Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS

Virgin River has been renewed by Netflix for a 7th season. (TV Line)

After only two episodes, the CBS reboot of Matlock, starring Kathy Bates, has been given a second season order. (TV Line)

TV NEWS

The third and final season of Good Omens will consist of just one, 90-minute episode. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Olivia Thirlby has joined the cast of the 5th season of Law & Order: Organized Crime. She’ll have a recurring role, but exact details on her character are being kept under wraps. (Variety)

Laurie Metcalf and Eric McCormack will guest star in upcoming episodes of season two of Elsbeth. Metcalf will play Regina Coburn, the star of a police procedural who yearns for artistic fulfillment after playing a no-nonsense, hardened detective for two decades while McCormack will play Tom Murphy, the charismatic and charming founder of Heiwa Zen Center, an upscale holistic wellness retreat that caters to the one-percent. (Variety)

Season 2 of the Netflix anthology series BEEF will feature Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan. The new season will focus on a young couple who witnesses an alarming fight between their boss and his wife, triggering chess moves of favors and coercion in the elitist world of a country club and its Korean billionaire owner. (TV Line)

Hugh Bonneville will guest star in the upcoming Paramount+ with Showtime espionage political thriller series The Agency, playing James Richardson, a British agent who has a long-standing history with Martian. The series will star Michael Fassbender as Martian, a covert CIA agent, ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity and his mission are pitted against his heart; hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE CASTING NEWS

Last week I included in my weekly report that Disney was planning a live-action Prince Charming movie. Now it looks like an actor has been possibly chosen. Chris Hemsworth is in talks to play that iconic role, but plot details are being kept under wraps. (Variety)

Reacher star Alan Ritchson will star in the upcoming box office movie Runner which will be about a high-end courier who has three hours to transport an organ to save a seven-year-old girl in need of an immediate transplant. The seemingly simple mission turns deadly when the leader of a notorious crime syndicate becomes hell-bent on claiming the organ. (Deadline)

1923 and It Ends With Us star Brandon Sklenar will join Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfriend in The Housemaid. Sweeney will play Millie, a struggling woman who is relieved to get a fresh start as a housemaid to Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew (Sklenar), an upscale, wealthy couple; but she soon learns that the family’s secrets are far more dangerous than her own. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWAL/CANCELLATION

Apple TV+ has given a 6th season renewal to Slow Horses, months ahead of its Season 5 premiere that is set for some time in 2025. (TV Line)

AMC has pulled the plug on the Giancarlo Esposito-led drama Parish after only one season. (TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Netflix is in the early stages of developing Pride, a movie based on the 2018 young-adult novel by author Ibi Zoboi, which is a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that will be set in the gentrifying Bushwick area of Brooklyn, NY, centering on Afro-Latina teen Zuri Benitez, who fights to preserve her neighborhood and manage family chaos. But when the wealthy Darcy family moves in next door, Zuri’s disdain for the arrogant Darius Darcy turns into an unexpected connection that forces her to reconsider everything she thought she knew about pride, prejudice and home. (Deadline)

TV CASTING NEWS

Sophia Bush will recur on Grey’s Anatomy, playing Dr. Cass Beckman, a slightly-messy around the edges trauma surgeon at Seattle Presbyterian Hospital. Cass’ husband David is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Grey Sloan, though it’s unclear if he is also being cast. She’ll make her debut on November 7. (Deadline and TV Line)

The third season of the anthology series Monster has added new cast members, including Laurie Metcalf, Tom Hollander and Olivia Williams, joining Charlie Hunnam, who will star as Ed Gein, one of the inspirations for Norman Bates and Hitchcock’s film Psycho. Metcalf will play Gein’s mother, Augusta, while Hollander will play Alfred Hitchcock and Williams will play Alma Reville, Hitchcock’s wife. (Variety)

Michael Emerson will join his real-life wife Carrie Preston in the CBS drama Elsbeth. He will recur as Judge Milton Crawford, a haughty, soft-spoken and bespectacled man from an old New England family of public servants who sees his place in the nation’s elite as a birthright. He will be a foil to Elsbeth. (TV Line)

Orphan Black and She Hulk alum Tatiana Maslany will guest star in the upcoming first season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy that will star Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti. There are no details on what role Maslany will play, though. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Amazon Prime has announced a star-studded voice cast for its upcoming adult animated series Secret Level that will include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart, Keanu Reeves, Temuera Morrison, Ariana Greenblatt. Gabriel Luna, Ricky Whittle, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Merle Dandridge, Claudia Doumiy, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Clive Standen and Michael Beach. The series is described as featuring original stories set within the worlds of some of the world’s most beloved video games, including Armored Core, Dungeons & Dragons and Spelunky. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE NEWS

Anthony Hopkins will star in the upcoming box office movie Maserati: The Brothers about the family behind the high-performance automobiles that, along with Ferrari and Lamborghini, Italy is known for. Hopkins will play an Italian financier who bankrolls the Maserati brothers. (Variety)

Chloe Grace Moretz, Hamilton alum Anthony Ramos and The Acolyte’s Manny Jacinto will star in the upcoming box office rom-com Love Language along with Lukas Gage (The White Lotus), Isabel May (1883) and Billie Lourd (Booksmart) round out the cast. Plot details on the movie are being kept under wraps, though. (Variety)

