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Tag: TV News

  • Arian Moayed Describes ‘Ms. Marvel’ Co-Star Iman Vellani as “a Phenom” 

    Arian Moayed Describes ‘Ms. Marvel’ Co-Star Iman Vellani as “a Phenom” 

    Arian Moayed only just joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in December’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, and he’s already gearing up to return. The Iranian-born actor is set to make his second appearance as Department of Damage Control Agent Cleary in the upcoming series Ms. Marvel, which debuts on Disney+ next week. Moayed will co-star with an immensely talented cast, which includes newcomer Iman Vellani in the title role as teen hero Kamala Khan.

    Speaking with Variety on the red carpet premiere of the show, the Succession star was asked what he thought of Vellani’s performance, which has received praise from critics in early reviews. Moayed seemed to agree, calling the young actress a “phenom”:

    She’s a phenom, and I’m not joking. She’s an immigrant, from Pakistan, grew up in Canada. There’s an immigrant quality there so she’s working hard, you can already know that…She really just has all of the natural skills. I think we’re going to be very excited to see her in a lot of things moving forward.

    Arian Moayed

    The actor also commented on what it means to him, as an immigrant himself, to see Vellani get the spotlight as a role model for young children. Moayed hopes that the series will help change how the world perceives the Muslim community:

    I’m an Iranian immigrant. I grew up, the best that we had was ‘Aladdin’, which was also amazing. But now to imagine, so many years later, there is a Muslim show with a superhero. It’s just going to change how people perceive us.

    Arian Moayed

    Ms. Marvel hits the small screen on June 8th.

  • Colton Haynes Reveals Why He Left ‘Arrow’ Ahead of Season 8

    Colton Haynes Reveals Why He Left ‘Arrow’ Ahead of Season 8

    With the release of his new memoir, Colton Haynes is finally opening up as to what led him to exit Arrow ahead of Season 8.

    His memoir, Miss Memory Lane, was released on May 31st. The 256-page book from Atria Books takes fans down memory lane as Haynes recalls his struggles with addiction, abuse, and his time on Teen Wolf and the CW’s Arrow. The actor, who is set to appear in the Paramount+ Teen Wolf revival movie, left MTV’s Teen Wolf series in 2012 after appearing for two seasons. The decision to leave was financially-based as the network refused to pay the actor what his fellow stars were being paid. Ironically enough, this is an issue Arden Cho experienced too when she received a lowball offer to return for the Paramount+ Teen Wolf movie.

    Unfortunately, Haynes had an even more frustrating experience when he was a part of the cast of the CW’s Arrow. The actor starred in the series for seven seasons before transitioning to a recurring role ahead of Season 8. For Haynes, the decision to exit Arrow after Season 7 was due to personal reasons. He wasn’t in the best state mentally, nor did he have a great relationship with his co-stars, or at least one in particular.

    In his memoir he writes, “I had walked away from my full-time job on Arrow at the beginning of the year, supposedly because my contract had ended, but it was really because I was too depressed and I couldn’t stand working with one of my cast mates.”

    Arrow ended after Season 8 and since then, Haynes hasn’t really appeared in much outside of an episode of Hulu’s Dollface, as well as a music video for Lil Nas X. He can next be seen in Teen Wolf: The Movie, where he’ll reprise his role as Jackson Whittemore. Production recently wrapped and the movie is set to debut sometime this year.

    Source: E! Online.

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Beats Out ‘Hawkeye’s Overall Viewership on Disney+

    ‘Moon Knight’ Beats Out ‘Hawkeye’s Overall Viewership on Disney+

    There have been some curious statements in the past in regards to Moon Knight‘s overall viewership on Disney+. As SambaTV has not released the numbers for the final episode, many took this as a showcase that the show didn’t quite end on a high note. Yet, Nielsen ratings have revealed that Moon Knight managed to pull in its best viewing in its finale, which is a showcase of how different streaming services develop in comparison to traditional TV.

    The six-episode series took in 715 million minutes from May 2nd to 8th which was the week of its finale. It grew from 681 million in its previous week, and the only small dip it faced was in its fourth week, otherwise, the show has continued to grow in viewership over its six-episode run. Normally, linear TV sees a recurring decrease in viewership over its total run, which may be due to long season formats and ongoing breaks in-between.

    In total, the series pulled in 3.7 billion minutes watched, which puts it between Hawkeye (3.46B) and The Falcon and Winter Soldier (4.15B). The show managed to take in the third spot and beat out competition like Prime Video’s new Outer Range, Bullsh*t: The Game Show, and more. Netflix’s Ozark however was the champion that week. Outer Range took in the fourth spot but was a fair bit behind with 425M viewers, but not a bad performance.

