Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWAL

Even before the first season has aired, S.W.A.T. Exiles has been given a second season renewal. (TV Insider)

TV CASTING NEWS

The new high-school hockey drama The Sticks will debut online on Netflix with Michelle Monaghan starring alongside newly announced cast members Scott Bakula and Marshals alum Logan Marshall-Green. The series will focus on what happens after tragedy shatters a small Minnesota hockey town, with a grieving wife (Monaghan) stepping behind the bench of the team her husband built, guiding a found family of wounded young athletes through a season of loss, love, and rivalry that will decide whether South Dorothy has anything left to believe in, and who will lead it into its next chapter. Bakula will play Coach Brody while Marshall-Green will play Coach Sully.  (Deadline)

Nicholas Hoult will take on the role of Gilderoy Lockhart in the second season of the HBO small screen adaptation of Harry Potter. (Variety)

Station 19 alum Boris Kodjoe has joined the second season of the FOX drama Memory of a Killer in the recurring role of Tré, Angelo (series star Patrick Dempsey), Dutch (Michael Imperioli), and Michael (Richard Clarkin)’s closest childhood friend, often referred to as the “Fourth Musketeer.” (TV Line)

Wonder Woman star Connie Nielsen and Castle alum Stana Katic have joined the upcoming Apple TV series Monsterverse that will star Wyatt Russell, who plays Col. Lee Shaw, an American operative who, in 1984, went on a secret mission behind enemy lines in an attempt to stop the Soviets from unleashing a horrific new Titan big enough to destroy the U.S. and turn the tide of the Cold War. The character originated in the series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, with Russell’s father Kurt Russell playing the older version of Lee Shaw. The characters Nielsen and Katic will be playing are being under wraps, though. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Jane Krakowski and The Last Thing He Told Me alum Angourie Rice will star in the indie coming-of-age flick Nice Eggs, which will watch as a young woman comes of age by overcoming a turbulent relationship with her loving but erratic mother, and fights to end a generational cycle of broken relationships to find her own voice. They play the mother and daughter. (Deadline)

More cast members of the upcoming X-Men movie were announced at D23 this past week, including Christopher Abbott (Poor Things) as Charles Xavier (Professor X), Inde Navarette (Obsession and Superman and Lois) as Rogue, Adam Driver as Mister Sinister (aka Nathaniel Milbury) and Broadway star Maya Boyd as Storm. (Deadline)

Outlander star Caitriona Balfe and Elliot Cowan (The Crown) have been cast as Queen Arianna and King Frederic, respectively, in the upcoming live-action version of the popular animated movie Tangled. (Deadline)

Jodie Foster and Walton Goggins will lend their voices to the upcoming Disney animated movie Hexed, which will focus on an awkward teen (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and her Type-A mother, who learn her peculiarities might be magical powers, transforming their lives and revealing a hidden magical realm. Foster will play Queen Celeste, the main “baddie” in the film while Goggins will play Beef Roger, a three-eyed cat who is a witch’s sidekick. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS

Hulu-Disney+ has given the period piece drama The Artful Dodger a third and final season. (Deadline)

Peacock has ordered a second season of The Five Star Weekend with lead actress Jennifer Garner returning along with cast members D’Arcy Carden, Regina Hall and Chloë Sevigny all coming back as well. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Jaafar Jackson (who played his uncle Michael Jackson in the recent box office movie Michael) will star alongside Will Smith and AnnaSophia Robb in the upcoming action thriller flick Supermax, which will revolve around two FBI agents (Smith and Robb) investigating a seemingly impossible murder within the impenetrable walls of a maximum-security prison. Jackson’s role is being kept under wraps right now. Additionally, Jascon Clarke will also appear in this movie but his character details are also being kept under wraps. (Deadline)

The next installment of The Mummy movie that’ll find Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz reprising their legendary roles will find original movie cast members Kevin J. O’Connor and Oded Fehr returning to the fold. O’Connor played ill-fated Beni Gabor so it will be interesting to see how he makes a return in the movie while Fehr played Medjai Ardeth Bay. Young Sherlock actor Numan Acar has also joined the cast, but his role has yet to be announced. (Deadline)

In addition to Samara Weaving appearing as Emma Frost in the upcoming X-Men movie, it would seem that Heartstopper hunk Kit Connor will be playing Cyclops aka Scott Summers. (Deadline)