It looks like Prince Charming (yep, that one from Disney) is getting his own feature film, but it’s unclear if the film will be live-action or animated and no casting has been announced. (Variety)

Alicia Silverstone has joined the cast of the latest box office movie from Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos that will star Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. The movie will follow two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. (Variety)

BROADWAY NEWS

It looks like Lionsgate is adapting Dirty Dancing as a Broadway musical set for a late 2025 launch. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATIONS

Netflix has given the drama The Night Agent a third season renewal. Season two has yet to air, but is anticipated to air sometime in early 2025. (TV Line)

Meanwhile, Netflix has pulled the plug on the Jeff Goldbum-led series KAOS after only one season. (TV Line)

Netflix has also given a third season renewal to The Diplomat, which will premiere its second season at the end of this month. (Variety and TV Line)

And, Netflix has also given a second season renewal to the rom-com Nobody Wants This, which stars Kristen Bell and Adam Brody. (TV Line)

Amazon Prime has renewed Reacher for a 4th season ahead of the upcoming season 3 which will premiere sometime next year. (TV Line)

Starz has cancelled the historical drama The Serpent Queen after two seasons. (Deadline and TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

While Starz has pulled the plug on The Serpent Queen, the cabler is developing a spin-off series that will be centered around Queen Elizabeth I, who was played by Minnie Driver. She is expected to reprise her role should the series move forward. (Deadline and TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Amber Midthunder has joined the second season of the Apple TV+ drama Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, where she will play Isabel, an intelligent and powerful businesswoman. (Variety)

Alice Braga, Scoot McNairy and Paul Ben-Victor have joined the cast of the Netflix series adaptation of Man on Fire based on the novels by A.J. Quinnell (which served as the source material for the Denzel Washington flick). This small screen version will center on John Creasy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II from the Aquaman franchise), a former special forces mercenary now suffering intense PTSD. Determined to overcome his personal demons, he sets out on a path to redemption. But before he can adjust to this new life, he finds himself back in the fire, fighting harder than ever. Braga will play Valeria Melo, a professional driver with family connections to a gang that runs a favela in Brazil. Creasy hires her and quickly comes to rely on her as he tries to protect a young girl while pursuing terrorists. McNairy will play Henry Tappan, an intelligent and calculating CIA field agent stationed in Brazil. Ben-Victor will play Moncrief, the director of the CIA. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Aaron Pierre (recently seen in the Netflix movie Rebel Ridge) has joined the HBO TV series Lanterns where he will star alongside Kyle Chandler. Pierre will play John Stewart while Chandler will play Hal Jordan. The series will follow new recruit John Stewart and legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. (TV Line)

Looks like the BBC will return to the Pride and Prejudice universe with a new spin-off drama about Lizzy Bennet’s sister. The series, The Other Bennet Sister, will focus on Mary Bennet, Lizzy’s unassuming and oft-overlooked middle sibling, and will be based on the Janice Hadlow novel; in which Mary finally gets to experience an epic love story of her own, as she travels from the safety and claustrophobia of her family home in Meryton to the glitz of Regency London and the pastoral charm of the Lake District as she searches for independence, romance and acceptance. Casting has yet to be announced. (Variety)

Alicia Silverstone will star in and executive produce the new AMC and Acorn TV series Irish Blood, a murder-mystery drama where she will play Fiona Sharpe, a Los Angeles divorce lawyer who receives a letter from her estranged father and travels to Ireland to uncover the mystery of his disappearance. The cast will incldue Wendy Crewson, Jason O’Mara and Simone Kirby [among others]. (The Hollywood Reporter)

BROADWAY NEWS

Recent Tony winner Jonathan Groff will star in Just In Time, a new musical about the life and times of singer Bobby Darin that will chart the great American entertainer’s meteoric journey — from soaring highs to crushing lows, whose short but remarkable life took him from teen idol to global sensation, inspiring generations of performers who followed. Darin passed away in 1973 at age 37 due to complications from open heart surgery. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE NEWS

Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried will star in the film adaptation of The Housemaid based on the popular novel by Freida McFadden that will find Sweeney playing Millie, a struggling young woman who is relieved to get a fresh start as a housemaid to wealthy couple Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew, but Millie soon learns the family’s secrets are far more dangerous than her own. (Variety)

Henry Cavil will star in the live-action film Voltron based on the TV franchise that follows a team of space explorers who pilot a giant super robot. Plot details are being kept tightly under wraps at this time. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS

MGM+ has given the western period piece drama Billy the Kid a third and final season renewal. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Apple TV+ has given the Colin Farrel-led drama Sugar a second season renewal. (TV Line)

OFFICIAL SERIES ORDER

Amazon Prime has given an official series order to a spin-off to Reacher, the series starring Alan Ritchson in the lead role. The spin-off will be centered around Maria Sten, played by Frances Neagley in both the 1st and 2nd season of Reacher. It will follow Neagley as a private investigator in Chicago. (TV Line)

The FX drama series The Sensitive Kind, that will star Ethan Hawke, has been ordered to series, but exact plot details are being kept under wraps other than the show being a Tulsa noir about a guy (Hawke) who knows too much. Among the cast members are Keith David, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tim Blake Nelson and Kyle Maclachan [among others]. (Variety)

