Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWAL

Netflix has given a fifth season renewal to Sweet Magnolias. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

After the two-hour season finale of Fire Country this past Friday night, the surprise announcements were made that series regular Billy Burke, who plays Vince Leone, is leaving the show and series regular Stephanie Arcila, who plays Gabriela Perez is done a series regular, but the producers hope she will appear from time to time as a guest star. (Deadline and TV Line)

The small screen adaptation of Holes over at Disney+ has announced its cast, including Greg Kinnear and Saturday Night Live alum Aidy Bryant [among others]. Unlike the book, the show will feature a female protagonist and mostly female characters, whereas the book followed teenager Stanley Yelnats as he is sent to a juvenile detention camp for boys in Texas. (Variety)

The Rookie has promoted Deric Augustine, who plays rookie Miles Penn, to series regular for the show’s upcoming 8th season, which will air this fall. (Deadline)

Lucifer hunk Tom Ellis will star in the latest series in the FBI franchise over on CBS that was formerly titled FBI: CIA – not just going by CIA, which will follow two unlikely partners: a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer (to played by Ellis), and a yet-to-be-cast, by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent who believes in the rule of law. (TV Line)

This fall the spin-off series Sheriff Country will debut with series lead Morena Baccarin in the lead role of Sheriff Mickey Fox; and now we know who will be joining her in the cast. Covert Affairs and Ugly Betty alum Christopher Gorham and Michele Weaver (Briarpatch) will star as Travis, a lawyer and Mickey ex-husband; while Weaver will star as Cassidy, a deputy in the Edgewater County Sheriff’s Office. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Norman Reedus, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bridgerton alum Phoebe Dynevor will star in the upcoming horror flick Pendulum that follows young couple Patrick (Gordon-Levitt) and Abigail (Dynevor) on a journey to a new-age retreat in New Mexico, drawn by the possibility of healing after a traumatic event. Patrick is willing to do anything to help his wife but becomes distrustful of the retreat’s enigmatic leader even as Abigail falls under her spell. As paranoia builds, the couple must determine if the group’s unconventional spiritual practices offer genuine healing or mask a terrifying truth that threatens to consume them both. Reedus will play the couple’s friend who introduces them to the retreat. (Deadline)

Gollum himself, Andy Serkis, has assembled an all-star voice cast for his animated adaptation of the classic novel Animal Farm, including Seth Rogen, Steve Buscemi, Glenn Close, Laverne Cox, Kieran Culkin, Woody Harrelson, Jim Parsons and Kathleen Turner (among others). The classic tale is about a group of animals who rebel against their human owners and take over the farm. (Variety)

Cast members for the upcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping have been announced with newcomer Joseph Zada set to play District 12 tribute Haymitch Abernathy (played by Woody Harrelson in the original franchise of movies) and Whitney Peak (Hocus Pocus 2) set to play his girlfriend Lenore Dove Baird. Fargo and Civil War alum Jesse Plemons will play a young version of Plutarch Heavensbee, who was played by the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman and McKenna Grace (Captain Marvel and the reboot of Ghostbusters) will play Maysilee Donner, one of the tributes from District 12. (Variety)

GENERAL TV NEWS

CBS will not be moving forward with a spin-off of The Equalizer, which was to be based on guest stars Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz, who appeared in last week’s episode. In fact, The Equazlier is the last remaining show on CBS that is on the bubble of being renewed or cancelled. (TV Line)

OFFICIAL TV PICK-UP

CBS is moving forward with the new drama Einstein giving it a series order. The series will star Criminal Minds vet Matthew Gray Gubler in the title role. The series will focus on Albert Einstein’s brilliant but directionless great-grandson, who spends his days as a comfortably tenured professor until his bad boy antics land him in trouble with the law and he is pressed into service helping a local police detective (to be played by Rosa Salazar) solve her most puzzling cases. (TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Anyone Royal Pains fans out there. A revival of the once popular USA Network series is being developed by NBC with former series star Mark Feuerstein set to reprise his role of Dr. Hank Lawson. The revival catches up with Hank several years later and finds him searching for a new purpose in life and about to embark on his biggest project yet. (Deadline and TV Line)

