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Tag: TV News

  • HBO Max Renews ‘Our Flag Means Death’ for Season 2

    HBO Max Renews ‘Our Flag Means Death’ for Season 2

    The streaming service renewed the critically acclaimed comedy hailing from creator/showrunner David Jenkins, executive producer, and star Taika Waititi and executive producer Garrett Basch. Our Flag Means Death, which premiered in March, is loosely based on the adventures of the 18th century would-be pirate Stede Bonnet who is played by Rhys Darby in the series.

    Our Flag Means Death follows Bonnet as he tries to serve as the captain of the pirate ship Revenger, where he struggles to earn the respect of his crew. After a fateful run-in with Captain Blackbeard, as played by Waititi, Bonnet and Blackbeard end up falling in love and finding themselves trying to survive.

    In a statement released to the press, HBO Max Head of Original Content Sarah Aubrey expressed excitement over renewing the comedy. “We are so happy to bring this truly one-of-a-kind series back! We congratulate David, Taika, Rhys and the entire talented cast and crew, and thank the show’s fans for embracing it wholeheartedly.”

    Jenkins added on to Aubrey’s comments, explaining that they felt they had something special while they were making the first season. “We felt the show was special while we were making it, but fans’ open-armed embrace of the inhabitants of the Revenge makes heading into a second season all the more sweet.”

    As of this writing, Season 2 of Our Flag Means Death does not yet have a release date.

    Source: Deadline

  • First Look at CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’ in New Promo

    First Look at CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’ in New Promo

    It seemingly took CW little time to get the adaptation of Gotham Knights on the road. Not only did it start production quite swiftly but it even got a production order. Coinciding with the upcoming release of the game with the same name, expectations were high. Yet, we were quite surprised when Oscar Morgan was cast as Turner Hayes, the series equivalent to Dick Grayson. While we got a promo shot, it seems that an actual teaser trailer for the pilot episode has found its way online through SpoilerTV.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-gUHOpRUqc

    It’s quite strange that they’d release a 3-minute trailer that seemingly was meant to go online on Twitter given its format. The story seemingly will just instantly reveal that Bruce Wayne is Batman, as not-Dick Grayson tries to find out who was the one that killed his father. After getting arrested alongside other suspects, he is seemingly going to join forces with them to uncover who exactly did it. We get some small hints at these characters’ history, such as Carrie Kelly being called “little Robin” and Duela’s origin as the daughter of the Joker.

    The trailer seems like the most CW one of the DC series have ever looked. If it weren’t for the mention of Batman and a brief glimpse at the Batcave later on, it wouldn’t really feel like this is part of a DC-inspired world. We’ll see if perhaps they are holding back for the final episode to reveal these characters’ more heroic (or even villainous) natures to build up the seasonal arc.

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 is Netflix’s Biggest Premiere for an English Language Show

    ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 is Netflix’s Biggest Premiere for an English Language Show

    It looks like Netflix’s latest release of Stranger Things has been a massive success, as they have just reported on their official Twitter page that the series has become their biggest premiere weekend ever for an English language TV show on the service. It was now reached 286.79 million hours viewed worldwide and has been in the top spot in 83 countries, which is another premiere weekend for the streaming service.

    It certainly is one of Netflix’s strongest series and has been one of their most iconic since the introduction of the Netflix Marvel shows, as it came from that same era. Sadly, the show will be ending with its upcoming fifth season and it’ll be interesting to see if they’ll find an English show that can fill the void it’ll leave behind.

    They have some high-quality productions on the horizon, such as a live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender and One Piece, which are big enough IPs to potentially take the top spot. So, we’ll see if they potentially will explore some spinoffs from Stranger Things as well once the main cast leaves the show behind to further venture into the Upside-Down.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Adds Griffin Matthews In Recurring Role

    ‘She-Hulk’ Adds Griffin Matthews In Recurring Role

    Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel will soon debut the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s newest hero, but plenty of eyes are still on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law which will premiere later this summer. The 9-episode event is set to focus on Tatiana Maslany’s Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk, a lawyer who specializes in superhuman law. The series will include several notable actors such as Mark Ruffalo, Charlie Cox, Tim Roth, and Jameela Jamil. Entertainment Tonight just confirmed another addition to the cast. Actor Griffin Matthews, known for his role in the Emmy-winning The Flight Attendant will reportedly join She-Hulk in a recurring role. The actor revealed his excitement to join the series:

    Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would join the Marvel Universe! This was never a genre that I thought an actor like me (in my package) could fit into…The most exciting part of joining the MCU was being told by our director and writers: ‘Do not try to fit. Just be you.’ And that gave me the freedom to run wild…

    Griffin Matthews

    Matthews will star opposite Maslany, though his exact role has not been revealed. There are numerous options, but the fact that he will be a recurring character may mean his character is fairly significant. He could play one of the other lawyers or workers at Jen’s law firm, or he could even be someone she meets on the dating app we see in the trailer who sticks around some.