FX has also given a series order to the drama The Beauty from uber-producer Ryan Murphy. Evan Peters, Ashton Kutcher and Anthony Ramos will star in a series being described as focusing on modern society and its obsession with outward beauty. (Variety)

SPIN-OFF NEWS

Looks like the 9-1-1 franchise is growing with Ryan Murphy confirming he has plans to expand with another spin-off. He and series co-creator Tim Minear are working on a new spin-off that they hope will air next fall, but no specific location has been announced yet. (Variety and TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

Elizabeth Henstridge (Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD) has not only directed an episode of Superman & Lois in both seasons two and three, but she will now play a pivotal role in the show’s final season; that of Lex Luthor’s daughter. (ComicBook.com)

Trevor Donovan has joined the cast of When Hope Calls, which will now air its second season on Great American Family (instead of Hallmark Channel). He will play Constable Jim Reynolds, an experienced Mountie who is known for his strong presence and skills in the field. (MSN)

CSI alum Matthew Gray Gubler has been cast in the upcoming CBS procedural Einstein, which is based on the German dramedy of the same name that focuses on Albert Einstein’s brilliant but directionless great-grandson Lew, 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 solve her most puzzling cases. (TV Line)

Gossip girl alum Leighton Meester has joined the cast of the second season of The Buccaneers on Apple TV+. Details on what character she will be playing are being kept under wraps. (The Hollywood Reporter)

The Hallmark+ drama Ripple, which will explore how unexpectedly connected we are as human beings through the eyes and stories of its four main characters, has announced its lead cast members. Nate will be played by Pretty Little Liars alum Ian Harding; Walter will be played by veteran actor Frankie Faison; Kris will be played by British actress Julia Chand and Aria will be played by Sydney Agudong. (Deadline)

Brittany Snow, Natalie Morales, David Lyons and Tim Guinee will star in the upcoming Netflix limited drama series The Beast in Me. The tagline for the show is: Since the tragic death of her young son, acclaimed author Aggie Wiggs (Claire Danes) has receded from public life, unable to write, a ghost of her former self. But she finds an unlikely subject for a new book when the house next door is bought by Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys), a famed and formidable real estate mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. At once horrified and fascinated by this man, Aggie finds herself compulsively hunting for the truth – chasing his demons while fleeing her own – in a game of cat and mouse that might turn deadly. Snow will play Nina, Nile’s spouse; Morales will play Shelley, Aggie’s ex-wife; Lyons will play FBI agent Brian Abbot and Guinee will play Wrecking Ball, an intimidating presence in Nile’s life. (Variety)

It looks like Meryl Streep has found her next TV role. She will star in the series adaptation of The Corrections based on the novel by Jonathan Franzen. No streaming service nor network is attached yet, but the series will be taken to market soon. The series will follow an elderly Midwestern couple who try to hold a Christmas reunion with their three adult children due to the father’s failing health. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

John Boyega and Danielle Deadwyler will star as the late soul legend Otis Redding and his widow Zelma Redding respectively in the upcoming biopic Otis & Zelma. Redding’s burgeoning superstar career was tragically cut short when he died at the age of only 26 in a 1967 plane crash, leaving behind Zelma and three young children. (Variety)

Kirsten Dunst will star opposite Channing Tatum in the upcoming true crime film Roofman that is based on the remarkable story of Jeffrey Manchester, an eccentric and charming serial robber who broke into more than 60 McDonald’s overnight via their roofs, then emptied the cash register in the morning after herding staff into freezers. (Deadline)

Reacher star Alan Ritchson will appear in the box office adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks best-seller Counting Miracle that finds a former Ranger (Ritchson) returning to his small hometown with one mission: to find the father he never knew. While there he crosses paths with a doctor who is balancing her own life as a single mother of two and a reclusive old man with a mysterious past, leading to unexpected connections and a journey toward belonging. (Variety)

Fran Drescher will play the mother of Timothee Chalamet in the upcoming table tennis movie Marty Supreme that will follow Chalamet as a young ping pong pro. (Variety)

Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding and The Mandalorian) will join Glen Powell in the reboot of The Running Man, to be directed by Edgar Wright and based on the novel by Stephen King. (Deadline)

J.K. Simmons and Tony winner Nina Arianda will star in the magical realism dramedy 109 Billion Followers that will follow a film student (Olivia Simmons, the real-life daughter of J.K. Simmons) who makes a documentary about a homeless man (J.K. Simmons) who is convinced that he’s the Grim Reaper. Her cameraman and unlikely love interest (Jake Ryan) adds laughs and heart, while her broken but loving mother (Nina Arianda) adds drama and mess. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

CANCELLATION

Sadly, Hulu has pulled the plug on the comedy UnPrisoned that starred Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo after only two seasons. (TV Line)

NEW SERIES ORDERED

MGM+ has ordered a new drama series about Robin Hood that will follow the Norman invasion of England, focusing on Rob – a Saxon forester’s son – and Marian, the daughter of a Norman lord – who fall in love and work together to fight for justice and freedom. As Rob rises as the leader of a band of rebel outlaws, Marian infiltrates the power at court, as both work together to thwart royal corruption and bring peace to the land. (Variety)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Looks like Amazon is working on developing Robocop as a TV series (not the first time this has been done either, by the way). The series would focus on a giant tech conglomerate that collaborates with the local police department to introduce a technologically advanced enforcer to combat rising crime — a police officer who’s part man, part machine. (Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

