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Tag: TV News

  • EXCLUSIVE: Dick Grayson, Harper Row and Spoiler Headline the Roster of CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’

    EXCLUSIVE: Dick Grayson, Harper Row and Spoiler Headline the Roster of CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’

    A decade after the premier of Arrow, the CW continues to expand its slate of live-action DC content. In the last decade, more than half a dozen series have made their way to the network and now production is close to beginning on the newest addition, Gotham Knights. The series just recently got a pilot order, meaning it’ll shoot its first episode before possibly being handed a series order. Since the initial report, fans have been in the dark on just who the series will follow with no details on its characters…until now.

    Thanks to a friendly source, we’ve been able to put together a pretty good picture of the show’s core characters, the Bat Family. The series is currently looking to cast several series regulars ahead of an April start of production in Toronto.

    Most notably, Gotham Knights is looking for an actor, 18 or older, to fill the role of a series regular that fits the bill of Dick Grayson, the first Robin and adopted son of Bruce Wayne.
    Described as “athletic” and “sensitive”, the character remains resilient despite being vulnerable following the murder of his parents and subsequent adoption by Wayne.

    Interestingly enough, it looks like Grayson won’t be the only former Robin on the show. It seems as though Grayson will be joined by Stephanie Brown, aka Spoiler, a genius-level hacker whose father, a DC villain called Cluemaster, raised her on a “steady diet of brain teasers and puzzles.” Gothman Knight is searching for an 18-year old actress to portray the “sarcastic and smart” character.

    We can also deduce that Harper Row, aka Bluebird, is set to join Grayson on the team. The studio is searching for a female to play a “blue-haired bisexual” character who has taken to the streets to escape her abusive home life. Her brother, Cullen, also looks to be joining the series with the studio searching for a transgender actor who identifies as male for the role.

    Gotham Knights will also feature “a quick-witted British attache” who sounds like she could be Julia Pennyworth, daughter of Alfred Pennyworth. In the comics, Julia came into the picture after her father was disabled following an attack from Hush. Following in her father’s footsteps, she helped the Bat Family coordinate their efforts.

    Probably the most startling character headed for Gotham Knights is one described as the daughter of “the most dangerous man in Gotham.” First thoughts are that the series is going to introduce “Joker’s daugher”, Duela Dent, who claimed to be the daughter of the Joker and also claimed to be the daughter of about every villain in Gotham.

    The CW is also searching for a handful of other series regulars, including one that could be Lucius Fox’s daughter, Tiffany, to join the team in addition to the already exciting number of characters listed here, many of whom will be making their live-action debut. There’s also room for plenty of guest stars and supporting members of the cast. Hopefully, with the scheduled start of production right around the corner, casting will start to trickle out soon.

  • Live-Action ‘Blade Runner’ Series Adds Writer ‘Shining Girls’ Silka Luisa

    Live-Action ‘Blade Runner’ Series Adds Writer ‘Shining Girls’ Silka Luisa

    There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for iconic franchises making their return, as Ridley Scott is currently developing a live-action sequel series to the popular Blade Runner series. It will be titled Blade Runner 2099 and is a direct sequel to Denis Villeneuve‘s Blade Runner 2049. Silka Luisa, who is currently showrunning Starz’s Shining Girls series will write and executive produce the project. Scott Free Productions is working on the project in association with Alcon Entertainment and Amazon Studios. We first heard of the project back in November from Scott, who teased that they were writing the pilot and bible for the series at the time.

    It’s not the first series adaptation that takes place within this universe, but it is the first to do so in live-action. Blade Runner: Black Lotus was an anime adaptation that was released last year on Adult Swim and Crunchyroll. It was set in 2032 and featured a female replicant voiced by Iron Fist’s Jessica Henwick. Alcon has been busy expanding the iconic franchise after purchasing the rights to it back in 2011.

    While Villeneuve‘s film starring Ryan Gosling didn’t leave a big dent in the box office, it went on to become a cult classic among fans and critics. It’s also the second TV adaptation of a popular Ridley Scott project, as his Alien franchise is also currently getting the long-form storytelling format. So, the famous director is going to be quite busy moving forward.

    Source: Deadline

  • Peacock Reviving ‘Megamind’ and ‘Abominable’ With New Sequel Series

    Peacock Reviving ‘Megamind’ and ‘Abominable’ With New Sequel Series

    We live in an era where cult-classic franchises are getting a second chance, as Peacock is trying its best to remain competitive with the ever-growing streaming market. As such, they’ve decided to release sequel series for two animated classics, Abomination and Megamind. The latter might be the bigger name project that will be revived with the titled Megamind’s Guide To Defending Your City with DreamWorks animation attached.

    In 2010, the film introduced us to the supervillain that managed to do what no one else could: defeat their arch-rival. Yet, he learns to break away from his villainous ways and embrace a new heroic future. In this new series, his brain bots will be following him around to make him the first superhero influencer of his world. Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons are on as executive producers, as they wrote the original film. There is no mention if Will Ferrell will return to voice the character.

    Amobinable and the Invisible City returns to the story of Everest the yeti, Jin, Peng, and Yi as they find themselves in a new magical world. We’ll once again set off on a heartfelt adventure as they learn about the magic that surrounds them. The original was a charming little project and It’s always great to see them revisit popular films or series to further explore their world. It’ll be interesting to see if the animation can keep up with the originals, as animated TV continuations tend to cheapen on some aspects, and sadly animation is the first to take a hit.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Daredevil’s Charlie Cox Knows “A Little Bit” About His And Vincent D’Onofrio’s MCU Future

    ‘Daredevil’s Charlie Cox Knows “A Little Bit” About His And Vincent D’Onofrio’s MCU Future

    It’s a renaissance for fans of the Netflix Daredevil series, as Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio finally made their return. Even better, they started interacting with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe as they appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye. Of course, the first thing everyone had on their mind is when they might finally interact again, as you can’t just reintroduce both without their ongoing conflict making a grand return. Luckily, Charlie Cox has teased that he may know a “little bit” about what the future has in store for them:

    Look, I don’t have any idea what anyone’s plans are at this stage, but I presume there’s more for us to do. I know a little bit — not a huge amount — but a little bit. I am imagining, I am hoping, that our worlds will collide again because the stuff we’ve done in the past was tremendous fun to do, and he’s such an incredible actor. We have to start every conversation with, ‘What do you know?’ because you have to be careful. It’s really exciting

    Charlie Cox

    He’s quite a tease, but there do seem to be big plans for the character in the MCU’s future. It’s not a surprise given just how popular Cox‘s run made the character, especially with the Daredevil series being one of the streaming service’s biggest jumping-off points to establish itself with strong storytelling. We still don’t know how they might tackle the continuation of their story, especially with how iconic the last confrontation is during the finale of the third season. So, we’ll see if their eventual reunion might clear up what exactly happened since.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Bob Chapek Hints That ‘She-Hulk’ Won’t Release Until After ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Bob Chapek Hints That ‘She-Hulk’ Won’t Release Until After ‘Ms. Marvel’

    There have been some interesting small mentions from Disney’s Earnings Call that give us a clearer hint on what we can expect from Marvel Studios’ planned 2022 Disney+ release schedule. Not only did we uncover when exactly we can expect their next cinematic release to hit the streaming service, but we also got a hint at when we can expect the other series. So far, Moon Knight’s March 30th release is the only one confirmed, but it looks like we have a clearer picture of the future.

    At one point during the call, he revealed that She-Hulk won’t release until after Ms. Marvel hit the streaming service. It further confirms the Marvel Japan schedule that leaked back in late January where we also saw She-Hulk as the last Disney+ release for the year. There was no mention of the animated project I Am Groot, but it seems very likely that this was the intended schedule, especially as it follows 2021’s schedule.

    Marvel Studios may be focusing on releasing three live-action shows a year with an animated shortly after the summer. So, we might expect I Am Groot around the same release window that What If…? had. Of course, it won’t be the exact same structure especially as She-Hulk isn’t a holiday-themed project. So, it may release in the early Fall rather than closer to the Holidays. Plus, there’s still the question if we might expect The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special this year, which makes sense given the release of the third film in 2023. Still, it’s great to have a clearer picture of what to expect moving forward.

    Source: ComicBook

  • Disney+’s ‘Beauty and The Beast’ Prequel Series On Indefinite Hold

    Disney+’s ‘Beauty and The Beast’ Prequel Series On Indefinite Hold

    These past few years have seen Disney go all-in on bringing some of their most classic stories to life in live-action. In 2017, they once again brought Beauty and The Beast to life, which had an all-star cast consisting of Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, and Josh Gad. The film was quite the hit, and audiences especially loved Evans and Gad as Gaston and Lefou. As such, a prequel series has been in development for the two and it has recently added multiple cast members. Sadly, it seems like they made some announcements a bit too soon.

    It is being reported that the Disney+ Beauty and The Beast Prequel series has been put on indefinite hold at the streamer. The project was met with multiple issues including scheduling issues with the cast as well production issues that saw its start date pushed back so that it may be able to film in better weather. It seems there have also been creative differences amongst the creatives on the project.

    The project received an eight-episode order back in June of 2021 and just recently cast Rita Ora, Fra Fee, and Jelani Alladin. With so many things not lining up, Disney opted to put the project on hold. Both Gad and Evans have a slew of projects in the pipeline that they’ll be working on that would clash with the production timeline. While the project is not dead it may be a while before it can pick itself up off the ground and get going.