    Matthews’ role will be confirmed when She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on Disney+ on August 17, 2022.

    Source: Entertainment Tonight

  • Disney’s For Your Consideration Page Updates ‘Hawkeye’ from Limited to Comedy Series

    Disney’s For Your Consideration Page Updates ‘Hawkeye’ from Limited to Comedy Series

    Here’s a curious surprise, it looks like the For Your Consideration page has updated Hawkeye‘s nominations from a “limited series or anthology series” similar to Moon Knight to a “comedy series.” Commonly these award nominations are a good sign of what direction they are taking these projects such as WandaVision being nominated as a limited series back in the day as well.

    So far, the only one that has gotten a second season renewal was Loki, but it surprised many that it was the only one to do so with its post-credit sequence. The change for Hawkeye could add some weight to it potentially getting a second season later down the line.

    Now, keep in mind this isn’t a definite confirmation that multiple seasons are being worked on, as it could simply be that they are keeping the option open. Though the timing with Disney+ Day now announced for September ahead of D23 could add to the speculation of this potentially being set up for that announcement. If they decided to continue a series after the next award season, it could still nab that limited series award before being renewed.

    Of course, we don’t know what exactly Marvel Studios’ strategy has been with these Disney+ series and we have no insight into how well they perform to warrant future entries. As of now, it’s just speculation but it looks like we’ll find out more by the time September rolls around. But we’ll be keeping an eye out for what else might change.

    Source: Disney Studio Awards

  • ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ is Disney+’s Most-Watched Premiere

    ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ is Disney+’s Most-Watched Premiere

    It looks like Obi-Wan Kenobi has taken a new record for Disney+, as the official Star Wars account has announced that the newest series has become the most-watched Disney+ Original series premiere globally. They are going by the number of hours that were streamed throughout its opening weekend. That is no small feat if you consider that the event also included the Star Wars Celebration event, where many fans got the chance to watch the episodes early.

    We not only got one but two episodes for its premiere on a Friday. As the buzz was going great for the celebrations and the renewed love for the Prequel trilogy, it seemed like the perfect series to grab people’s attention. The return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen is definitely something many don’t want to miss out on. Sadly, they didn’t release any numbers or offered insight into how it compared to the other premiers.

    https://twitter.com/starwars/status/1531670686900490240

    It’s a great sign for Disney+ that their strategy has been working so far, but it would be great to get some insight into how these series are performing overall. We know very little about what Disney values and tries to achieve with these series, as it seems their baseline viewership calculation is through hours streamed. Yet, we don’t know who was the actual titleholder previously with reports hinting at either Loki or The Mandalorian. We can sadly only speculate and remain dependent on third parties to offer an insight into how these projects are developing.

    Source: Twitter

  • Karl Urban Plays Coy on Potential Return in ‘Judge Dredd’ TV Series

    Karl Urban Plays Coy on Potential Return in ‘Judge Dredd’ TV Series

    It feels like half an eternity since we last heard about the upcoming Judge Dredd: Mega City One series. Rebellion Developments was working on the third attempt to create a franchise around the iconic character, who first was played by Sylvester Stallone in 1995’s Judge Dredd before Karl Urban played him in 2012. Sadly, the latter didn’t make enough to build a franchise, but his portrayal made him a cult favorite to play the role.

    There were theories that he may return to the role in the new Mega City One series, but they never gave a confirmation. Now, in a new interview with The Guardian, the actor plays a little coy on if he may actually be returning for the project while promoting the next season of The Boys.

    Regardless of whether or not I’m involved with it, I think it’s such a wonderful property. John Wagner and his entire staff of writers and illustrators have created so many wonderful stories that I, personally, as a fan of Dredd, would love to see. I can’t wait to see what they do with it.

    Karl Urban

    Urban certainly left an imprint with his performance as Dredd, and if he does end up returning, they may use this chance to promote the series as a revival and continuation of the 2012 classic. Perhaps they could even have Olivia Thirlby return as Judge Anderson. For now, it’s only speculation but we’ll have to wait for a general update on where the series currently is in development.

    Source: The Guardian

  • Vecna’s Actor Talks Turning into ‘Stranger Things’ Latest Villain

    Vecna’s Actor Talks Turning into ‘Stranger Things’ Latest Villain

    If you haven’t yet had a chance to watch the final episode of the first part of Stranger Things Season 4, only continue at your own risk.

    The end of Stranger Things’ latest season, which is only the first part of two, gave us the reveal of the real identity behind the overarching big bad, Vecna. In a creative twin flashback sequence, we meet One, the originator of the experiments that led to the creation of Eleven. Jamie Campbell Bower‘s character explains his history as not only the one that started the program but also as Henry Creel, the son of the man that was convicted for the murder of his children long ago. Two-story arcs came together to give us the reveal of how exactly he became this creature of the Upside-Down.

    In an interview, the actor talked about how he created a “mind map” on how he would bring this mysterious character together. He was given “two sides” when he auditioned after being approached from the show them being from 1996’s Primal Fear and Hellraiser.