Not only is Floriana Lima (who was last seen in A Million Little Things) joining Grey’s Anatomy for its 21st season, but she will be cropping up in a recurring role on season two of Tracker on CBS, playing Camille Picket, an off-and-on lover of Colter Shaw (series lead Justin Hartley). (TV Line)

Snowpiercer and Hamilton alum Daveed Diggs has joined the season 5 cast of The Boys, but details on his role are being kept under wraps. (Entertainment Weekly)

Michelle Pfeiffer will join Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman in the upcoming Apple TV+ 8-part drama series Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which is from David E. Kelley (Pfeiffer’s husband of 31 years). Fanning will star as Margo Millet, the child of Shyanne, a Hooters waitress (Pfeiffer) and an ex-pro wrestler, who has always known she’d have to make it on her own. Kidman is believed to be playing a mediator. (Deadline)

Kyle Chandler will play Hal Jordan in the HBO series Lanterns, which will follow Jordan and John Stewart, two members of the Green Lantern Corps, as in two intergalactic cops who drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. (Variety)

Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day) and Callum Kerr (Monarch) will appear in the 6th season of Virgin River on Netflix, as the biological parents – Sarah and Everett – of lead character Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge). These new characters will be seen in flashbacks mostly set in or around 1972. There is also the possibility of a prequel to Virgin River that would be focused on these characters. (Deadline)

Max Irons will appear as Mycroft Holmes, older brother to Sherlock Holmes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) in the upcoming Amazon Prime Young Sherlock series from Guy Ritchie. (Deadline and CBR.com)

Marnee Carpenter (the short-lived TV series Clarice) will guest star in an upcoming episode of Matlock, starring Kathy Bates. Carpenter will appear in flashbacks as Matty’s dearly departed daughter Ellie. (TV Line)

Oscar winner Hilary Swank has joined the third season cast of the Showtime series Yellowjackets, but details about her character have not been revealed. (Deadline)

Florence Pugh and Christopher Abbott will star as Cathy and Adam (respectively) in the Netflix limited series adaptation of East of Eden, based on the John Steinbeck novel that explores the multigenerational saga of the Trask family, focusing new attention on its indelible antihero, Cathy Ames. (Variety)

More cast members have been added to the upcoming second season of the FOX anthology series Accused, including Sonequa Martin-Green, Mike Colter, Jamie Chung, Sherri Saum, and Kiara Barnes. (Deadline)

MOVIE CASTING NEWS

A slew of actors has joined the cast of the upcoming Netflix feature film The Woman in Cabin 10, based on the best-selling novel by Ruth Ware, that is already slated to star Keira Knightley. The movie follows a journalist who witnesses a passenger being thrown overboard a luxury yacht at night — only to be told that it didn’t happen as all the passengers and crew are accounted for. Despite no one believing her, she continues to look for answers, putting her own life in danger. Those cast members recently added include Guy Pearce, Hannah Waddingham, David Ajala, Kaya Scodelario and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. (Deadline)

Oscar winner Emerald Fennell will be adapting and directing a new version of Wuthering Heights with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in the lead roles of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. (Variety)

Anthony Hopkins will star in the Netflix biblical epic film Mary, playing King Herod. The film is a coming-of-age story in which Mary is shunned following a miraculous conception and forced into hiding. (Variety)

It would seem that Matthias Schoenaerts just might be joining the cast of the latest incarnation of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow that will star House of the Dragon alum Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El (aka Supergirl). It is believed that Schoenaerts will play the villain Krem of the Yellow Hills, who encounters Supergirl after he murders the father of a young girl. (Variety)

Brian Tee (Chicago Med) has joined the next film to be directed by Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow. The film is cloaked in secrecy but is expected to include among its cast Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba, Jared Harris, Greta Lee, Anthony Ramos, Tracy Letts, Moses Ingram and Gabriel Basso. Plot details are being kept under wraps, though. (Variety)

Elle Fanning will be joined by Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage and Pamela Andreson (among others) in the upcoming box office film Rosebush Pruning that will be adapted from the Marco Bellocchio 1965 debut feature “Fists in the Pocket,” a dark satire of family and social values now considered a landmark piece of Italian cinema. (Variety)

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE NEWS

Hip-hop star and actress Mary J. Blige will executive produce new movies at Lifetime. Family Affair (the current working title) will be inspired by Blige’s 2001 song of the same name and will debut in 2025. The movie will star Ajiona Alexus and Da’Vinchi, reprising their roles from “Real Love” and “Strength of a Woman,” which both aired on Lifetime previously. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATIONS

Netflix has given Emily in Paris a fifth season renewal. (TV Line)

AMC has pulled the plug on Orphan Black: Echoes after its debut season. (Deadline and TV Line)

Max has pulled the plug on the reboot of Pretty Little Liars after two seasons. (TV Line)

Apple TV+ has cancelled the comedy Time Bandits after only one season. (TV Line)

HBO has given a season four renewal to Industry. (TV Line)