Oscar winner Russell Crowe and head-turner Priyanka Chopra Jonas are set to star in the upcoming sci-fi action thriller Bluefly, which tagline goes a little like this: Deep in the Congo, a grieving UN translator is pulled onto a black-ops mission to recover a downed aircraft that isn’t supposed to exist. As a Special Operations team pushes upriver through militia-held territory, the recovery becomes a descent — and the closer they get to the craft, the clearer it becomes that they were never meant to bring it home. (Deadline)

The live action feature film The Legend of Zelda, based on the popular video game, in which the late Sam Neill will make his final film appearance, will also feature Dichen Lachman (Severance) and Chuck’s own Yvonne Strahovski as well, but details on the roles these two ladies will play are still a bit of a mystery. (Deadline)

TV CASTING NEWS

It’s sounding like Dave Bautista just might be taking over the role of Kratos in the Amazon Prime series God of War after the torn bicep injury sustained by Ryan Hurst, who was originally cast in the titular role. (Variety)

It’s looking like Blue Bloods alum Will Estes will be reprising his role of Jamie Reagan in the spin-off series Boston Blue for the show’s second season this fall. (Radio Times)

Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden is set to star in a new Amazon Prime and Paramount+ thriller called Trauma, playing former Royal Marines medic turned ER doctor Jim Marchant, who must fight his way through busy London Hospital to save everyone inside when terrorists seize the building. (Variety)

GREENLIGHT GIVEN

Paramount+ has given a greenlight to the thriller series Ascent that will star Viola Davis. The series will be set in the dangerous world of global corporate crisis and damage control, centering on elite corporate fixer Catriona Vail (Davis), who must weaponize the ruthless skills that have made her indispensable to billion-dollar clients when her estranged daughter is in danger. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATION

Acorn TV has given the Stephen Moyer-led drama Art Detective a second season renewal. (Deadline)

Disney+ has pulled the plug on Wonder Man after only one season. (Variety)

UPtv has given the family-friendly drama Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries a second season renewal with stars Galadriel Stineman, Denise Gossett, Kevin Joy and Riley Beeson all returning for the new season. (UPtv Press Release)

GREENLIT PROJECTS

Looks like Alicia Silverstone will be playing her Clueless character Cher Horowitz in a small screen sequel series on Paramount+ that will revisit the 1995 cult classic film by having Beverly Hills-bred Cher, this time the owner of a successful business and the mom of a teen daughter entering high school. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Matthew Macfadyen and Claire Foy will star in the BBC and Starz will star in the 8-part adaptation You Are Here based on the best-selling novel by David Nicholls, which will have the pair playing Michael and Marnie. When a mutual friend throws them together, the pair unexpectedly find themselves setting off on an epic walk. Against the odds, they end up on the brink of a relationship that neither was looking for, but which might be exactly the one they both need. Michael and Marnie go coast-to-coast across the stunning — and soaking — English countryside, navigating an undeniable attraction that is as exhilarating as it is terrifying. (The Hollywood Reporter)

SERIES PICK UP NEWS

Anna Kendrick, the one and only J.K. Simmons and Outlander hunk Sam Heughan will star in the drama Embassy, which has been picked up to air in the US on MGM+. The series star Kendrick as Layla, a sharp and resourceful American diplomat, who faces an impossible choice: protect the U.S. Ambassador or follow his orders to exfiltrate a high value asset being held at the embassy after armed mercenaries storm the U.S. Embassy in London. As a larger conspiracy unfolds, Layla must rely on her instincts, and the reluctant help of her ex-fiancé, a British SAS soldier, in the tense hours before extraction. Simmons will play the U.S. Ambassador and Heughan will play the ex- fiancé. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Tony Award winner and Snowpiercer cast member Lena Hall will appear in the box office movie Disconnecting Peter alongside Sullivan’s Crossing hunk Chad Michael Murray. Hall will play Elizabeth Ruck, wife of Peter Ruck (Murray), a woman working to hold her family together as her husband’s destructive patterns threaten to unravel them. (Variety)

Famed singer-musician John Legend will play American singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte in the South African apartheid era drama The Road Home about late real-life protagonist Hugh Masekela. The movie will also star Guy Pearce, Cynthia Erivo and Johnny Flynn. (Deadline)