    Christopher Lee was on there as Dracula. I had Pinhead, obviously, on there. I had Freddy Krueger on there. I had the more recent version of Dracula. I had some characters from, god, some of the wild ’80s vampire movies. Voldemort was on there as well. And a lot of fire.

    Jamie Campbell Bower

    He goes on to highlight how he knew nothing about the character for about a month before the Duffer Brothers revealed that he was Stranger Things‘ latest villain.

    I knew very, very little, but somehow managed to piece enough together to be able to formulate the reality of who this person was. So call it fate, luck, intelligence, stupidity – god knows how it happened, but it happened.

    Jamie Campbell Bower

    He also talked about how he got into the suit at 3 AM and started work at 10 AM for up to twelve hours. It would take him another hour to get out of the suit, but he did say it forced him to push his performance as after some time it wasn’t easy.

    On a more practical level, rather than an emotional level, I found that I had to give more. The suit moves with the face quite well, but it’s not as pliable. You’ve got a few centimeters or a centimeter or two between your actual skin and what’s able to be seen, so the idea of the eyebrows particularly, you have to make sure that I was really sort of giving it in the facial expression and not what I would maybe give facially if I was just not in a suit. But I think what was great was that underneath it all is the intention of this real hatred and this real resentment, and that was coming through.

    Jamie Campbell Bower

    The suit was definitely worth the time as its Freddy Krueger-esque design added a whole new level to the danger that he represented. The Duffer Brothers took the practical route to have actors react to it and it seems that he even ended up terrifying Grace Van Dien, who played Chrissie. Millie Bobby Brown even cried when she saw it. So, it sounds like they definitely got the effect they wanted.

    Source: IGN

  • SWCA: ‘Solo’ Spinoff ‘Lando’ Still in Development at Lucasfilm

    SWCA: ‘Solo’ Spinoff ‘Lando’ Still in Development at Lucasfilm

    When Lucasfilm announced the future of Star Wars at an Investor’s Day event in late 2020, it included an exciting new Disney+ series that has yet to come to fruition. Lando is a show focused on everyone’s favorite scoundrel and it was revealed to be in the works by the creator of Dear White People, Justin Simien. The series was set to bring back Donald Glover in the titular role, which he took over from the iconic Billy Dee Williams in 2018’s cult-favorite film Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, since that initial reveal, almost nothing has been revealed about the project, causing many fans to fear it’s been put on indefinite hold.

    During Star Wars Celebration over the weekend, CinemaBlend was able to speak with Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy and get an update on the long-awaited series. After being asked about Lando, she explained that Glover‘s busy schedule is the main culprit in the show’s extended production process:

    You need to ask Donald. He’s the one that holds all the cards here. But there’s no movement. I will say that honestly. But it’s not for lack of trying. It’s just that he’s a very busy guy… He’s got another series, and I think one other thing, and then he’ll come our way. So patiently waiting.

    Kathleen Kennedy

    While it’s great to hear the project hasn’t been outright canceled, it is a little disappointing to know it’s still so far off from being a reality. Glover is currently finishing up the final season of his hit FX series Atlanta, and will then jump into work on Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith reboot. Over a year ago, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the former Community star gave more or less the same update as Kennedy when asked about his future with Star Wars:

    No, yeah, I have a lot of things. I like to blossom and then go away. Right now is the start of another one of those. I have like a ton of stuff I’ve been working on, but I just want it all to come out at the same time, so I feel like that’s what’s important.

    Donald Glover

    There are currently no plot details on Lando and no release window. It’s also unknown whether or not Billy Dee Williams will reprise his role as an older Lando Calrissian, or when the show takes place in the Star Wars timeline.

    Source: CinemaBlend, Jimmy Kimmel Live!

  • McKinley Belcher Arrives on Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Set

    McKinley Belcher Arrives on Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Set

    The live-action One Piece series’ production has been going strong. While we did get a surprising amount of set photos leaked, which is mostly due to just how massive the production is with actual ships being used for the various pirates, we still know very little about the crew and their looks. With only a few more days to go for a first tease during Geeked Week, it seems that McKinley Belcher, who has been cast as Arlong, has officially joined the production.

    The actor took to his Instagram account to share a set photo of his chair with his name on it. Sadly, he also isn’t giving us a glimpse at his make-up as the iconic villain from the East Blue, but it’s fun to see the tradition of the chair shot return. It was used by the cast early on when everyone started finding their way to production.

    With him officially joining production it means that they are likely filming the iconic Arlong Park currently. Perhaps we get some photos from the cast sharing a look at them hanging out together, which was something we saw early on. We are quite excited to see how they translate the Fishmen to live-action and how close they may stick to his original design. With a budget that could rival a Marvel film, there’s a lot of potentials for this series to establish itself as the platform’s next major release. Perhaps Geeked Week may give us a first look at his design alongside with the Straw Hats in their costume.

    Source: Instagram