Nearly 3 years after its last original episode, When Hope Calls, the spin-off series to the Hallmark Channel long-running series When Calls the Heart, has been renewed for season two, but instead of airing on the Hallmark Channel it will now be airing on the rival network Great American Family. (TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

As mentioned above, When Hope Calls will be back for a second season (on Great American Family instead of Hallmark Channel), and has added new cast members, including Cindy Busby (Cedar Cove) as Nora; Christopher Russell (UnREAL) as Mountie Michael. They join returning cast members Morgan Kohan, Ryan-James Hatanaka, Hanneke Talbot and Wendy Crewson. (TV Line)

Harry Potter alum Katie Leung has joined the cast of season four of Bridgerton in which she will play Lady Araminta Gun, a twice married and twice widowed woman, who has two girls debuting on the marriage mart this season and is feeling the pressure to get at least one of them married off. (TV Line)

Syfy is working on an adaptation of the series Revival, based on the Image Comics series by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton. The main cast will include Melanie Scrofano (Wynonna Earp) and David James Elliott (JAG). The synopsis for the series is: On one miraculous day in rural Wisconsin, the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves. But this is no zombie story, as the ‘revived’ appear and act just like they once were. When local officer and single mother Dana Cypress (Scrofano) is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect. Elliott will play Wayne Cypress, the longtime sheriff who is determined to keep his town and family as normal and safe as possible — a tall order when the dead return to life in the small town he’s sworn to protect. (Variety)

Sources are reporting that Emmy winner Archie Panjabi will star as a villain in Season 2 of Doctor, but details about her character are being kept under wraps. (Deadline)

Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis will star in the Amazon Prime series adaptation of the Kay Scarpetta novels by Patricia Cornwell. The streaming service has given a greenlight for two seasons and has added cast members including Ariana DeBose, Bobby Cannavale and Simon Baker. The mystery-thriller series follows Kay Scarpetta (Kidman), the Chief Medical Examiner, as she returns to Virginia and resumes her former position with complex relationships, both personal and professional – including her sister Dorothy (Curtis), with plenty of grudges and secrets to uncover. Cannavale will play former detective Pete Marino while Baker will play FBI profiler Benton Wesley and DeBose will play Lucy Farinelli-Watson, Dorothy’s daughter. (Variety)

Sons of Anarchy alum Charlie Hunnam will star as notorious serial killer Ed Gein in season 3 of the Ryan Murphy-created anthology series Monster. Gein became infamous in the 1950s when authorities discovered that he not only had killed multiple people, but had dug up graves from a cemetery near his home and fashioned all manner of household items and clothing from human remains. Gein’s case served as an inspiration for several major pop culture characters later on, including Norman Bates in Psycho and Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs. (Variety)

In addition to being the moderator for NCIS: Origins, Mark Harmon will briefly appear on screen during the pilot episode of the prequel series. (TV Line)

STREAMING SERVICE MOVIE

Reacher lead Alan Ritchson will star in the Netflix movie War Machine, playing an Army Ranger undergoing a grueling selection process. He will star alongside Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, Jai Courtney, Esai Morales, and Australian actors Blake Richardson, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Daniel Webber. (Variety and Collider)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The best-selling romance novel People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry is being adapted to the big screen with Tom Blyth (Billy the Kid and The Hunger Games prequel film) and Emily Bader (My Lady Jane) in the lead roles of Alex and Poppy. The story centers around best friends Poppy and Alex—one a free spirit and the other straight laced, though with an apparent spark lingering beneath the surface—who spend their summers traveling together, meeting the aforementioned people. New cast members include Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris) and Lukas Gage (Euphoria). (E! News)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

TV CASTING NEWS

Brendan Gleeson and Jack Huston have both joined the cast of the Amazon live-action Spider-Man Noir series, but both of their roles are being kept under wraps. They will join Nicolas Cage and Lamorne Morris in the series. (Variety)

Meanwhile over on Netflix, the limited series adaptation of the Alice Feeney novel His & Hers has added Jon Bernthal and Pablo Schreiber to the cast, joining Tessa Thompson in the six episode series that will be set in the sweltering heat of Atlanta where Anna (Thompson) lives in haunting reclusivity, fading away from her friends and career as a news anchor. But when she overhears about a murder in Dahlonega – the sleepy town where she grew up – Anna is snapped back to life, pouncing on the case and searching for answers. Detective Jack Harper (Bernthal) is strangely suspicious of her involvement, chasing her into the crosshairs of his own investigation. There are two sides to every story: his & hers, which means someone is always lying. (Variety)

Parker Young will recur in the 5th and final season of 9-1-1: Lone Star, playing Campbell, a Texas Ranger assigned to work alongside Carlos (series regular Rafael L. Silva). (TV Line)

Floriana Lima, who viewers will remember from A Million Little Things, has been cast in Grey’s Anatomy, playing Nora, a childhood friend of Hunt and sister Megan. (Deadline and TV Line)

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Scarface and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) is set to recur in Law & Order: Organized Crime for its 5th season, which will now air on Peacock. She will play Isabella Spezzano, a figure from Stabler’s (series lead Christopher Meloni) past. (Deadline)