CHANGE OF PLANS ON TV

The popular Netflix LGBTQ+ romance series Heartstopper will come to an end as a movie instead of another season of episodes. The movie will be based on the as-yet unreleased 6th novel in the graphic novel series by Alice Oseman. (TV Line)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Enola Holmes 3 has started production in the U.K. with Strange Things alum Millie Bobby Brown returning in the title role as well as returning cast members Louis Partridge, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham-Carter, Himseh Patel and Sharon Duncan-Brewster. The third movie will see adventure chase Enola Holmes to Malta, where personal and professional dreams collide on a case more tangled and treacherous than any she has faced before. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

CANCELLATION

Citadel: Honey Bunny and Citadel: Diana have both been cancelled by Amazon Prime after only one season each, but their stories will continue in the delayed second season of the mothership series Citadel that stars Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Casting has been confirmed for the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series, including the following: John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore; Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Casting for Harry, Ron and Hermione is ongoing. (TV Line)

Joel Kinnaman has joined the cast of the upcoming limited series Imperfect Women on Apple TV+ that already includes Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara as part of the cast. The series will be about three women and the destructive harm of their hidden secrets. (The Hollywood Reporter)

9-1-1: Nashville has added Grey’s Anatomy Jessica Capshaw to its cast that also includes NCIS: Los Angeles alum Chris O’Donnell. Exact plot details are being kept under wraps, aside from the fact it will focus on first responders in the titular Tennessee city. (Variety)

James Marsden has joined the second season of the Jon Hamm led Apple TV+ drama Your Friends and Neighbors. He is set for a series regular role, but there are no details about who he will play. (Variety)

Piper Perabo (Covert Affairs and Yellowstone) will appear in three episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, playing Jenna Gatlin, a mother whose 9-year-old daughter Dylan is at Grey Sloan for a high-risk brain surgery. (TV Line)

The entire cast of Emily in Paris will be back for the upcoming fifth season except for French actress Camille Razat, who has played Cami since the beginning of the series. (TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Peacock is developing a sequel series to the popular box office movie Clueless with the movie’s star Alicia Silverstone set to reprise her role of Cher Horowitz. (Variety)

STREAMING MOVIE NEWS

Hunk Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgard will star in Mosquito Bowl, the first new film under director Peter Berg’s Netflix deal. The movie will be set after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when four of America’s top college football stars set their fame aside to enlist in the Marines. As they prepare for the brutal invasion of Okinawa, they play in a legendary game featuring some of the greatest players in history – a game that, for many, will be the last they ever play. Their roles are being kept under wraps, though. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE CASTING NEWS

Ubiquitous actor Glen Powell will star in the upcoming Judd Apatow comedy about a country western star; in fact, the two will write the script together. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATION

Hallmark+ has given a second season renewal to the family drama The Chicken Sisters – and it should also be noted that JAG star David James Elliott will recur next season playing someone from Gus’s (Wendie Malick) past. (TV Line)

AMC has given Mayfair Witches a third season renewal. (Deadline)

Amazon has not given a second season renewal to the sci-fi series The Power. (TV Line)

HBO has given The Last of Us a season three renewal. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Thomas Doherty (Tell Me Lies) has joined the cast of the second season of Paradise over on Hulu in a recurring role, but no other details about what character he will play has been released. (Variety)

CCH Pounder (NCIS: New Orleans) has joined the cast of the Apple TV+ series Cape Fear, based on the box office movie. Pounder joins cast members Javier Bardem, Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson. The series will focus on the storm that is coming for happily married attorneys Anna (Adams) and Tom Bowden (Wilson) when Max Cady (Bardem), a notorious killer from their past, gets out of prison.” (Variety)