Regina Hall and Dwayne Johnson will star in the live-action/CGI hybrid film Lizard Music that will follow a boy left to his own devices who stumbles upon a secret late-night broadcast of lizards playing otherworldly music when a hidden door to the extraordinary swings open. His search for answers leads him to an eccentric and whimsical old man nicknamed The Chicken Man (Johnson) and his beloved companion, a 111-year-old chicken named Claudia – two kindred spirits who found each other at just the right time. United by this shared vision, they set off on an adventure that begins as a hunt for a hidden society but blossoms into something far greater: a voyage through invisible worlds, unexpected harmonies and the unbreakable bond between lost souls who discover magic not only in what they find but also in each other. Hall will play The Chicken Man’s friend and co-worker. (Deadline)

Horror star Samara Weaving seems to be the chosen one to play Emma Frost as Marvel Studios are closing in on forming its team of Mutants. The studio has not made an official announcement yet, but it seems that Weaving will play the telepathic Mutant originated by January Jones in the 2011 flick X-Men: First Class. (Deadline)

David Oyelowo has joined the cast of the indie film Little Five from Anne Hathaway’s production company. The movie will be inspired by the legendary Little 500 cycling race at Indiana University, telling the story of a determined group of young women who challenge tradition, forge an unlikely team and redefine what is possible through resilience, friendship, and grit. Oyelowo will play Randall, a former cycling champion whose own dreams were cut short. Reluctantly drawn back into the sport, Randall becomes an unlikely mentor whose guidance helps shape a new generation of athletes while forcing him to confront his own unfinished journey. (Deadline)

TV CASTING NEWS

The second season of the Amazon Prime drama Young Sherlock has added to its cast. The new cast members will include Olivia Williams, Outlander star Sophie Skelton, Indira Varma and Game of Thrones alum Aidan Gillen. Details about who the new cast members will play have not been revealed, but series star Hero Fiennes Tiffin will be back in the title role as well as returning cast members Dónal Finn (James Moriarty) as well as Natascha McElhone, Max Irons and Holly Cattle, who play Sherlock’s mother Cordelia, brother Mycroft and sister Beatrice, respectively. (Deadline)

Season 5 of Reacher over at Amazon Prime has added the following to its cast: Jay Baruchel, Kevin Durand, Amanda Ip and Ciara Bravo. They will play the characters of Chief Buck Bauer, Nokes, Michelle Chang, and Eunice, respectively. The 5th season will be based on the 20th book in Lee Child’s global best-selling series, Make Me. After his train stops in the mysterious town of Mother’s Rest, Reacher teams up with a private investigator in the search for a missing person and uncovers a dangerous and deadly criminal conspiracy. Season 4 will premiere on the streamer starting on August 12. (Deadline)

Joe Minoso, who has played Joe Cruz since season 1, will be departing the long-running NBC drama Chicago Fire at the starting of the show’s upcoming 15th season this fall. Chicago Fire will also say goodbye to Dermot Mulroney in season 15, as Chief Dom Pascal. (Deadline)

The FOX drama Memory of a Killer has added Meta Golding (The Pitt and Ransom Canyon) and Natalie Zea (Fire Country) to its cast. Golding will play Mel, Angelo’s (series lead Patrick Dempsey) childhood sweetheart. A Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist who has spent her career diving headfirst into the world’s darkest corners — and has the scars to prove it. Mel is not a delicate flower: she’s sharp, funny, direct, and constitutionally incapable of looking away from the truth. She and Angelo were childhood sweethearts, but their romance was cut short by Angelo’s tragic past. She reappears in Angelo’s life and becomes his love interest of the season – while working alongside him to avenge a tragic loss. Meanwhile, Zea will have the recurring role of Olivia, a brilliant, ambitious, yet sensitive businesswoman who always insisted on forging her own way — and she has, in ways no one yet suspects. In the aftermath of tragedy, she appears to be a woman undone by loss, but beneath the surface, this is a woman protecting something far more dangerous than a legacy. (Deadline)

Meghann Fahy will star in the upcoming HBO 5-episode limited series The Trial of Louise Woodward. It will focus on the shocking true story of how, in 1997, an 18-year-old British au pair was accused of shaking to death a baby left in her care by her American host family, setting off an international media firestorm as the trial unfolds in full view of both the British and American public. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWAL

Interview With the Vampire has been renewed for a 4th season, but will be rebranded as Queen of the Damned. (The Hollywood Reporter)

TV CASTING NEWS

Lewis Pullman (Remarkably Bright Creatures and Lessons in Chemistry) will star alongside Julie Garner in the Apple TV thriller drama Guilty Creatures that will be set against a backdrop of sex and and murder in the Florida panhandle, delving into the psyche of a torrid romance and subsequent act of murder between two young, adulterous but God-fearing lovers — believed to be played by Garner and Pullman — unraveling their complex lives and the emotional toll of living as killers for 18 years. (Deadline)

After three seasons as Senior Detective Vincent Riley, Reid Scott will be leaving Law & Order with James Badge Dale taking over as a new Senior Detective yet to be named. (Deadline)

Josh Lucas (Yellowstone) will star opposite Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning in the upcoming legal thriller series Discretion at Paramount+. Lucas will play Greg, a lawyer and the husband of Kidman’s powerful and formidable corporate law partner at the same prestigious firm entangled in a dark web of NDAs. Fanning will play Lenny, a summer associate who realizes she is bound by the exact non-disclosure agreement she is investigating, upending her mentor-protégé dynamic with Kidman’s character. (Deadline)

Kenneth Branagh will executive produce and star in the Paramount+ drama Laird, an epic family saga in which a proud Scot defies a shadowy American billionaire hellbent on buying up the glens. Amidst family feuds, buried secrets and star-crossed romances, the Laird of Castle Drummoch (Branagh) remains determined to protect his ancestral lands from oligarchical land grabbing. (Deadline)

BOX OFFCE NEWS

David Jonsson, who starred in the box office movie The Long Walk and Alien: Romulus, will play T’Challa’s grown son in Black Panther 3 that is set to hit theatres in December of 2028. (Deadline)

Ryan Gosling will play Ghost Rider in a new standalone movie within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (Variety)

Glen Powell will play iconic New York Yankee Lou Gehrig. It is unknown what will be covered in the new film, but sources say one of Gehrig’s teammates expected to have an important role in the film is Babe Dahlgren, the man tasked with replacing Gehrig at first base. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWAL

Sullivan’s Crossing has been picked up for season 5 on the CW. The 10-episode season is expected to premiere on the network sometime in 2027. (Deadline)

TV CASTING NEWS

This Is Us alum Susan Kelechi Watson has joined the cast of the upcoming as yet untitled Dakota Fanning thriller over at Apple TV that will have Fanning starring as an undercover Treasury agent in a multi-billion-dollar international conglomerate with world-changing political and criminal tentacles, who becomes conflicted between her mission and a belief that her principal target, the heir apparent to all that corrupt power, is at his core a good man and worthy of her love. Watson will play the series regular role of Dawn, a handler for US governmental covert operations. The previously announced cast also includes Stellan Skarsgård, Daryl McCormack, Grace Gummer and Joely Richardson. (Deadline)

Lost alum Maggie Grace has joined the cast of the upcoming AMC drama series Thunder Road that already boasts cast members Dennis Quaid, Michael Rooker and Matt Barr. The series is the multi-generational saga of the fictional Whitlock family, whose legacy in stock car racing is as deep as the family’s ties to the Southern hill country roots that shaped them. Quaid will play racing legend Duane Whitlock, a towering figure who built a racing empire from a legacy of moonshine runs and dirt tracks and refuses to let it die. Grace will play Laney Whitlock, oldest and smartest of Duane’s children and the CEO of Whitlock Racing. (Deadline)

Amazon Prime Video will recast the lead role of its upcoming adaptation of God of War after lead actor Ryan Hurst, who to play Kratos, the titular god of war, was injured on set. (Deadline and Variety)

Gabriel Luna has joined the cast of the second season of Dexter: Resurrection, playing Ray Ballard, a serial killer operating under the name The Sleepy-Eyed Stranger. (Variety)

Jessica Alba has joined the cast of the Netflix reboot of the Jennifer Garner movie 13 Going on 30, but details about who she will be portraying nor the synopsis of the show have been released. (Deadline)

