John Lithgow (3rd Rock From the Sun, Pet Sematary) has joined the cast of the limited series Perry Mason that is heading to HBO. He joins the already cast Matthew Rhys (The Americans) and Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black). Variety reports the series follows “the origins of American fiction’s most legendary criminal defense lawyer (Rhys). When a child kidnapping case breaks down his door, Mason’s relentless pursuit of the truth reveals a fractured city and just maybe, a pathway to redemption for himself.”
Lithgow’s character is described as “Elias Birchard “E.B.” Jonathan, described as a personal attorney at the nadir of his career and a semi-regular employer of Mason. A mentor and a father figure to Mason, E.B. is handed the kind of case he hasn’t seen in years: a high-profile parallel investigation to the LAPD involving a case of child kidnapping.”
I have loved Lithgow since the days of Terms of Endearment and Harry and the Hendersons. And Rhys is also such a fantastic actor, as The Americans was one of my all time favorite series. Maslany has also made a great career for herself, and I’m excited to see what comes of this series.
Lord of the Rings writer J.R.R. Tolkien’s youth is explored in a melodramatic biography that’s not really worth the effort, starring Nicholas Hoult and
Director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Stargate) is set to direct a new sci-fi action film project called Moonfall. Just wait until you hear the premise, it’s exactly the kind of film that you’d expect Emmerich to make. Hell, I’m surprised that Michael Bay isn’t directing it!
The story follows “an unlikely band of misfits who must save mankind when the moon falls out of orbit and hurtles toward earth.” You gotta love these super ridiculous movie plots! I’m sure producers will fill the film with a big popular cast of actors.
Here’s the official synopsis:
The Moon. It controls our nights, our days, the seasons, and our ocean tides. And since the beginning of humankind, its phases stood as a symbol of enlightenment, inner knowledge – and our own immortality. Until now. Suddenly and without warning a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact, and against all odds, a ragtag team launches an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love and risking everything to land on the lunar surface, unlock its secrets, and save our planet from annihilation. But first they must battle an unknown and unfathomable power that will challenge everything we know about the moon, the universe, and ourselves.
The movie will have a $100+ million budget, and Emmerich will get to work on it as soon as he’s finished directing his WWII film called Midway. The filmmaker actually wrote the script for the film in 2012 with collaborators Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen.
What do you think of the plot for the movie? Do you think Emmerich will end up turning it into a great movie?
Katy Keene and Nancy Drew get series orders at The CW
The CW has given out series orders to the Riverdale spin-off series Katy Keene, starring Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars) and Ashleigh Murray; and the reboot mystery drama Nancy Drew with Kennedy McMann (Law & Order: SVU) taking on the iconic role as this generation’s newest teenage detective. In addition, the first official posters have been released, offering us our first look at the network’s new female leads which you can check out in the galleries below.
Directed by Maggie Kiley, Katy Keene is a musical dramedy that follows the lives and loves of four iconic Archie Comics characters — including fashion legend-to-be Katy Keene and singer/songwriter Josie McCoy— as they chase their twentysomething dreams in New York City. The musical dramedy chronicles the origins and struggles of four aspiring artists trying to make it on Broadway, on the runway and in the recording studio.
Riverdale showrunner Robert Aguirre-Sacasa co-wrote the pilot with Michael Grassi. Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter of Berlanti Productions will executive produce alongside Aguirre-Sacasa, Grassi and Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater. Warner Bros. Television is the studio.
The Nancy Drew pilot centers on 18-year-old Nancy Drew (McMann) and is set in the summer after her high school graduation. She thought she’d be leaving her hometown for college, but when a family tragedy holds her back another year, she finds herself embroiled in a ghostly murder investigation. Along the way, she uncovers secrets that run deeper than she ever imagined.
From Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage’s Fake Empire and CBS TV Studios, the Nancy Drew pilot is written and executive produced by Noga Landau, Schwartz, and Savage, and is directed by Larry Teng. Melinda Hsu Taylor also serves as executive producer.
New Aladdin Dolby poster reveals a pair of thieves
Walt Disney Pictures has released the Dolby Cinema poster for their upcoming live-action Aladdin, featuring our titular street rat along with his trusty sidekick-monkey Abu. Check out the full poster in the gallery below!
Two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith (Ali, Men in Black) stars as the Genie in the new film alongside Mena Massoud (Amazon’s Jack Ryan) as Aladdin, the hapless but lovable street rat who is smitten with the Sultan’s daughter. Naomi Scott (Power Rangers) stars as Princess Jasmine, the Sultan’s beautiful daughter who wants to have a say in how she lives her life with Marwan Kenzari (Murder on the Orient Express) as Jafar, an evil sorcerer who devises a nefarious plot to unseat the Sultan and rule Agrabah himself.
Aladdin also stars Navid Negahban (Homeland) as the Sultan, Nasim Pedrad (Saturday Night Live) as Dalia, Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods) as Prince Anders, and Numan Acar (Homeland) as Hakim, Jafar’s right-hand man and head of the palace guards. In addition, Wreck-It Ralph‘s Alan Tudyk has also signed on to voice Jafar’s iconic parrot sidekick Iago.
Aladdin is directed by Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) from a screenplay by John August (Dark Shadows, Big Fish) based on the 1992 animated film Aladdin and stories from “One Thousand and One Nights.” The producer is Dan Lin (The LEGO Movie) with Golden Globe winner Marc Platt (La La Land), Jonathan Eirich (Death Note) and Kevin De La Noy (The Dark Knight Rises) serving as executive producers. Eight-time Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid) provides the score, which includes new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Oscar-winning lyricists Howard Ashman (Little Shop of Horrors) and Tim Rice (The Lion King) as well as two new songs written by Menken and Oscar and Tony Award-winning songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen).
Aladdin was nominated for five Academy Awards and won two, including Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “A Whole New World.” Based on the Middle-Eastern folktale Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, the 1992 animated film was co-directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, who had previously-directed The Little Mermaid and would go on to make other Disney classics, including Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana. It famously featured Robin Williams as the film’s genie, along with Scott Weinger as Aladdin, Jonathan Freeman as Jafar, Linda Larkin as Princess Jasmine, Frank Welker as Aladdin’s monkey pal Abu, plus Douglas Seale as The Sultan, and Gilbert Gottfried as Iago.
Jon Favreau producing Prehistoric Planet docuseries for Apple
Filmmaker Jon Favreau will produce the documentary series Prehistoric Planet for AppleTV+, Apple’s upcoming streaming service. Deadline reports that The Lion King director has teamed up with the BBC’s Natural History Unit, who are behind Blue Planet and Planet Earth.
The series will use CGI to recreate what Earth looked like some 66 million years ago, during the last days of the dinosaurs.
Favreau will executive produce the series alongside Planet Earth IIEP Mike Gunton with series producer Tim Walker and Andrew R. Jones. It marks the latest big-budget natural history deal for BBC Studios, which recently struck a long-term deal with Discovery.
Prehistoric Planet was ordered by Jay Hunt, Apple’s Creative Director, Europe, Worldwide Video.
Favreau, meanwhile, is busy in front of and behind the camera. After appearing in Avengers: Endgame, he’ll reprise his role as the long-suffering Happy Hogan for the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home. He’s also calling the shots for The Mandalorian, an all-new, original Star Wars series set in-between the Classic and Sequel trilogies, for Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+.
His all-CG remake of Disney’s The Lion King, featuring Donald Glover as the voice of Simba, will hit theaters this July.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been enjoying the vampire mockumentary series What We Do in the Shadows. I think it’s hilarious, and I’m happy to tell you that FX has renewed it for a second season!
The show is based on Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s incredibly funny 2014 film of the same name, but the series is set in Staten Island instead of Wellington. It also follows a different group of vampires living together.
Here’s a synopsis that was released for Season 1:
“Much like the movie, the series follows three vampires who live together: Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Nandor (Kayvan Novak) — the former two are husband and wife. Also living with them is a fourth vampire named Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), who’s an “energy vampire.” Instead of blood, he sucks the energy out of his victims by boring them to death with mundane anecdotes and bad jokes. The office is his feeding ground, but his powers also work on his vampire roomies.”
Nick Grad, president of original programming at FX had this to say in a statement regarding the series being renewed:
“Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi and Paul Simms have more than delivered on the high expectations of ‘Shadows’ fans by adapting the cult classic for television and building a passionate base of new and returning fans. We also want to thank the rest of the creative team, including Scott Rudin, Garrett Basch and Eli Bush, and the incredible cast and crew for delivering such a fun and original series, and we look forward to working with them all on season two.”
The series also stars Harvey Guillen (The Internship), Doug Jones(The Shape ofWater),Beanie Feldstein(LadyBird), and Jake McDorman.
Have you been watching the first season of What We Do in the Shadows? If so, have you been enjoying it? Are you happy to see that it’s getting a Season 2?
ComingSoon.net is counting down our five favorite films starring Allison Janney, who has had many terrific roles through her 100-plus acting credits. Check out our choices in the gallery below!
An award-winning actor both on the stage and on the screen, Allison Janney is practically a household name at this point. Her reputation defines her as someone who’s happy to take on a supporting role over a leading one, but that’s far from what Janney is truly capable of—any time she’s been given a leading role, she’s completely knocked it out of the park.
Known best for her work on The West Wing and, more recently, on CBS’s multicam sitcom Mom, Janney has proved time and time again to be more than just a side performer. Someone with over 100 credits to their name would have to be a pretty big fan of acting, right? One can be sure that, no matter where Janney’s career takes her, it can be certain that it’ll be worthwhile to go along for the ride.
Like the rest of you, I’m super pumped up about John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. The movie is sure to deliver some wickedly badass action, and I can’t wait to watch Keanu Reeves obliterate everyone who tries to take him out. We all know he’s going to win in the end! The question is, will there be any assassins left in the world when he’s done?
We’ve got a cool new TV spot for the film to share with you today to keep that excitement that you have for the movie popping off in your brain.
John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run for two reasons… he’s being hunted for a global $14 million dollar open contract on his life, and for breaking a central rule: taking a life on Continental Hotel grounds. The victim was a member of the High Table who ordered the open contract. John should have already been executed, except the Continental’s manager, Winston, has given him a one-hour grace period before he’s “Excommunicado” – membership revoked, banned from all services and cut off from other members. John uses the service industry to stay alive as he fights and kills his way out of New York City.
Chad Stahelski directed the film, and Reeves will be joined by Halle Berry as Sofia, who will be helping John; Asia Kate Dillon, whowill be playing The Adjudicator of the High Table; Mark Dacascos, who will take on the role of an assassin named Zero; Jason Mantzoukas, who will be playing the Tick Tock Man; and Anjelica Huston, who is playing a mysterious new character named Roma Ruska, someone who was responsible for [Wick’s] upbringing and his protection.
John Wick: Chapter 3 is currently set to hit theaters on May 17th, 2019.
In the previous episode of The CW’s Charmed, Alistair obtained the Origin Dagger, and Tessa died. In Charmed Season 1 Episode 20, Elder Silver told the sisters that someone has been killing Elders.
Flashing Demon-Style
With Elder Silver’s news, the sisters told her that they believed the Flame and the Source were the same. That would mean that Fiona, the Keeper of the Flame, was also the Steward of the Source.
Harry and Macy were trying to find Fiona and strip her immortality. However, the immortality spell required a self-inflicted wound. Macy found a spell in Galvin’s grandmother’s things similar to voodoo that would turn her into a voodoo doll. Fiona fought back, and Macy used her demonic side to overpower her. Despite successfully removing Fiona’s immortality, Harry was concerned and went to Mel and Maggie.
When Mel and Maggie confronted Macy, she lost control and hurt Mel. When Mel showed fear, Macy broke Elder Bari’s needle. Together, they found a secret door that opened by them each turning the same book downwards. The room was a Power of Three room that Marisol had built for them. Maggie received a staff that channeled her emotions. Mel received a cuff that sped her up or slowed her down. The Marisol projection told Macy the necklace her father gave her as a child would bring her out of her dark side.
Cinco de Mayo
Lucy showed up at the house and took a page from the Book of Shadows. Maggie noticed it right away. She and Mel saw that Lucy had been video chatting with someone on her phone often, and they realized Alistair was mesmerizing her through her phone to do his bidding. They used her to lure Fiona, who they believed was killing the Elders, into a trap.
It was Hunter in disguise that was killing Elders. The trap backfired since he was able to kill the rest of the Elders except for Elder Silver. Harry was able to bring her back to the Charmed house. Hunter crashed Lucy’s Cinco de Mayo party and threatened her life. Elder Silver offered to be bait.
At the party, the sisters were able to overpower Hunter. However, he was able to kill Elder Silver. However, Charity was actually the last Elder left, and Fiona came to take care of her. As the bar staff cleaned up after the party, they started bleeding out of their noses and eyes and collapsed.
History Rewritten
Niko visited Mel to give her back the protection ring. Greta was jealous and asking questions. Niko admitted that though she was getting married, she couldn’t stop thinking about Mel. They kissed, but Maggie walked in. After she left, Maggie told Mel that she needed to tell Niko that she rewrote their history. Eventually, Mel did tell Niko, who was upset that Mel made the decision for her. At the end of the episode, she too started bleeding and collapsed to the floor.
What did you think of this episode of Charmed? Let us know in the comment section below!