    Source: THR

  • Zoro Has Been Found as Mackenyu Joins ‘One Piece’ Production

    Zoro Has Been Found as Mackenyu Joins ‘One Piece’ Production

    Ever since the cast arrived in South Africa to film Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece, there was an ongoing joke that Zoro actor Mackenyu was seemingly absent. The actor is mostly quiet on his Social Media, and it led to a funny running gag with the cast that he was just in character, as Zoro is famous for getting lost. Future Luffy actor Inaki Godoy even shared images of him going on the hunt to find the actor which led to a viral joke under the hashtag #FindingZoro. After a long bout of silence, it seems that Mackenyu has finally joined the production as he joins the rest with an image of his seat.

    In the comments, you can see the rest of the cast having their fun, such as Emily Rudd stating “oh so u found your way” to poke fun at his absence. She was the first of the core cast to share a photo from the set, as it started last week. Mackenyu only joining this week is curious as it opens up the question if they are starting production on his part in the Romance Dawn arc.

    There have been theories he’s been avoiding any photos due to having dyed his hair green to bring Zoro to life, but there was one image of him training the three-sword style. We’re still waiting for any announcements of the supporting cast, especially for big-name characters like Gol D. Roger, Shanks, or Mihawk that have small yet essential roles in the East Blue Arc. They might have not started work with them and their announcements might follow once they start work involving the characters.

    Source: Instagram

  • REPORT: Secret ‘Star Wars’ Eyeing a June Production Start

    REPORT: Secret ‘Star Wars’ Eyeing a June Production Start

    Lucasfilm has been quite busy preparing various projects to expand its Star Wars universe. It looks like we can add one more to the list, as Bespin Bulletin has shared the news on a secret project with the codename “Grammar Rodeo” that is seemingly preparing to start production sometime in June. They inquired with their sources if this is potentially one of the previously announced projects The Acolyte or Lando, but it doesn’t seem to be the case. Yet, there is a recent report that seems the most fitting.

    A week ago we learned about a potential series based in the High Republic era that will release on Disney+. Cinelinx’s Jordan Maison shared that the series was going to be the Star Wars equivalent to Netflix’s Stranger Things. Our own sources have hinted that this project is currently casting someone between the age of ten to twelve, which might be a hint that these projects are connected. We also heard that the production would end in December, which is the usual timeline for these productions.

    There’s a lot of potential to explore a storyline during the High Republic, but if they are taking a route similar to Stranger Things, we might join a group of young pre-teens as they uncover the mystery surrounding the Jedi of that timeline. There’s still a chance that this may end up being a mother project like the leaked Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, but there were hints that this might be a children’s animated series. So, if it starts production in June we might get an announcement sooner rather than later.

    Source: Bespin Bulletin

  • RUMOR: ‘Ahsoka’ Eyeing April Production Start

    RUMOR: ‘Ahsoka’ Eyeing April Production Start

    The Book of Boba Fett has just ended its run, and Diseny+ followed up with the release of the first poster teasing Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s upcoming series. Lucasfilm has been quite busy working on their various projects, as The Mandalorian‘s third season is also currently underway. It looks like there’s a good chance that they are also currently preparing to start production on Ahsoka, as Bespin Bulletin has shared that the series will start in April or at the latest early May under the production title Stormclaw.

    The timing would match with Mandalorian potentially ending its production by the end of March, which would give them some time to prep for the next entry. Rosario Dawson recently made her return as the character in Boba Fett‘s spinoff series and it’s uncertain if we can also expect her in the upcoming third season. So, we might not see her return as The Clone Wars character until 2023 when the series is expected to release. The series was originally rumored to enter production in the Winter of 2021, but the delay in Mando’s production could be a reason for it not starting until April.

    They have been building quite the cast with Hayden Christensen set to return as Anakin Skywalker – following up his return in Obi-Wan Kenobi – Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ivanna Sakhno in undisclosed roles. Not much is known about the series, but hopefully, it’ll learn from some of the criticisms that the first spinoff was met with and remained focused on throughout.

    Source: Bespin Bulletin

  • Disney+ Ended 2021 On a High Note With 130M Subscribers

    Disney+ Ended 2021 On a High Note With 130M Subscribers

    It looks like Disney+ ended their 2021 on a high note, as it was now revealed that they blasted past expectations and have hit 130M users by the end of the year. Within the fourth quarter which officially ended on January 1st, 2022, they have added 11.8M users which is far beyond the expected 7.3M forecast. Disney has reported overall revenue of $21.82B in the same period, which beat analysts consensus of around $18.36B.

    It’s a big victory for Disney, especially as it was reported in a prior quarter that they were far behind their predicted subscriber growth in the third quarter. It has grown by 37% in total from the 93.9M in the prior year. It’s natural that the growth would need some time.

    The biggest surprise is that they released their subscriber numbers by region with U.S. and Canada making up 18%. As expected, their Indian offering Disney+ Hotstar stood at the strongest with a 57% dominance with 45.9M. The streaming service had strong international growth and its fourth-quarter was pushed strongly by offerings like the Beatles documentary Get Back and Marvel Studios’ latest live-action series Hawkeye. The subscriber has pushed its content strongly through existing IPs and its growth has been supporting their strategy.

    Source: Variety