    Moon Knight‘s numbers aren’t something to just scoff at given that the character is the first newly introduced member of the MCU family with little to no connections to the rest. So, it beating out Hawkeye, which already posted some strong numbers is no small feat. The Mandalorian and Loki remain the strongest performers on the app, but we also don’t know if there are other success factors that haven’t been taken into account yet. Still, it seems Marvel Studios is still quite successful with what they produced so far.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Twisted Metal’ Series Adds Richard Cabral and Samoa Joe

    ‘Twisted Metal’ Series Adds Richard Cabral and Samoa Joe

    As the series based on the PlayStation video game franchise Twisted Metal continues its development for the Peacock streaming service, new castings have been revealed that help to round out the cast. Firstly, it was announced that the Emmy-nominated Richard Cabral will be portraying the role of Loud. The character is the overprotective brother of Quiet, who will be portrayed by Stephanie Beatriz. This will be Cabral’s first role since exiting FX’s Mayans M.C. earlier this month.

    It was also announced that Joe Seanoa, aka the professional wrestler Samoa Joe, will be portraying the physical form of Sweet Tooth. This will be a dual-portrayal of the character with Will Arnett slated to provide voice-over work for the role. Sweet Tooth is arguably the most popular and recognizable character from the Twisted Metal video games, known for being a prolific killer from his ice cream truck. Joe was officially written off of his current wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling on the latest episode of Dynamite with a shoulder injury angle this past Wednesday, which will provide him the time to physically inhabit the role of Sweet Tooth.

    In addition, actors Mike Mitchell, Tahj Vaghans, and Lou Beatty Jr have been cast as recurring characters in the upcoming series. Mitchell and Vaughans will be playing Stu and Mike respectively, who have been described as the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of the Twisted Metal universe. Meanwhile, Beatty Jr will play the experienced cartographer Tommy.

    These names join the already star-studded cast consisting of Anthony Mackie as John Doe, Thomas Haden Church as Agent Stone, and Neve Campbell as Raven. Production for the series began in late May and is set to complete by early September.

    Source: Deadline and Deadline

  • REPORT: ‘The Bad Batch’ Season 2 Release Date Revealed

    REPORT: ‘The Bad Batch’ Season 2 Release Date Revealed

    The first look at Season 2 of the Star Wars animated series The Bad Batch came through a trailer released at Star Wars Celebration and while it came with a Fall 2022 placeholder, no firm release date was given. One Take News has come across a date and it looks like it’s coming a little sooner than most expected.

    According to the report, the next round of adventures for Clone Force 99 will kick off on September 28th. It seems that a listing on Disney+ has included a banner with a release date.

    The new season looks to take place after a bit of a time jump from the end of Season 1, as Omega has aged up a bit and the gang is sporting new grey and orange armor. The trailer also revealed that Gungi, a fan-favorite Wookie Jedi from The Clone Wars animated series, will be part of Season 2, leading to some pretty fun theories about what might go down.

    A September release for The Bad Batch means that Lucasfilm will have two Star Wars properties streaming simultaneously, with the 12-episode first season of Andor scheduled for a two-episode debut on August 31st. In addition, Marvel Studios will also be streaming She-Hulk during the same window, giving fans plenty of content to consume.

    Source: One Take News

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Director Teases Arthur Harrow’s True Fate

    ‘Moon Knight’ Director Teases Arthur Harrow’s True Fate

    Moon Knight ended on a high note as Oscar Isaac‘s Marc Spector and Steven Grant finally found some inner peace, leaving their superhero-ing behind them. Yet, the Egyptian God Khonshu had other plans with a third alter, Jake Lockley, still being in his control and seemingly made his arrival known by shooting Ethan Hawke‘s villainous Arthur Harrow. At least, that is what we assumed going by the way the show ended but director Mohamed Diab may have hinted at there being more to this story.

    Twitter user @boda16_ was kind enough to offer a translation of a recent Facebook Q&A with Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab. In it, he was asked about how he was able to kill Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow even with Ammit inside him. The question made sense given that even Marc Spector seemingly returned from the dead with the help of his Egyptian god. Well, Diab’s response may awaken some theories on his true fate. His only response was:

    Are you sure he’s dead?

    Mohamed Diab

    It definitely would’ve been a shame to not further explore the character of Arthur Harrow, as we never truly got to fully explore his connection with Khonshu. He hinted that he used to be his Avatar, but we never actually fully explored what that meant and maybe how he looked like as his Moon Knight. Perhaps he had a completely different job, and seeing a more unhinged version through the lens of Harrow would be interesting to explore. For now, we can only speculate as there’s no renewal for the series.

    Source: Twitter

  • Iman Vellani Shares What it Was Like Auditioning for ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Iman Vellani Shares What it Was Like Auditioning for ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Iman Vellani is quite a comic book fan, and had a soft spot for the character of Ms. Marvel after her love for the Invincible Iron Man comic led to her noticing the Pakistani-American superhero. Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel #19 was her introduction into the world of this character and now is at a point in her life where she is bringing her to life on Disney+. As we’re only a few more days away from its release, the young actress got a chance to talk bout what it was like auditioning for the role.

    I knew exactly which comic books they pulled the scenes from [for the audition sides]. My 10-year-old self is going to hate me if I don’t do it.