The second season of the MGM+ period piece drama Robin Hood has added James Purefoy (The Following), Colin O’Donoghue (Once Upon a Time) and Luke Roberts (Hudson & Rex) to its cast. Purefoy will play King Henry, O’Donoghue will play Prince Richard and Roberts will play Amaury D’Montfort. (Deadline)

It looks like Melissa Gilbert will not be back as Georgie McGill in season 14 of the Hallmark Channel drama When Calls the Heart. (Entertainment Now)

LINEAR TV MOVIE NEWS

It’s been four years since Angie Harmon appeared in the Lifetime movie Buried in Barstow alongside Hallmark hunk Kristoffer Polaha, but two sequel films are going to be happening with the working titles of Buried in Barstow: Blood for Blood and Buried in Barsto: The Reckoning. The franchise follows former assassin Hazel King (Harmon) as she tries to build a quiet life for herself and her daughter, but her dark past keeps coming back to haunt her. As new threats and unexpected connections emerge, Hazel must navigate loyalty, motherhood, and the possibility of redemption, while confronting who she used to be. Reprising her role of Hazel’s daughter Joy is Lauren Ashley Richards with Anne of Green Gables alum Megan Follows joining the cast as Zadie, the enigmatic matriarch of a powerful construction family whose interests in Barstow and Harmon’s own daughter Finley Sehorn who will play a young Hazel in flashbacks. (Deadline)

STREAMING MOVIE NEWS

Alan Ritchson is in negotiations to star in the upcoming Netflix movie Maelstrom, which will follow a Federal Marshal guarding the fiancée of an arms dealer seeking witness protection. Events unfold over the course of one evening as a hurricane rolls in, blocking outside communication and preventing reinforcements from arriving. Together they must fight to survive the onslaught of men working for the arms dealer, as well as the escalating elements of the natural disaster raging outside. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE NEWS

Carey Mulligan will appear in the upcoming film adaptation of The Bell Jar by famed author Slyvia Plath. Pop star Billie Eilish will make her film acting debut in this production too. Mulligan will play Mrs. Greenwood — mother to Eilish’s protagonist Esther Greenwood. (Variety)

An ensemble of actors have joined the upcoming Glenn Powell and Meghann Fahy box office movie called The Girlfriend. They include Rosario Dawson, Lamorne Morris, Stephen Root and Edi Patterson. The movie is about Eve (to be played by Dawson) who gives up her perfect New York City life and moves to Alabama for her husband Elliot’s dream job. Seeing her isolated, friendless, and unhappy, Elliot does what any loving husband would do: he secretly hires an escort (Fahy) to be her new best friend. (Deadline)

The upcoming animated movie Steps will reimagine Cinderella’s “evil” stepsisters (to be voiced by Ali Wong and Stephanie Hsu) as the protagonists. Other voices will be provided by Amanda Seyfried as Cinderella, Bette Midler as the Fairy Godmother, Daniel Radcliffe as the Prince and Peter Dinklage as Roderick, a murderous man-nanny. (What’s on Netflix)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

CANCELLATION

Amazon Prime Video has pulled the plug on the faith-based drama It’s Not Like That, which starred Scott Foley, after only one season. (Deadline)

TV CASTING NEWS

Colin Woodell (Pulse) will star in the new Netflix drama series Myron Bolitar alongside Riverdale hunk KJ Apa and Doom Patrol alum Diane Guerrero. The series is inspired by the Harlan Coben book series that will follow what happens to Myron Bolitar (Woodell) after an injury ends his NBA dreams. He reinvents himself as a sports agent, using charm, smarts and a ruthless partner to navigate the high-stakes and dirty world of sports, where saving his clients often means risking himself. Apa will play Win Lockwood, who walked away from the family business to build something of his own alongside his closest friend, Myron. Meanwhile, Guerrero will play Esperanza Diaz, a former professional wrestler-turned-Myron’s indispensable right hand at MB Sports. (Deadline)

The Gilded Age alum Morgan Spector is in talks to play Professor Robert Langdon in a series adaptation of the Dan Brown novel The Secret of Secrets that is set to air online on Netflix. (Deadline)

Julia Garner will star in the upcoming Apple TV adaptation of the Mikita Brottman true crime “Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida that will delve into the psyche of a torrid romance and subsequent act of murder between two young, adulterous but God-fearing lovers, unraveling their complex lives and the emotional toll of living as killers for 18 years. (Variety)

Matt Barr (Blood & Treasure) has joined the cast of the upcoming AMC drama Thunder Road, the multi-generational saga of the fictional Whitlock family, whose legacy in stock car racing is as deep as the family’s ties to the Southern hill country roots that shaped them. He joins Dennis Quaid who will star as racing legend Duane Whitlock, a towering figure who built a racing empire from a legacy of moonshine runs and dirt tracks and refuses to let it die. Barr will play Duane’s oldest son, Calvin Whitlock, an attractive and ambitious man who’s been driven out of the business of auto racing for good and doesn’t like to be reminded of it. (Deadline)

Flashdance star Jennifer Beals has joined the upcoming CBS spin-off NCIS: New York that will find LL Cool J back as Sam Hanna and Hawaii Five-0 alum Scott Caan. She will play Robyn Wells, the head of NCIS’ New York field office. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Blair Redford (The Gifted and Three Women) will have a recurring role in the Baywatch reboot happening on FOX in January. He will play Hunter, a rugged, seen-it-all camera guy who has worked everywhere from Hollywood film sets to war zones. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Dwayne Johnson will star in the upcoming action-drama flck Free Byrd, starring as a Las Vegas motorcycle stuntman who conceals his dementia diagnosis from everyone, including his mechanic brother, as he risks everything on one last jump. (Variety)

1883 alum Isabel May will star in the upcoming rom-com flick Love Love that will follow a struggling tennis phenom who falls for a charismatic local ball boy at the US Open. Their unlikely romance just might be the spark she needs to make it to the finals. (Deadline)

The Arnold Schwarzenegger, Liam Hemsworth and Kelsey Asbille (from Yellowstone fame) movie The Kellys has added the following cast members Noomi Rapace (the original The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Michael Biehn (Terminator), Laz Alonso (The Boys) and Dan Fogler (The Rainmaker) [among others]. The movie follows Jack Kelly, a disgraced NYC cop whose wife, Molly, is taken hostage by terrorists inside an old armory building. To save her, he’ll have to join forces with the people he fears most: his family. There are no details about who these new cast members will play, however. (Deadline)

Liam Neeson and Zachary Levi will star in the upcoming action-thriller movie Iran (formerly known as Hotel Tehran), which follows Larry (Neeson), Tucker (Levi) and a group of former CIA operators who hope to pull off a daring rescue in the Iranian capital to redeem themselves after a failed Afghanistan mission. The cast will include Wes Chatham and Titus Welliver [among others]. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Elle Fanning and Julianne Moore will star in the upcoming film Moonsong: A Life In Seven Verses that tells the story of famous children’s book author Margaret Wise Brown. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news updates for this past week:

RENEWAL

Netflix has given the crime drama Nemesis a second season renewal. (Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

Olivia Thirlby has joined Fire Country for its 5th season where she will play Cecilia Jade “CJ” Ryan, a quick-witted, fiercely independent, blue-collar, decorated urban firefighter who bolted her station house and city for mysterious reasons. After six months on the road, trying to outrun whatever happened, and herself, fate strands her in Edgewater where she crosses paths with Bode. (Deadline)

Veteran actor Mark Harmon will make a full-time return to TV on NCIS: Origins not just as the show’s narrator but also reprising his long-time role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, appearing on screen in every episode of the prequel series upcoming third season. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Also, Michael Weatherley will be rejoining the mothership NCIS as Tony DiNozzo, but details on the story that brings him back into the fold are being kept classified for now. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Long-time Chicago P.D. cast member LaRoyce Hawkins is leaving the police procedural as a series regular in its upcoming 14th season. He will appear in the first two or three episodes to wrap up his character Kevin Atwater’s storyline. (Deadline)

It looks like Tom Hardy will be returning to MobLand after all as the “issues” that saw him removed from the show have been “resolved.” This will pave the way for the show’s third season renewal. (Deadline)

SERIES FINALE NEWS

MGM+ has ordered a two-hour series finale for the crime drama Godfather of Harlem that stars Forest Whitaker. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Josh Gad has joined the growing cast of the Ocean’s 11 prequel that will feature director-costar Bradley Cooper and cast member Margot Robbie. It also looks like Oscar nominee Monica Barbaro just might be joining the cast too. (Variety and Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATION

Amazon Prime has given a second season renewal to Every Year After. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Dutton Ranch has been renewed for a second season at Paramount+. (Deadline)

Peacock has pulled the plug on the new period piece drama Ponies after only one season. (Deadline)

The new small screen version of A Woman of Substance has been renewed for a second season in the UK. We’ll just have to see if Britbox where season one is currently airing will move forward with airing it there too. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE NEWS

Tim Robbins and Sissy Spaceck will join Emma Stone and Chris Pine in the upcoming box office movie The Catch, a baseball rom-com similar to Bull Durham and Notting Hill. (Deadline)

Meghann Fahy and Glenn Howerton will star in the upcoming feature film The Girlfriend from actress-director Natatlie Morales. Claire gives up her perfect New York City life and moves to Alabama for her husband Elliot’s (Howerton) dream job. Seeing her isolated, friendless and unhappy, Elliot does what any loving husband would do: he secretly hires an escort (Fahy) to be her new best friend. (Deadline)

Timothee Chalamet and Selena Gomez will lend their voices to a new upcoming animated alien-themed film called Not Alone. Chalamet will voice Joe, an introverted rocket mechanic who lives a quiet life alone while Gomez is set to voice Fran, a brilliant astro-botanist who is developing the world’s first-ever plant-fueled rocket. When Joe and Fran are brought together to prepare for the inaugural launch of this revolutionary rocket, there are immediate sparks, but neither is particularly adept at romance. Life becomes more complicated when three aliens — tiny, unruly and adorable — take refuge in Joe’s home. Dunk, Welly and Shirm are on the interplanetary run from a zealous-yet-inept officer of the law named Zandro. The aliens determine that Fran’s rocket could provide their means of getting back home to safety. (Variety)

NEW TV SERIES NEWS

Stranger Things co-stars David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown will star in a straight-to-series order Netflix drama. The as-yet titled series will spy thriller about a disgraced FBI agent turned security expert Matt Wolfe is drawn back into the world he left behind when his estranged daughter, Rebecca — now an FBI agent determined to follow in his footsteps — vanishes on a mission, forcing him back into a field that has evolved beyond him.” (Variety)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

In other reunion news, The Vampire Diaries co-stars Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley are set to star in another book adaptation in development at Hulu. You Deserve to Know, based on the novel by Aggie Blum Thompson, will follow three suburban couples — next-door neighbors and best friends. When one of their husbands is murdered, a shocking trail of secrets is revealed, and their friendship cracks wide open. Dobrev and Wesley play Gwen and Scott, respectively — two neighbors on opposite sides of a murder investigation, leading them on a collision course. (Deadline)

TV CASTING NEWS

The second season of the USA Network drama The Rainmaker will see Richard Kind and Kevin Ryan joining the cast.  Kind will play Larry Shifflet, the father to Deck Shifflet (series regular P. J. Byrne) while Ryan will recur as Liam Donnelly, a corporate vice president with a secret agenda who goes up against Rudy and Deck.  (Variety)

Veteran actor Ron Perlman has joined the cast of the upcoming third season of the Amazon Prime thriller series Cross, which stars Aldis Hodge in the legendary role. Perlman will play a hard-driving officer. (The Hollywood Reporter)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWAL/CANCELLATION

Hulu/Disney+ have given a third season renewal to Rivals. (Hulu and Disney+ Press Release)

Netflix has pulled the plug on the Duffer Brothers’ drama The Boroughs after only one season. (Deadline)

TV CASTING NEWS

The 6th season of Only Murders In the Building will feature some incredible cast members including David Tennant, Nicola Coughlan, Jodie Whittaker and Jim Broadbent. (Deadline)

Grace Gummer will star opposite Dakota Fanning in an Apple TV thriller series, which is currently untitled; but it will feature Fanning as an undercover Treasury agent in a multi-billion dollar international conglomerate, with world-changing political and criminal tentacles, who becomes conflicted between her mission and a belief that her principal target, the heir apparent to all that corrupt power, is at his core a good man and worthy of her love. Gummer will play the series regular role of Juliana, the oldest child of Stellan Skarsgård’s Brant, who heads up the conglomerate. (Deadline)