STRAIGHT-TO-SERIES ORDER

Netflix has given a straight-to-series order to Thumblite, a corporate thriller that will star Rosamund Pike. The series will examine the schemes, rivalries, visions and obsessions of the power brokers and their underlings as they vie for control of the most powerful industry the world has ever known. (TV Line)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Shailene Woodley is set to produce and star in a biopic about legendary 60’s singer Janis Joplin. (Variety)

Michael B. Jordan will direct and star in a reimagining of The Thomas Crown Affair, but plot details are being kept under wraps. (Variety)

EARLY STAGE DISCUSSIONS

It looks like Lifetime just MIGHT be launching a TV movie franchise feature legacy characters from the long-defunct soap opera All My Children, which ran on ABC from 1970 to 2011, but the talks are in the very early stages; however, the cabler did confirm (after the news broke) that there are two AMC movies in development, one of which would be holiday-themed. (TV Line)

AUDIO PRODUCTION

Audible Inc., a leading producer and provider of original spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks, announced the upcoming release of the Canadian Audible Original drama Wynonna Earp: Tales from Purgatory. The immersive, multicast audio production is written by creator, producer and writer of the show, Emily Andras with original cast members reprising their roles, including Melanie Scrofano as Wynonna Earp, Tim Rozon as Doc Holliday, Dominique Provost-Chalkley as Waverly Earp, Katherine Barrell as Nicole Haught, Varun Saranga as Jeremy Chetri, Dani Kind as Mercedes Gardner, Martina Ortiz Luis as Rachel Valdez, and Greg Lawson as Randy Nedley. The audio series will be released on October 17. Fans can also watch the 90-minute reunion special for the series which debuted this past Friday, September 13. (Audible Press Release)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for the past week:

RENEWALS/CANCELLATIONS

Hulu has renewed Only Murders in the Building for a 5th season. (TV Line)

MGM+ has pulled the plug on The Winter King after only one season and has also cancelled Beacon 23 after two seasons. (TV Line)

9-1-1: Lone Star will come to an end on FOX at the end of its upcoming 5th season. (TV Line)

Bosch Legacy, the spin-off off Bosch, will end with its upcoming 3rd season on Amazon Prime. (TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

A spin-off of Reacher is in the work at Amazon Prime. Exact plot details for the spin-off are being kept under wraps, but it is believed to focus on Frances Neagley (Maria Sten). (Variety)

TV CASTING NEWS

Kelli Giddish will be back as Amanda Rollins on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for its upcoming 26th season, but she will only be back as a guest star, making “a bunch of appearances throughout the season.” (TV Line)

Jay Hayden (Station 19) will have a recurring role in FBI: International, playing Agent Tyler Booth, an intelligent and charismatic agent in Budapest looking for assistance on a case. (Deadline)

Character actor Ron Canada will appear on season 2 of the NBC drama The Irrational, playing Eli Mercer, the dad to Alec (series lead Jesse L. Martin) and his sister Kylie. (TV Line)

Patricia Arquette will star in a Hulu limited series that will be about the Murdaugh family, a riveting account drawing from countless hours of reporting by Mandy Matney – journalist and creator of the popular Murdaugh Murders Podcast. The Murdaugh family were powerful players in the Lowcountry region of South Caroline, wielding great legal and political influence. But for the better part of a decade, the family has been accused of involvement in a variety of crimes, ranging from fraud to murder. Arquette will play Maggie Murdaugh. (Variety)

BOX OFFICE MOVIE NEWS

Alison Brie will play villain Evil-Lyn in the upcoming live-action Masters of the Universe that will star Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam aka He-Man. (Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter)

Chloe Bennett (Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD) and Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso) will star in the indie feature film Hello Out There, which will center on Minnie (Bennet), a young journalist who embarks on a road trip across New Mexico with her cousin, Rex (Dunster), a punk rock guitarist fresh out of rehab, who is trying to figure out what’s left. Their stated mission: to investigate Area 51 and unearth the truth about extraterrestrial life. But as the journey unfolds, a deeper, more personal reason for their quest comes to light. (Deadline)

Bridgerton alum Phoebe Dynevor will join Zac Efron in the feature film Famous, a provocative Los Angeles-set thriller that explores the dark side of celebrity with Efron playing dual roles: the overzealous fan, Lance Dunkquist, and Hollywood heartthrob, James Jansen. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news updates for this past week:

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

It looks like Netflix is developing a sequel series to the long-running drama One Tree Hill, which aired on The WB starting in 2003 and ended on CW in 2012. Original series stars Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton are set to executive produce and reprise their breakout roles as Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer, respectively. The potential follow-up will pick up 20 years later, following Brooke and Peyton as they parent teenagers of their own. (Deadline and TV Line)

RENEWAL/CANCELLATION

Blue Ridge: The Series has been given a second season renewal by Imagicomm Entertainment. (Press Release)

Netflix has pulled the plug on Dead Boy Detectives after only one season. (TV Line)

SERIES ORDER NEWS

Hallmark+ (formerly Hallmark Movies Now) has given a straight-to-series order to the new one-hour drama series Ripple, which will be set in New York City, focusing on Nate, Kris, Walter and Aria who have crossed paths hundreds of times, yet they’ve never met. Because of the seemingly minuscule decisions these core four make in the pilot, we’ll witness the ripple effect of how these strangers, all dealing with life’s challenges in their own way, are led to one another. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

