Rueben's Ramblings

Hey All,

Here are the news items for this past week:

CANCELLATION

Prime Video has cancelled the survivalist teen drama The Wilds after just two seasons (and a big cliffhanger too). (TV Line)

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

PBS is developing a drama series based on the public and private life of Clementine Churchill, wife of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. Each episode of the limited series will follow Clementine through pivotal moments of her life. Raised by an unstable mother in relative poverty, caring for her siblings, Clementine became a suffragette working two jobs. Known as the “Broke Beauty,” she refused to marry for money or to a man she didn’t love. The series will follow her courtship with Winston and struggle with motherhood, her broken relationship with her young niece, Diana Mitford, who was brainwashed by fascism, her pivotal relationship with American Harry Hopkins, known as FDR’s conscience, who held the purse strings to (yet to be created) Land Lease, ensuring England could survive against the Germans until America joined the war, and a climactic trip to Russia where she goes toe to toe with Stalin. (Deadline)

NETWORK RENAMING AND NEW STREAMING SERVICE

It looks like the folks at GAC Media TV (the rival network to Hallmark Channel) are making some changes. First some name changes to their existing channels: GAC Living will now be known as Great American Living and GAC Family will now be known as Great American Family. The media “giant” is also launching a new network in the form of a free streaming TV channel that will be called Great American Adventures. (Heavy.com)

TV CASTING NEWS

The Orphan Black off-shoot series Orphan Black: Echoes has announced that Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones and Veronica Mars) will star in the series that is set to premiere next year on AMC+ and AMC. The 10-episode season will be set in the near future, exploring the scientific manipulation of human existence. The series will follow a group of women as they weave their way into each other’s lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unravelling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal. Ritter (who will also serve as an executive producerO will play Lucy, a woman with an unimaginable origin story, trying to find her place in the world. (TV Line)

Oscar winner Troy Kotsur (CODA) will star in a Disney+ series based on the football team from the California School for the Deaf Riverside (CSDR). He will play the team’s coach in the drama that will tell the true story of the CSDR Cubs’ 2021 football season, when the team went undefeated and got all the way to the California State Championship. The series will portray the students, teachers, and their families. The writing and production team, both in front of and behind the cameras, will include artists from the Deaf community. (Variety)

Kim Rhodes (Supernatural) and Ben Levin (Legacies) have joined the upcoming 3rd season of The CW’s Kung Fu. Levin will play Bo, a barista/vigilante who lives across the Bay in Oakland while Rhodes will play Carrie, a blunt, funny professional who works as a representative for a large restaurant investment group. When Carrie’s company takes an interest in Harmony Dumplings, Mei-Li (Kheng Hua Tan) is quick to decline their overtures, but when an unexpected friendship blooms between her and Carrie, Mei-Li opens herself up to a possible alliance. (Deadline)

Kate Winslet is set to star in her 4th HBO limited series called The Palace. The series tells the story of one year within the walls of the palace of an authoritarian regime as it begins to unravel. It was announced in June that Winslet is also attached to star in the HBO limited series The Trust. (Variety)

Disney+ is in early development on a live-action TV series based on Eragon, the young adult novel by author Christopher Paolini, which was also made into a box office movie. The story is about a farmboy named Eragon who discovers an egg that hatches into a dragon he names Saphira. Through their bond and the help of his mentor Brom, Eragon learns to be a Dragon Rider, an ancient order that had long been thought to be wiped out by the evil king Galbatorix. Eragon and Saphira set out to defeat Galbatorix and free the land of Alagaësia from his tyranny. (Variety)

Harry Shum Jr. (Glee and Crazy Rich Asians sequel) has joined the cast of Grey’s Anatomy for the show’s upcoming 19th (19th?!) season, playing Daniel “Blue” Kwan, a sharp-witted, impatient, and brilliant new surgical resident. Also, Adelaide Kane (Reign and This Is Us) has joined the cast where she will play Jules Millin, a first-year surgical resident who was raised by drug addled artist/hippies and somehow emerged as the only real grown-up in the family. (Deadline and TV Line)

Rick Gonzalez (Arrow) and Brent Antonello (Dynasty) have joined the cast of the upcoming season of Law & Order: Organized Crime where they will play NYPD detectives assigned to the Organized Crime unit, where they’ll work alongside Elliot Stabler. (TV Line)

BOX OFFICE NEWS

It’s been revealed that Ben Affleck will return as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Star Jason Momoa posted the news on Instagram this week. (The Hollywood Reporter and Instagram)

Embattled actress Ruby Rose (former star of The CW’s Batwoman) will be back on the big screen in a new movie called Stowaway, starring alongside Frank Grillo (the Marvel Universe movies) and Patrick Schwarzenegger (The Terminal List and The Staircase). The film is a cat-and-mouse chase about a tenacious party girl who fights to survive after three thieves commandeer her luxury yacht. Unable to escape and trapped on the yacht at high seas, she turns the tables on the intruders and takes matters into her own hands. (Deadline)

STREAMING MOVIE NEWS

It looks like Netflix is planning to turn the new movie The Gray Man, which starred Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and Ryan Gosling) into a spy franchise. The streaming service plans to expand the franchise with a movie sequel and a spin-off, both of which are in development. (Deadline)

That’s it. Enjoy!