Sasha Alexander (Rizzoli & Isles and NCIS) has joined the 4th season of the Netflix legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer in the recurring role of FBI Agent Dawn Ruth. (MSN and Variety)

Emma Corrin (Deadpool & Wolverine and The Crown), Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) and Olivia Colman (The Crown) have been tapped to play Elizabet Bennet, Mr. Darcy and Mrs. Bennet respectively in the upcoming 6-part limited series on Netflix dedicated to Pride and Prejudice. (TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

AMC is developing a new anthology series based on the iconic novel The Grapes of Wrath, as part of the new Great American Stories that will focus on a different celebrated work, historical moment, or individual narrative celebrating and highlighting the American spirit. The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of the Joad family, who are forced to abandon their Oklahoma farm due to the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, striking out for California in search of a better life.  (Variety)

Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, will executive produce and star in the TV series adaptation of the best-selling novel Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum, which follows a sequence of life shattering events when a body is discovered off the side of the boardwalk, and will be centered on frenemies and master manipulators, Jen Weinstein and Lauren Parker. They, alongside their husbands, childhood friends Sam and Jason, have summered together on the island for years, but this summer everything will come to a head as lifelong grudges and secrets are unearthed. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE NEWS

American Horror Story alum Finn Wittrock and San Andreas star Alexandra Daddario will star in the movie Hershey, one of the most famous chocolate companies in the world with Wittrock playing Milton Hershey while Daddario will play his wife Kitty, who built a candy empire that powered a philanthropic legacy. (Variety)

Lost alum Josh Holloway, who will soon be seen in the MAX 1970’s-set drama Duster, will star in the upcoming box office movie Flint, which is an adaptation of the wesstern novel by Louis L’Amour. Holloway will play the lead role of James Kettleman, a ruthless East Coast businessman who, in returning to the unforgiving New Mexico frontier, adopts the name Flint, which belonged to the notorious killer who raised him. As he becomes entangled in a violent range war, his encounters with a strong-willed rancher, Nancy Kennigan, challenge him to reconsider the legacy he wants to leave behind. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATION

Showtime and Paramount+ have given a second season renewal to the prequel series Dexter: Original Sin. (TV Line)

Unfortunately, the Christian Kane-led series Almost Paradise has been cancelled after two seasons. However, the show’s executive producer, Dean Devlin, has shared that they are looking for a new home for the series. (TV Line)

ABC has given season renewals to the following dramas: 9-1-1, Grey’s Anatomy, The Rookie and Will Trent. The only drama left on the bubble is Doctor Odyssey. (TV Line)

SERIES ORDER NEWS

The Handmaid’s Tale sequel series The Testaments have been officially given a series order by Hulu. The series will be based on the 2019 novel by Margaret Atwood, which is set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, following a new generation of young women in the dystopian Gilead. (Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

The cast of the latest Harlan Coben Netflix series adaptation I Will Find You has added Severance cast member Britt Lower and This Is Us alum Milo Ventimiglia to its cast that already includes Sam Worthington. The story will follow an innocent father, David, (Worthington) who is serving life for the murder of his own son. When he receives evidence that his child may still be alive, he must break out of prison to find out the truth. Lower will play Rachel Mills, David’s ex-sister-in-law and a former decorated reporter whose life fell apart after she was fired while Ventimiglia will play Hayden, who is from a prominent Boston family and finds purpose in working for his family’s philanthropic foundations. Although he is Rachel’s ex-boyfriend, they remain close friends and confidants. (Variety)

The Rookie and Castle star Nathan Fillion will appear in the upcoming DC series Lanterns on HBO, playing Guy Gardner, one of the multiple Green Lanterns in the cast. He plays the same role in the upcoming Superman movie. The series Lanters will star Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and will follow new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. (Variety)

Divergent star Shailene Woodley has joined the cast of the Hulu series Paradise for its much anticipated second season. While it hasn’t been confirmed yet, it is believed that Woodley will play a prominent survivor. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the latest entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWAL

CBS has given the new medical drama Watson a second season order. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Jessica Chastain and Adam Driver will star in the Apple TV+ drama series The Dealer which is being described as a biting exploration of power, class, seduction and culture set inside the glittering world of the high-end art market, told through the eyes of an aspiring super gallerist (Chastain) and the tangled relationship with her most gifted and unnerving artist (Driver). (Variety)

Tom Everett Scott has joined the cast of the Legally Blonde prequel at Amazon Prime Video, starring as Wyatt, the father of Elle Wood (to be played by Lexi Minetree). (Variety)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Grammy winner Lizzo will play Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the gospel singer who was one of the first to appeal to rock n roll and R&B audiences in the film Rosetta, which will capture a pivotal period in Thrape’s life: one of groundbreaking innovation, defiant passion and secret love. (Deadline)

The next Avengers movie – Avengers: Doomsday – has announced the large ensemble cast, which will include Chris Hemsworth as Thor; Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America; Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres/Falcon; Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier; Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man; Tom Hiddleston as Loki; Letitia Wright as Shuri/Black Panther; Winston Duke as M’Baku; Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier; Ian McKellen as Magneto; Kelsey Grammer as Beast; Alan Cummings as Nightcrawler; James Marsden as Cyclops; Channing Tatum as Gambit; Rebecca Romijn as Mystique. But wait, there’s more: Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic; Vanessa Kirby as the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the Thing; Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova; David Harbour as Red Guardian; Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent; Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost; Lewis Pullman as the mysterious Bob; Simu Liu as Shang-Chi and Tenoch Huerta Mejía, as Namor (from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And, lastly, Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom (NOT as Iron Man). Avengers: Doomsday” hits theaters on May 1, 2026. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items from this past week:

RENEWALS

Amazon Prime has given a second season order to the biblical drama House of David. (Variety)

When Calls the Heart has been given a 13th season renewal by the Hallmark Channel. (TV Line)

Paramount+ has given a season three order to the Sylvester Stallone-led drama Tulsa King. The streaming service has also given School Spirits a third season renewal. (TV Line)

Apple TV+ has given a third season order to Severance. (TV Line)

RELOCATION

NBC will be moving its new Sunday night drama Grosse Pointe Garden Society to Friday nights starting on April 4. This is typically a sign that the network could very well pull the plug on the show and/or not renew it. (TV Line)

NEW TV SHOW NEWS

The latest 9-1-1 spin-off series – 9-1-1: Nashville has landed NCIS: Los Angeles alum Chris O’Donnell in one of the lead roles. He will play Captain Don Sharpe, a rugged fire captain and rodeo rider who runs Nashville’s busiest firehouse with his beloved son. The show will premiere on ABC during the 2025-26 broadcast season. (TV Line)

Four years after the original series came to an end, the Canadian drama Private Eyes will be back with Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson reprising their roles as Matt Shade and Angie Everett. The new “spin-off” (so to speak) will be called Private Eyes West Coast with Matt and Angie solving cases in Victoria, British Columbia. Now leading different lives from their Toronto crime-fighting days, they encounter a world of different cases along with a new group of friends. (Deadline)

The Hallmark Channel is working on a new limited series for the upcoming holidays that will star Mae Whitman, Mary McDonnell and Jane Seymour. The Twelve Dates of Christmas, based on the novel by Jenni Bayliss will follow Saville Row textile pattern designer Kate (Whitman), who lives in the quaint village of Blexford, England next door to her father Mac, who is long-divorced from Kate’s mother Delilah (McDonnell), a globe-trotting American always on an adventure. When not at work, Kate looks after Mac, who’s recovering from a motorbike accident and is inclined to spend his days sitting in his recliner. Unbeknownst to Kate, her best friend Laura signs her up for The 12 Dates of Christmas – a holiday-themed matchmaking program in the days leading up to the holiday featuring carefully curated, yuletide dating experiences, in an attempt to get Kate out of her rut. Lovingly coerced by Laura and longtime best friend Callum, a reluctant Kate ultimately gets into the spirit of the program and is caught off guard when she meets someone who reinvigorates her zest for life. But when Delilah unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep – literally – Kate and Mac’s life and holiday season get upended. Meanwhile, Mac may be embarking on his own romance with local Evelyn (Seymour), a widow who slowly helps him step outside the confines of his house and open his heart. As Kate wends her way through the 12 dates, she takes a circuitous route to romance while also making some important discoveries about herself. (Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

