film, titled simply Untouchable, with Colin Firth circling the rich guy role, originally played by Franocis Cluzet.

However, it's the role of Driss that has drawn the most controversy for being a little too clownish and...dare I say coonish for American audiences to accept. Even in my review I note that the role, and much of the humor, would have to be tweaked for American audiences. The first step in doing that comes down to casting, and The New York Post states that Chris Rock, Jamie Foxx, and Idris Elba are all circling the role. I thought Omar Sy was so good, so approachable and charming in the role that he could conceivably play it himself, but The Weinsteins clearly have eyes on a bigger star. Off the bat, none of them seem like good choices for different reasons, but one they all share is that they are each simply too old.  Part of what makes the bond between Driss and Philippe so uncommon is their age disparity, with the former's youthful vigor inspiring his stuffy friend to embrace life once again. Out of these three, Elba would be the best choice, but it's just as likely none of them take the role. We shall see.

Michelle Williams and Jessica Chastain are being sought for the female lead role, although I'm not sure which character they mean. I can only assume it's that of Philippe's house assistant, who Driss spends the bulk of the film hitting on. They're too young for pretty much every other female part in the story.

None of this has been confirmed yet, and I hardly count The New York Post as a reliable source for information on anything, so take this with a grain of salt.

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Paul Feig to direct Melissa McCarthy/Sandra Bullock cop buddy comedy

It seems like everytime there's a new story on some upcoming project starring Melissa McCarthy, it starts off like this,  "Ever since Bridesmaids became a hit". So let's try not to do that anymore unless it makes legitimate sense. McCarthy has seen her name mentioned for numerous films since last year's Oscar nominated performance, including ID Theft with Jason Bateman, and a handful of projects with Bridesmaids director Paul Feig. To me, all those Feig films sound like they may be the same, but that's not clear yet. What is clear is that the two are going to reunite for another promising laugher, and they'll be joined by Oscar winner, Sandra Bullock.

Feig will direct the two ladies in an untitled cop buddy comedy which follows the strained relationship between an unconventional Boston cop and a high-strung FBI agent tasked with bringing down a Russian gangster. Sound good? The script will be written by Parks & Recreation scribe, Katie Dippold. You shouldn't need me to point out which actress is in what role.

So yeah, this sounds as if it may have some potential. One of Bullock's career defining hits was in the similarly themed Miss Congeniality, so this should be familiar ground for her. Shooting is likely to begin soon, as McCarthy only has a five week window until production on her (terrible) CBS series, Mike & Molly begins. Hopefully we'll hear more soon about that romantic comedy McCarthy was up for starring Chris Rock.  [Variety]

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Trailer Time: Bridesmaids, starring Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne

So apparently everybody LOVED Bridesmaids at SXSW. The Twitter-verse absolutely lit up with rave reviews for the raunchy comedy from Freaks and Geeks creator, Paul Feig. Kristen Wiig(Paul, Adventureland) stars as woman trying to make it through a wild ride as her best friend's Maid of Honor.  Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy(love her!!), Jon Hamm, and Ellie Kemper co-star.  I wasn't exactly blown away by the first trailer, which I think tried too hard to prove it wasn't the female version of The Hangover. This one's better. Dirtier, filthier, and a hell of a lot funnier. I'm starting to warm up to it now.  Check out the trailer below, then mark your calandar for the release of Bridesmaids on May 13th!

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