    Iman Vellani

    She went on to talk about the moment she and her father ended up at the offices of Marvel Studios. There she stood in front of people she admired and was “nerding” out while trying to grab the role of a lifetime.

    I was fully nerding out in front of [co-president] Louis D’Esposito and [casting head] Sarah Finn. I wanted to take full advantage of being there because I didn’t know if it was going to happen again.

    Iman Vellani

    Vellani also shared that she froze on set when Kevin Feige came to visit, as he’s among the people she looks up to. So, it definitely sounds like getting the role and meeting her idols has been quite the cathartic moment. In a way, she represents everyone out there hoping for a chance to become part of the world of Marvel Studios, and maybe there’s a chance no matter how impossible it seems.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Virgina Kull, Jason Mantzoukas and More Join Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’

    Virgina Kull, Jason Mantzoukas and More Join Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’

    With production underway, the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians has added a slew of talent to its growing cast.

    Per Variety, Virginia Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Mantzoukas, Megan Mullally, and Timm Sharp have all joined the series in recurring roles. They join series lead Walker Scobell in the small screen adaptation of the beloved book series. Also starring alongside Scobell in the series are Aryan Simhadri and Leah Sava Jeffries.

    Kull, best known for Big Little Lies and Mr. Mercedes, will portray Sally Jackson – Percy’s loving, protective and selfless mother. She has been forced to raise her son knowing she’ll one day have to give him over to the world of the Olympian gods. While Turman, who has appeared in Fargo and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, will play Chiron, aka Mr. Brunner. The character disguises himself as Percy’s Latin teacher but is really the famed centaur Chiron who trains the heroes and provides Percy when guidance from time to time.

    Mantzoukas will play Dionysus, aka Mr. D, who is described as irritable and sarcastic. Mr. D runs Camp Half Blood, which serves as a camp for the demigods. Mantzoukas, of course, has an impressive resume full of comedy credits that include shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place. Mullally, who is perhaps best known for Will & Grace, joins the series as Alecto, aka Mrs. Dodds who is Percy’s strict, irascible math teacher. She also happens to be one of the three Furies and loyally serves the god of the underworld, Hades.

    As for Sharp, who has appeared in Enlightened and On the Verge, the actor will play Gabe Ugliano, who is Sally’s selfish and combative husband and Percy’s stepfather.

    Production on the live-action Percy Jackson series is said to be underway with book author Rick Riordan having written the pilot along with Jon Steinberg. Muppets Most Wanted director James Bobin is directing the series for Disney+. As of this writing, the series does not yet have a release date.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Twisted Metal’ Adds Will Arnett as the Voice of Sweet Tooth

    ‘Twisted Metal’ Adds Will Arnett as the Voice of Sweet Tooth

    Arnett, who serves as an executive producer on the series, has long been rumored to be a part of it for some time. It wasn’t until today, however, that the actor was announced to be voicing none other than the burly Sweet Tooth. The chaos-loving character is known for his iconic ever-smiling clown mask and doomsday ice cream truck that he drives around Lost Vegas.

    The actor joins a cast that includes the likes of Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church, and Neve Campbell. Mackie is set to star as John Doe, while Beatriz plays the character of Quiet. Church will play Agent Stone and Campbell, who is recurring in the series, will play Raven.

    Twisted Metal hails from Cobra Kai writer Michael Jonathan Smith and is based on the classic video game franchise of the same name. It has been developed as a half-hour, high-octane action-comedy series that is based on an original take from Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The series will focus on a motor-mouthed outsider, Mackie’s Doe, who is offered a chance at a better life with a bit of a caveat – he’ll need to deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland and survive.

    Twisted Metal will stream exclusively on Peacock upon its release.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Paramount+’s ‘Fatal Attraction’ Series Adds Amanda Peet

    Paramount+’s ‘Fatal Attraction’ Series Adds Amanda Peet

    The Paramount+ series will reimagine the 1980s psychosexual thriller that starred Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. The film told the tale of a married man’s one-night stand that ultimately came back to haunt him after the other party decided to stalk both him and his family. In the Paramount+ series, Joshua Jackson (The Affair) will play the married man who has an affair that’ll harm the life he’s built with his wife Beth Gallagher (Peet). Lizzy Caplan (Castle Rock) will play the role of the other woman, Alex Forrest.

    Fatal Attraction was written by Alexandra Cunningham (Dirty John) from a story she co-wrote with Kevin J. Hynes. The television series will hail from Paramount Television Studios and Amblin Television. It is said to explore the timeless themes of marriage and infidelity with a modern take on some of the harder-hitting themes displayed throughout. 

    Cunningham will serve as the showrunner for the series, and will executive produce alongside Hynes and Amblin Television presidents Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey.

    Peet recently appeared in the anthology series, Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story. She has also appeared in films such as The Whole Nine Yards and Something’s Gotta Give. She also recently served as the showrunner and creator on the Netflix series The Chair which starred Sandra Oh.

    Source: Deadline