Janet McTeer has joined the cast of the Guy Ritchie crime drama MobLand that will premiere on Paramount+ starting on March 30. She joins a cast that already includes Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. The series will center on a London-based Irish crime family headed by Brosnan’s Conrad Harrigan, that’s fighting for power within a global syndicate. Mirren plays his wife, Maeve and Hardy plays Harry Da Souza, the family’s fixer. McTeer will play a Kat, who is as charming as she is violent. Crime bosses from London to Beijing are anxious never to cross swords with her. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Marcia Gay Harden (So Help Me Todd) has joined the cast of the FOX drama Murder in a Small Town for its upcoming second season. She will play the series regular role of Mayor Christie Holman, a beloved figure in the community and also a consummate political operator. She’s still a practicing doctor and has the best interests of the people of Gibsons at heart, but sometimes she lets her personal interests take precedence. She will complicate life for Karl (Rossif Sutherland) and Cassandra (Kristin Kreuk), as she uses the competing priorities of the community to advance her own agenda. (Variety)

LL Cool J will reprise his role of Sam Hanna in an upcoming episode of NCIS. He will appear in the April 21 episode of the long-running series. (TV Line)

Oscar winner Christoph Walz will appear in season five of Only Murders in the Building in a recurring role that is being kept under wraps. (Variety)

Sarah Pidgeon (The Wilds) has been cast as Carolyn Bessette in the upcoming American Love Story anthology series on FX. The first season of this new anthology series will focus on JFK Jr. and his wife Carolyn. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Rege-Jean Page (Bridgerton) will star in and produce a new version of Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. (Deadline and Collider)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATION

Disney+ has renewed Percy Jackson and the Olympians for a third season in advance of the upcoming premiere of season two which is tentatively expected to air this December. (Variety)

Amazon Prime has pulled the plug on the small screen adaptation of Cruel Intentions after only one season. (TV Line)

Paramount+ has given a second season renewal to Landman. (TV Line)

Hallmark+ has given a second season renewal to Mistletoe Murders. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Jason Ritter, who is currently starring in TV’s reboot of Matlock, has joined the cast of the upcoming HBO series Lanterns that will star Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as intergalactic heroes who wear rings that give them extraordinary powers. Ritter will play Billy Macon, son of William Macon, who will be played by Garret Dillahunt (Deadwood and High Potential). (ComicBook.com)

Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries) and Cody Kearsley (Riverdale) will have recurring roles in the upcoming 7th season of Netflix’s Virgin River. Canning will play Victoria, an ex-cop who was shot in the line of duty and is now working for the state medical board as an investigator. While Kearsley will play Clay, the kind of guy that gets noticed when he enters a room, who has experience working the rodeo circuit and grew up in the foster care system with his younger sister, whom he hasn’t seen since he was a teenager; he’s been looking for her ever since. (Deadline)

Franka Potente (Run Lola Run, the Bourne movie franchise) has joined the cast of Dark Winds in a key guest role, which has yet to be announced. (Deadline)

Alan Tudyk went on record at Emerald City Comic Con 2025 that his Firefly co-star Jewel Statie will be appearing in season 4 of Resident Alien, but no other details have been released. (PopVerse.com)

Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate and Matador) has joined season two of the Amazon Prime series The Terminal List in the recurring role of Freddy Strain, a former SEAL Team 6 Senior Chief and current officer with CIA’s Ground Branch, who is a man of two worlds – equal parts elite sniper and dedicated family man. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The new, upcoming Catherine Hardwick directed movie Street Smart has added Skeet Ulrich (Scream and Jericho), Skylar Astin (So Help Me Todd and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Sally Struthers (All in the Family), Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River and So Help Me Todd) and Tyson Ritter (lead singer of the All-American Rejects and TV’s Preacher) to its cast. The movie will offer a gripping look into the lives of a lively group of unhoused young adults in the iconic beach town of Venice, CA. They come together with humor and a bit of Robin Hood-style larceny, forging unbreakable bonds and redefining what it means to be a family. The cast already includes Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Yara Shahidi (black-ish), Harvey Guillen (What We Do in the Shadows) [among others]. (Deadline)

Kate Beckinsale (Underwrodl and Lewis Tan (Cobra Kai) will appear in the upcoming box office movie Lioness that will be about an ex-black ops team who reunite to pull off a desperate heist to save the life of their leader’s (Beckinsale) eight-year-old daughter. (Deadline)

Isabel May (1883) is in negotiations to join David Corenswet (the upcoming Superman movie) in the football drama flick Mr. Irrelevant that will focus on John Tuggle, who was given the title after being the last pick of the last round of the 1983 NFL draft. The film will tell the inspiring and heartfelt true story of Tuggle, drafted by the New York Giants and his enduring impact on his team and teammates. (Deadline)

Stranger Things alum Sadie Sink has been cast in Spider-Man 4, but it is unclear who she will play in the film just yet, but it’s rumored she could possibly play X-Men mutant Jean Gray. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATIONS

Syfy has ordered a third season for The Ark with new episodes slated to begin sometime in 2026. (TV Line)

The Amazon Prime drama The Summer I Turned Pretty will come to an end after its upcoming third season, which is set to premiere in July. (TV Line)

Netflix has pulled the plug on The Recruit after two seasons. (TV Line)

Paramount+ has given Criminal Minds: Evolution a renewal order before its current new season is set to premiere on May 8. (TV Line)

The Hallmark Channel has given a fourth season order to its drama The Way Home. (TV Line)

CBS has pulled the plug on both FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted as well as S.W.A.T. All three shows will end their runs this season. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Krysten Ritter has joined the cast of the next spin-off series Dexter: Resurrection that will find Michael C. Hall back in the title role. Ritter will guest star as a character name Mia, but there are no other details about that character. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Rachel Weisz will star and executive produce the new Netflix limited series Vladimir, which will focus on a woman’s life as it unravels and she becomes obsessed with her captivating new colleague. (Variety)

Chicago Fire alum Eamonn Walker will reprise his role of Deputy Commissioner Wallace Boden in the NBC drama in the April 16 episode. (TV Line)

Sam Worthington will star in the upcoming Netflix series I Will Find You based on the book by Harlan Coben. He will play David Burroughs, a father serving a life sentence for the murder of his own son— a crime he didn’t commit, yet a tragedy he punishes himself for every day. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Actor-turned director Michael B. Jordan will be remaking The Thomas Crown Affair for which he will act and direct. Actress Taylor Russell (Lost in Space and the box office movie Bones and All) will star opposite him in the movie. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATION

FOX has given a second season renewal to the medical drama Doc. (TV Line)

Netflix has pulled the plug on the Australian based series Territory after only one season. (Tom’s Guide.com)

AMC has given a 4th season renewal to Dark Winds. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Malcolm-Jamal Warner (The Resident) and Megalyn Echikunwoke (Almost Family) will recur in the upcoming 3rd season of the FOX drama Alert: Missing Persons Unit. Warner will play Chief Inspector Bill Houston, who steps into an interim role with oversight of the MPU. A former Army Captain, Houston believes in structure and rules and, in the past, had issues with Jason’s cowboy tactics. He begins to come around to the idea that some rules need to be broken once he sees the results the team gets with their unorthodox approach. He will become the father figure MPU didn’t know they needed. Echikunwoke will play Lt. Gabrielle Bennett, who started her career in Philly PD as Jason’s trainee. His departure under clouded circumstances was followed by her fast rise. Not a coincidence. Bennett is tough, ambitious, and has a cutting sense of humor. She supports getting things done by any means necessary, just so long as nothing comes back to bite her. (Deadline)