The Anthony Hopkins-led film Eyes in the Trees has added Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Ashley Greene and Thomas Kretschmann to its cast. The film will be a modern reimagining of H.G. Wells’ novel “The Island of Doctor Moreau,” which will follow a video journalist and his film crew as they embark on a journey into an isolated forest, only to find their excursion turned into a fight for survival for not just themselves, but the entire human race. Vince Henway (Meyers) and his former protégé-turned-ex Channing Arneau (Greene) lead the crew into the heart of Monkey Ko off the coast of Thailand. Also known as The Island of Death to the locals, the island holds rumors of forgotten government medical experiments and scientific genetic manipulations led by Dr. Addis (Hopkins). What they find on the island is beyond their wildest expectations, a product of nightmares. Their search for answers quickly transforms into a fight for survival as they try to thwart Dr. Addis’ plan to ‘regress mankind,’ killing the majority of earth’s human population. (Variety)

It looks like Sony Pictures is developing a remake of the Ritchie Valens story La Bamba, teaming with Luis Valdez, the writer and director of the original film. The 1987 film starred Lou Diamond Phillips as Valens, the 17-year-old Mexican-American singer who rose to fame in the 1950’s with songs like “La Bamba,” “Donna” and “We Belong Together.” His meteoric ascent was cut short when he died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, in what was dubbed “The Day the Music Died.” (Variety)

Tomer Capone (The Boys) will play a besotted suitor in the new romantic comedy called Save the Date that will star comedian Adi Havshush in the lead role. The movie follows the story of Dassy, a wedding planner who finds herself in a relationship slump after her longtime partner makes a shocking revelation. Turning to her grandmother for comfort, Dassy reluctantly agrees to take part in an ancient spell to summon her one true love – except instead of one, her overzealous bubbie manages to conjure up four suitors who set out to win Dassy’s heart. (Variety)

Rebecca Ferguson has joined the cast of The Magic Faraway Tree based on the classic children’s book by Enid Blyton, which includes Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nicola Coughlan [among others]. Ferguson will play Dame Snap, the story’s headmistress. The film follows Polly (Foy) and Tim Thompson (Garfield) and their children, Beth, Joe and Fran, who find themselves forced to relocate to the remote English countryside. There, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric occupants, who are capable of transporting visitors to fantastical far-off lands. Coughlan will play woodland fairy Silky while Nonso Anozie will play group leader Moonface. (The Hollywood Reporter)

TV CASTING NEWS

Game of Thrones alum Emilia Clarke will star in the espionage thriller Ponies, which has been ordered to series at Peacock. The series will be set in Moscow in 1977 where two ‘PONIES’ (‘persons of no interest’ in intelligence speak) work anonymously as secretaries in the American Embassy. That is until their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances in the USSR, and the pair become CIA operatives. Bea (Clarke) is an over-educated, Russian-speaking child of Soviet immigrants. Her cohort, Twila, is a small-town girl who is as abrasive as she is fearless. Together, they work to uncover a vast Cold War conspiracy and solve the mystery that made them widows in the first place. (Variety)

Lost veteran Matthew Fox has joined the cast of The Madison, joining Michelle Pfeiffer in the Taylor Sheridan series set in the Yellowstone universe. Fox will play Paul, a self-reliant bachelor who loves the outdoors. (TV Line)

Kate Winslet is set to star in yet another new drama series called The Spot which will air on Hulu. When a successful surgeon (Winslet) and her schoolteacher husband begin to suspect that she may be responsible for a child’s hit-and-run death, their quest for truth spirals into a web of mounting suspicion and dark secrets, testing their resolve and their relationship as they confront the possibility of hidden guilt and betrayal. (Variety)

The upcoming Peacock limited series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, which will star Michael Chernus in the lead role, has added new cast members, including: Gabriel Luna as Detective Rafael Tovar; James Badge Dale as Chief of Detectives Joe Kozenczak; Michael Angarano as Sam Amirante; Chris Sullivan as Lead Prosecutor Bill Kunkle and Marin Ireland as Elizabeth Piest. The series will peel back the twisted layers of Gacy’s life while weaving in heartrending stories of his mostly gay victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror. (Variety)

Dean Norris has been promoted to series regular on Law & Order: Organized Crime where he plays Randall Stabler, the older brother of Elliot Stabler (series lead Christopher Meloni). (Deadline and TV Line)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Hey All,

Here are the entertainment news items for this past week:

RENEWAL/CANCELLATION

Disney+ has pulled the plug on the Star Wars series The Acolyte after only one season. (TV Line)

Apple TV+ has given the crime thriller Criminal Record a second season renewal. (TV Line)

MOVING TO A NEW HOME

The Librarians: The Next Chapter was unceremoniously pulled from the schedule by CW, but it will now air on TNT, as one small part of the cable network’s missions to beef up its depleted drama slate. And, what’s more, TNT has given the show – which has yet to even air an episode yet – a second season. The show is expected to premiere sometime in 2025 on TNT. (Deadline and TV Line)

TV CASTING NEWS

FBI cast member Katherine Renee Kane, who has played Special Agent Tiffany Wallace since season 3, will be leaving the show during its upcoming 7th season. (TV Line)