Star Wars legend Mark Hamill has joined the cast of the upcoming third season of the Peacock series Twisted Metal, which follows John Doe (Anthony Mackie), a motor-mouthed outsider and Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz), a badass axe-wielding car thief. There are no character details about who Hamill will play, though. (Dark Horizons)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The new movie The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum has added Anya Taylor-Joy to its cast where she will play Seren, a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm. (Variety)

The reboot of the rom-com flick 13 Going on 30 has cast Adeline Rudolph (Mortal Kombat II and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) to star alongside the previously announced Emily Bader and Logan Lerman. But her role and the sequel’s logline are being kept under wraps. (Deadline)

The upcoming animated film Dragoons will feature the voice of Michael J. Fox, who will play Dougie, an overlooked, ordinary worker at WizCorp who, after a freak accident, turns into a hero, with an apprentice, Dart. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Alex Borstein is set to star in the comedic family drama Turn the Lights Back On that is in development. The film will be based on true events and inspired by experiences many families faced during the Covid era, centering on a family forced to confront decades of unresolved tensions while facing an unprecedented moment in modern history. Borstein will play Emma, an exhausted elementary school teacher grappling with perimenopause, family responsibility, and the impossible decision to place her aging mother into assisted living just as the world begins to shut down. As old wounds resurface among her siblings, Emma finds herself navigating guilt, grief, and the unraveling of long-held family dynamics during one of the most isolating periods in recent history. (Deadline)

Barbie alum Ariana Greenblatt is set to star in the rom-com flick Egg Baby that will follow a rebellious artist and a golden-boy quarterback who are forced to co-parent an egg for health class, only to find that raising “Yolk-o” might crack open something real between them. (Deadline)

Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Outer Banks star Rudy Pankow will appear in the supernatural romance flick Thud, where they willl respectively play the Grim Reaper and the Devil. Thud watches as the Grim Reaper and the Devil meet cute at a three-day destination wedding, falling in love after colliding at the event, where they’ve each come to sow their own chaos. (Deadline)

Reacher star Alan Ritchson will join Ansel Elgort, Halle Bailey and Ludacris for the new animated movie Groove Tails, which will follow a mouse pursuing stardom as a dancer. After his father objects to his ambitions, he goes on a journey alongside several misfits. According to the official description, they discover their own unique rhythms while fighting to save the only place they’ve ever truly called home. (Coming Soon)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS

The Netflix drama A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will end with an abbreviated third season. The show’s second season is currently airing. Also, Netflix has renewed the period piece drama House of Guinness for a second season. (Deadline and Variety)

Apple TV has renewed the drama Widow’s Bay for a second season. (Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

Danny Pino (Cold Case) has joined the cast of the MGM+ upcoming drama The Magnificent Seven that already includes Matt Dillion, Will Patton and Michael Ealy as part of the cast. The series will be set in the tumultuous 1880s American frontier, following seven gifted but flawed mercenaries hired to protect a peaceful Quaker village after it is massacred by mercenaries working for a ruthless land baron trying to seize their land. Pino will play Santiago “Santi” Vega, effortlessly charming, stylish, and funny, a master manipulator who prefers to talk his way out of trouble. (Deadline)

Actress Luciane Buchanan will reprise her role of Rose Larkin in the upcoming 4th and final season of the Netflix hit series The Night Agent. The extent of Rose’s involvement in the final season’s storyline is unclear, though. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Looks like legendary director Ridley Scott will be working with Hugh Jackman on a new movie adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Treasure Island. (Deadline)

Edgar Ramirez will star alongside Mark Ruffalo and Mahershala Ali in the second season of the HBO crime drama Task. Ali will play Eddie Barnes, a seasoned and well-respected DEA agent in Philadelphia whose team comes into conflict with the unit of Tom Brandis (Ruffalo), who headlined Season 1 opposite Tom Pelphrey. Ramirez will play Miguel Contreras, a devoted family man and loyal DEA second-in-command torn between duty and guilt. (Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

My Lady Jane cast member Edward Bluemel will appear as a 33-year-old Hercule Poirot in the upcoming BBC reimagining of the Agatha Christie detective. The series will be an intimate study of Hercule the man and an epic portrait of Britain between the wars. (Deadline)

Jonathan Nolan and his wife Lisa Joy are developing a live-action take on the beloved 1980s animated series Jem And The Holograms for Amazon MGM Studios. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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