Patrick Wilson will join Amy Adams and Javier Bardem in the upcoming Apple TV+ Cape Fear adaptation that will follow a happily married couple whose lives are turned upside down when a notorious killer from their past gets out of prison. Adams will play the wife, Anna, while Bardem will play the killer. Wilson’s role has yet to be officially disclosed. (Variety)

Director and Emmy winner Lena Waithe will make a rare acting appearance in the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, playing Dr. Evynn Moore, a brilliant and savvy former student of Catherine Fox’s (Debbie Allen) who visits Grey Sloan to help her on a unique case which happens to be for her wife (Andrea Bordeaux. She will appear in two episodes. (Deadline)

The Reacher spin-off series Neagley, which will center on Frances Neagley (Maria Sten), has added some series regulars including Greyston Holt (Riverdale) as Detective Hudson Riley, Matthew Del Negro (Mayor of Kingstown) as Pierce Woodrow and Damon Herriman (Justified) as Lawrence Cole. The series will focus on Frances Neagley, a private investigator in Chicago. When she learns that a beloved friend from her past has been killed in a suspicious accident, she becomes hell-bent on justice. Using everything she’s learned from Jack Reacher and her time as a member of the 110 Special Investigators, Neagley puts herself on a dangerous path to uncover a menacing evil. (Variety)

There will be a Supernatural reunion on The Boys when series regulars Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins will both appear in the superhero dramas’s upcoming 5th season. What roles they will play, though, are being kept under wraps. (TV Line)

Box office actress Sharon Stone will appear in the upcoming third season of Euphoria, but details about her role have yet to be announced. (Variety)

Actors Jamie Campbell Bower and Eddie Marsan have joined the cast of the upcoming third season of the Amazon Prime fantasy series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but details on their characters have not be announced yet. (Variety)

Peacock has announced that even more guest stars have been added to the upcoming 2nd season of Poker Face. Those latest additions are David Alan Grier, Lauren Tom, Lili Taylor, Natasha Leggero and Richard Kind, but details on their roles are being kept under wraps. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE CASTING NEWS

Zendaya has joined the cast of the upcoming animated movie Shrek 5 in which she will provide the voice for Felicia, the daughter of Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) and Fiona (voice by Cameron Diaz). (Variety)

Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler will star in the upcoming box office movie Deep Cuts, which will be based on the recently released debut novel by Holly Brickley. The film centers on a love story between two music-obsessed twenty-somethings as they navigate the messy realities of ambition, belonging, and adulthood in the 2000s. (Indie Wire)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Looks like Adele Lim has been set as showrunner and executive producer of a series adaptation of 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians, which is based on the Kevin Kwan book of the same name. Lim co-wrote the film. It is not yet known whether the series will feature returning cast members from the film, though. (Variety)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Disney has given a greenlight to the 5th Descendants movie in the franchise with Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker set to reprise their roles of Princess Red and Princess Chloe respectively. Leonardo Nam will return as Maddox Hatter as well. The 5th film will pick up shortly after the events of the 2024 film Descendants: The Rise of Red, exploring what happily ever after is really like for Red and Chloe following their return from their time-traveling adventures and delves into the warning at the end of The Rise of Red. (Deadline)

NEW SERIES CASTING

Scott Foley will star as a modern-day minister named Malcolm in the new Amazon Prime series It’s Not Like That, which has been given a cast contingent series order. The series will be about Lori who is freshly divorced with two teens. Malcolm is a minister and a recently widowed dad of three. Their families once did everything together, but now Lori and Malcolm must navigate their newly minted singledom, parenthood and the complexities of Malcolm being a modern-day minister. Is this the beginning of a love story? It’s not like that. Or is it? (Variety)

Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany will star in the new comedic thriller series Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed at Apple TV+, which will follow a newly divorced mom who falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATION

PBS has given Miss Scarlet a sixth season renewal. (TV Line)

BBC has given a third season order for the police drama Vigil that stars Suranne Jones and Game of Thrones alum Rose Leslie. (Deadline)

CBS has given series renewals to the following dramas: Tracker, Elsbeth, Fire Country, NCIS, NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney. They join the already renewed FBI and Matlock. However, word of a renewal for the following shows has NOT been made yet: The Equalizer, FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted, Watson and S.W.A.T. (TV Line)

Amazon Prime has pulled the plug on the Margo Martindale series The Sticky after only one season. (TV Line)

Hulu has given a second season order to the Sterling K. Brown-led drama Paradise. (Variety)

NOTE: The first season of the series will get its network debut on ABC starting on April 7.

SERIES PICK-UP ORDERS

ABC has announced a series pick-up for another 9-1-1 spin-off. The new show aptly entitled 9-1-1: Nashville will take place in the Music City during the 2025-2026 TV season. (Deadline and TV Line)

CBS has announced a spin-off series to Blue Bloods that will star series lead Donnie Wahlberg. Boston Blue will find Danny Reagan (Wahlberg) taking a position with the Boston PD where he will be partnered with Detective Lena Peters, the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family. The series is expected to be part of the 2025-2026 TV season. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Mary Louise Parker (Weeds) and David Alan Grier (St. Denis Medical) have landed guest starring roles in season two of the CBS hit series Elsbeth, which stars Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni. Parker will play Freya, a decluttering guru with a minimalist lifestyle brand and a controlling personality while Grier will play Arthur Greene Jr., the highly professional owner of a family mortuary that caters to the one percent. (Variety)

The Flash alum Matt Letscher will show up on the new spin-off series Suits LA, playing the dad of Ted Black, who is played by Arrow alum Stephen Amell. (TV Line)

Megan Follows, who came to fame portraying legendary book character Anne Shirley in the PBS series Anne of Green Gables, will portray the author of that legendary franchise of books Lucy Maud Montogomery in a new series to be called Lucy. Maud (and yes there is an actual period between the title of the series). Follows will play Maud, from her forties through the end of her life, and the actress will also serve as executive producer on the series. There are no specific details on where this series will air, though. (Variety)

Nepotism is alive and well over on Nobody Wants This, the Adam Brody and Kristen Bell-led Netflix series. Brody’s real-life wife, actress Leighton Meeter will appear in the show’s upcoming second season, playing Abby, Joanne’s (played by Bell) middle school nemesis who is now an Instagram mommy influencer. (Variety)

More recognizable faces will be showing up in season two of the Peacock series Poker Face. Among those familiar folk will be Haley Joel Osment, John Cho, Justin Theroux, Jason Ritter, Alia Shawkat, Carol Kane, David Krumholtz and Melanie Lynskey (the real-life wife of Ritter and star of Yellowjackets). They join an already impressive list of guest stars for the upcoming season that includes Giancarlo Esposito, Katie Holmes, Gaby Hoffmann, Kumail Nanjiani, Cynthia Erivo, BJ Novak, Margo Martindale, John Mulaney, Awkwafina, Corey Hawkins, Simon Rex and Method Man (among others). Details regarding their characters are under wraps, though. (Deadline)

Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte star Golda Rosheuvel will appear in the BBC TV adaptation of The Dream Lands, which is based on the apocalyptic climate change novel by Rosa Rankin-Gee that will also include among its cast Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies and Monarch). (Deadline)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Claire Danes will reunite with My So-Calle Life creator Winnie Holzman for a new family drama being developed by HBO. The Applebaum Curse will focus on a dysfunctional family with Claire Danes in the lead role. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The next new movie starring Chris Pine will be Nowhere Fast, a Texas crime thriller following a small-town criminal who inadvertently kills the nephew of his boss. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

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