Gina Rodriguez has joined the cast of the ABC series Will Trent for the show’s upcoming third season, playing Marion Alba, a charismatic, confident Assistant District Attorney new to Atlanta, who after her first encounter with Will falls flat, the pair is surprised to learn that they must work together to investigate a crime in the world of Atlanta gangs. (Deadline and TV Line)

Maria Bello will star in the upcoming Netflix drama series The Waterfront. She will appear alongside Holt McCallany in the series that is inspired by true events and dives into the flawed Buckley family as their attempts to retain control of their crumbling North Carolina fishing empire drive them to increasingly dangerous means to keep themselves afloat. Bello will play Mae Buckley, a complex woman who’s married to Harlan (McCallany) and the mother of their two children. After her husband took a step back from the family business, together with their son, she has been running the fishery in very questionable ways in a desperate attempt to save the family. (Variety)

Lisette Olivera has joined the cast of the CBS series FBI, playing Syd, a trained Behavioral Analysis Unit Agent who is about to rotate into the field. (Deadline)

It has now been confirmed that Patrick J. Adams and Beau Garrett have joined the Yellowstone sequel series The Madison, which will star Michelle Pfeiffer. The series is being described as a heartfelt study of grief and human connection following a New York City family in the Madison River valley of central Montana. Adams will play Russell McIntosh, a young investment banker who has followed the life path set before him from the start, while Garrett will play Abigail Reese, a resilient and sardonic New Yorker who is a recently divorced mother of two. (TV Line)

Freddie Highmore and Keeley Hawes will star, and executive produce, the upcoming Amazon Prmie 6-episode thriller The Assassin. Hawes will play Julie, a retired assassin living a secluded life on a remote Greek island while Highmore will play Edward, Julie’s estranged son with whom she has a somewhat thorny reunion. The cast will include Gina Gershon, Jack Davenport and Alan Dale. (TV Line)

Erik Palladino has joined the cast of season 4 of the MGM+ series Godfather of Harlem, playing real-life hitman Giuseppe “Pino” Greco, a high-ranking hitman in the Sicilian mafia. (TV Insider)

James Spader will reprise his role of Ultron, the villainous artificial intelligence from Avenger fame, in the upcoming Vision series that will star Paul Bettany. (Variety)

Anya Taylor-Joy will star in the Netflix adaptation of How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie. Taylor-Joy will play the murderous Grace Bernard, the protagonist of the book. The synopsis of the movie is: Grace is the forgotten child of Simon Artemis, a merciless billionaire. After a heartbreaking rejection, Grace decides to exact revenge. But will this deadly scheme take even more from Grace than she’s already lost? (Deadline)

Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly will star in Under Salt Marsh, a new limited series set to air on Sky Original, which is available to customers in the UK and throughout Europe. The 6-part show will be a gripping crime thriller set in the fictional Welsh town of Morfa Halen, a place caught between towering mountains and a fast-encroaching sea. Reilly will play detective turned teacher Jackie Ellis. (Variety)

Once Upon a Time alum Lana Parrilla has joined the cast of the upcoming USA Network series The Rainmaker based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham, that will follow Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan) who, fresh out of law school, goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond (John Slattery) and his law school girlfriend Sarah Plankmore (Madison Iseman). Rudy, along with his boss and her disheveled paralegal, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son. Parrilla will play brash, ballsy street lawyer Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone who heads her disgraced father, J. Lyman Stone’s strip-mall law firm. (Deadline)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

Matt Smith will star alongside Austin Butler, Zoe Kravitz, Regina King and Liev Schreiber in the upcoming crime thriller Caught Stealing, which will center on Henry ‘Hank’ Thompson (Butler), a former professional baseball player who spends his nights working in a Manhattan bar. That is until he is violently beaten up and faced with the fact that someone wants something from him. (Radio Times)

Sally Field is expected to appear in Remarkably Bright Creatures, the box office adaptation of the novel by Shelby Van Pelt that will follow a lonely widow’s unlikely friendship with a giant octopus. After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she begins working the night shift as a janitor at a local aquarium. At work, she becomes acquainted with an eight-tentacled animal named Marcellus, who helps Tova uncover the truth about her son’s disappearance at sea 30 years ago. (Variety)

9-1-1 hunk Ryan Guzman has joined the cast of the new action thriller Midnight that is already set to star Rosario Dawson, Alexandra Shipp and Milla Jovovich. The film will follow a young, blind woman (Shipp) as she is hunted by a group of international criminals (Jovovich) searching for a package they believe was given to the woman by her federal agent sister (Dawson). However, the assailants quickly realize that the woman, though unable to see, may be far more dangerous than expected. (Deadline)

The box office movie Little Lorraine will star Arrow alum Stephen Amell and Lord of the Rings alum Sean Astin as well as Latin superstar J Balvin. The film is based on true events from the late 1980s, depicting a remote mining and fishing town’s transformation into a hub for a major cocaine smuggling operation. Amell will play an out-of-work coal miner who takes a job on a lobster boat involved in drug smuggling while Balvin will play an Interpol agent investigating a drug importation ring suspected of entering America through Cape Breton. The cast also includes Stephen McHattie, Rhys Darby and Steve Lund [among others]. (Variety)

That’s it. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »