Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

TV CASTING NEWS

Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy) and Teresa Palmer (A Discovery of Witches) will star in the upcoming small screen adaptation of God of War based on the PlayStation ancient mythology-themed video game that received a two-season order from Amazon Prime. The show comes from Ronald D. Moore (Outlander and For All Mankind) that follows father and son, Kratos and Atreus, as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human. Kratos, the titular character of the entire franchise, is Spartan by birth and a god by nature. Raised in a martial culture, he rose to command armies in the service of his homeland until one day he made a fateful deal with Ares, the Greek God of War, and lost his soul in exchange for being victorious in battle. Hurst will play Kratos while Palmer will play Phoebe/Sif, Thor’s wife and the goddess of family. (Deadline)

Paramount+ has given a greenlight to Fear Not, a six-part limited series that will star and be executive produced by Anne Hathaway. The story on which this series is based tells the story of prolific serial killer Stephen Morin — accused of more crimes than Ted Bundy — and the unlikely bond he formed with Margy Palm (Hathaway), the last woman he ever kidnapped. (Deadline)

This Is Us alum Susan Kelechi Watson will have a “key role” in season two of High Potential, playing an intriguing figure who shares a long history with Karadec (series regular Daniel Sunjata). Her first appearance will be in the January 27 episode. (TV Line)

Speaking of This Is Us, Chris Sullivan has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot, and spin-off, The Rookie: North, playing Sgt. Nix, a recently promoted Watch Commander whose heart still wants to be out on the street. If the series gets picked up, this role will be a series regular starring opposite Jay Ellis (Insecure) who will play Alex Holland, who believed his midlife wasn’t worthy of a crisis. But after a violent home invasion ignites a dormant purpose, Alex battles a lifetime of failed commitments in Los Angeles by joining the Pierce County Police Department in Washington as its oldest rookie. Policing from the urban coast to the rural forest where backup isn’t just five minutes away, Alex must prove to his skeptical training officer, his fellow rookies and himself that he’s finally found something worthy of the fight. (Deadline)

Edwin Hodge (FBI: Most Wanted) will guest star in season two of Matlock, which stars his real-life wife Skye P. Marshall. He will play Langston, the kind of guy who can show up late, knowing he’ll charm everyone into forgetting about it as soon as he arrives. A double PhD in neuroscience and philosophy, he is a deep thinker and a smooth talker. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE CASTING NEWS

Emily Bader (My Lady Jane and People We Meet on Vacation) will play legendary soccer star Mia Hamm in the upcoming film The 99’ers based on the book by Jeré Longman. The story catches up with the 1990s U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team in 1999, as they defy the odds to emerge victorious in a dramatic penalty kick shootout against China in the World Cup final, under the scorching summer sun and in a stadium filled with 93,000 fans. This monumental win captivated millions worldwide and forever altered the course of women’s sports. (Deadline)

Michelle Williams will star alongside Cillian Murphy in the next Damien Chazelle movie, which is untitled as of right now. The film is supposedly to be set in a prison, but there are no specific details. (Deadline)

Glen Powell is in negotiations to star in the upcoming box office movie Tesseract that will be written and directed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail. (Deadline)

Omari Hardwick (Power) will star alongside Gerard Butler and Hayley Atwell (Marvel movie franchise) in the hostage crisis action-thriller flick Empire City that will chart a hostage crisis that erupts inside New York’s Clybourn Building. Butler will play Rhett, a firefighter who, alongside his squad and his NYPD wife Dani (Atwell), must fight and navigate his way through the building to rescue captives trapped inside. Hardwick will play Hawkins, the film’s antagonist. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!