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Tag: TV News

  • Disney’s ‘Zorro’ Project Adds ‘Game of Thrones’ Vet as Showrunner

    Disney’s ‘Zorro’ Project Adds ‘Game of Thrones’ Vet as Showrunner

    Back in December of 2021, we learned that Disney has cast Wilmer Valderrama as its new Zorro. Disney TV was developing the project which was going to be a period piece set in Pueblo de Los Angeles with a telenovela style. After a long silence on the project, it seems it is moving forward after all, as it has added Game of Thrones‘ Bryan Cogman as its writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

    The series is described as a “bold reimagining of Disney’s classic series for a modern audience.” Cogman makes a great get for the series, as he’s worked for eight seasons on Game of Thrones, even ending the series’ run as a co-executive producer and having written eleven episodes. He also was involved with Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and wrote the screenplay for Disney’s live-action remake of The Sword in the Stone.

    It’ll be interesting to see if they are still focusing on a telenovela style now that they added Cogman as its showrunner. His experience is more with high-fantasy series which might make for a unique take on the Zorro character, but who knows how far they’ve already gotten working on the project since that initial casting announcement over a year ago. We’ll have to wait a bit to find out what Disney’s take on the iconic caped crusader might look like.

    Source: Deadline

  • Leaked Set Photos Show Colin Farrell’s Oz Back in Action in ‘The Penguin’

    Leaked Set Photos Show Colin Farrell’s Oz Back in Action in ‘The Penguin’

    As James Gunn and Peter Safran empty the cupboards of the old DC Universe, Matt Reeves‘ Gotham-verse remains alive and well under the newly formed DC Studios Elseworlds banner. That expanding universe includes The Batman-Part II, scheduled for a 2025 theatrical release, and multiple streaming projects in different stages of development. Among those, the Colin Farrell vehicle, The Penguin, was always known to be the furthest along and now it seems production has kicked off on the project.

    Via the Daily Mail, videos and pictures from the set of The Penguin have arrived and show Farrell once again unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepot.

    The events of The Penguin are reported to pick up right where The Batman left off and tell the story of how Farrell’s Oz rises to power in Gotham following the death of Carmine Falcone. Things won’t be easy for Oz, however as Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Maroni and her father, Gotham gangster Salvatore, played by Clancy Brown, will be standing in the way.

    Source: The Daily Mail

  • NBA’s Adam Silver On Shortlist to Replace Bob Iger as Disney’s Next CEO

    NBA’s Adam Silver On Shortlist to Replace Bob Iger as Disney’s Next CEO

    When Bob Iger returned as CEO of Disney, it was known that it wasn’t going to last. Ever since he took over from Bob Chapek, he was on the path to retiring within two years once again. Fox Business announced Disney is cultivating a shortlist of viable candidates to succeed Iger but hasn’t yet nailed the one to take over just yet.

    Potential options include Dana Walden, Disney’s entertainment co-chair; Kevin Mayer, CEO of TikTok and founder and CEO of Candle Media; Adam Silver, Commissioner of the National Basketball Association. The list allegedly has other possible internal contenders, including Alan Bergman, Walden‘s entertainment co-chair, Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Parks and Resorts, and Jimmy Pitaro, President of ESPN.

    Silver is an intriguing candidate who doesn’t quite share the same background as the other candidates but does have direct ties to ESPN, Disney’s flagship network, through his role as commissioner. He also has eight years of experience as president and COO of NBA Entertainment.

    One executive of a major sports franchise spoke anonymously but provided some insight:

    It’s an unusual choice since Disney is usually run by people who know the entertainment industry. But he certainly knows Disney and Iger, so it’s possible.

    Charlie Gasparino , Eleanor Terrett – Fox Business

    If selected, Silver has an uphill battle. The NBA generates $10 billion dollars in annual revenue compared to Disney’s $80 billion in 2022. However, running a professional sports league offers hands-on experience (such as management, dealing with various high-level stakeholders, and entertainment) that would lend itself well.

    Source: Fox Business

  • Clancy Brown Joins ‘The Penguin’ as Salvatore Maroni

    Clancy Brown Joins ‘The Penguin’ as Salvatore Maroni

    After being referenced in The Batman, Gotham mob boss Salvatore Maroni is set to appear in the HBO Max streaming series The Penguin and will be played by Clancy Brown. The eight-episode series will be set in the aftermath of the events of The Batman and is rumored to chronicle the rise of Colin Farrell‘s Oswald Cobblepot through the ranks of Gotham’s organized crime.

    Maroni’s appearance in the series could complicate things for Cobblepot. As explained in The Batman, Maroni ended up in prison after fellow gangster Carmine Falcone, played by John Turturro, ratted him out, which allowed Falcone to fill the void. With the death of Falcone in the last act of The Batman, Cobblepot looked poised to repeat the pattern and make moves through the organized crime scene in Gotham. However, with Salvatore Maroni and his daughter, Sofia, played by Cristin Milioti, in the mix, things won’t be easy for Oz.

    In comic book continuity, Salvatore Maroni was responsible for the disfigurement of Harvey Dent that led him down the road to becoming Two-Face. Though Dent isn’t known to be appearing in The Penguin, there have been rumors of him appearing in The Batman-Part II. If the events of The Penguin serve as a bridge between the two films, it’s possible Brown could reprise the role of Maroni in the sequel.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Star Trek Discovery’ to End in 2024 with Fifth and Final Season

    ‘Star Trek Discovery’ to End in 2024 with Fifth and Final Season

    Sadly, it seems that Star Trek Discovery is entering its fifth and also final season. It’s set for an early 2024 release and will sadly mark the end of Paramount+’s first true venture into a modern Star Trek series. Taking cues from the J.J. Abrams-kickstarted films and a dash of the franchise’s long history, we got a wonderful adventure that started back in 2017. Showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise had the following to say about wrapping up this adventure:

    As lifelong fans of Star Trek, it has been an immense honor and privilege to help bring Star Trek: Discovery to the world. The Trek universe means so much to so many – including us – and we couldn’t be prouder of everything Discovery has contributed to its legacy, particularly with representation. If just one person sees themselves, or the possibilities for their future, in a new way because of Discovery, then we think we’d have made Gene Roddenberry very proud.

    Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise

    The official statement has also been shared on Twitter with a new key visual for the final season:

    The story will continue the tale of the U.S.S. Discovery as they seek an ancient power that has been hidden for centuries, but they aren’t the only ones looking for it. Star Trek Discovery won’t be the end of the franchise, as it also was the jumping-off point for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds which explored the tales of the U.S.S. Enterprise under the command of Christopher Pike, played by Anson Mount. So, the franchise will continue but the one that kickstarted this new generation is sadly coming to an end.

    Source: Star Trek

  • Amazon’s ‘Medusa’ Adds ‘Watchmen’ Director and Marvel Studios Writer

    Amazon’s ‘Medusa’ Adds ‘Watchmen’ Director and Marvel Studios Writer

    Amazon Studios is working on its latest project that’ll offer a unique spin on Greek mythology. The story of Medusa is about the iconic Greek mythological character, who sets out on a quest to save the world after running into some trouble with the gods. Nikole Kassell of HBO’s Watchmen fame is set to direct, with Marvel Studios veteran Nicole Perlman reimagining the script.

    Details of the plot are not readily available, but reports say that Perlman will executive produce. Additionally, viewers will see Vinson Films’ Tripp Vinson and Tara Farney produce alongside Kassell. Kassell brings her experience from popular shows like The Leftovers, The Americans, and Westworld. She also has multiple accolades, including an Emmy nomination for outstanding direction for a limited series.

    Medusa is an interesting character to adopt, as she’s commonly portrayed as a villain throughout most Greek mythology and even reinterpretations. The first outline of this project does sound like a superhero take on a classic mythological creature. Given that heroes are the modern take on mythology, it’ll be fun to see how they bring this iconic statue-making character into the modern era.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • New Funko May Have Unveiled an MCU Original Hero Kahhori for ‘What If…?’ Season 2

    New Funko May Have Unveiled an MCU Original Hero Kahhori for ‘What If…?’ Season 2

    Marvel Studios has mainly focused on adapting existing characters from the choices; sometimes even twisting some familiar faces in new ways like the Scarlet Scarab in Moon Knight. Yet, a new Funko leak may have unveiled a brand new character that could be a Marvel Cinematic Universe exclusive character.

    Instagram user lasvegasfunkoholics has shared a Funko Soda that includes a character named Kahhori. Now, this character seemingly has no connection to an existing one in the comics and seemingly will appear in the upcoming second season of What If…?‘s second season given that another leaked Funko Soda includes Zombie Iron Man and the logo is included.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CpQJnIFp7Uy/

    There are also Soda Funko’s for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as they are seemingly rolling out quite a few MCU-centric Soda Funkos. There will be some confusion of who Kahhori is and if she might also have a role in live-action. There’s also the chance that she might appear in The Marvels or potentially one of the Disney+ shows set to release this year, Secret Invasion and Loki‘s second season.

    Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige has always been open to potentially introducing brand new characters original to the franchise. Agent Coulson may not have been a hero but Clark Gregg‘s iconic character went on to become a fan-favorite and was also even introduced into the comics even before he got his own spinoff series Agents of SHIELD. So, we’ll have to keep an eye out for where Kahhori might appear.

    Source: Instagram, The Direct

  • ‘Hellraiser’ Star Joins CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’

    ‘Hellraiser’ Star Joins CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’

    DC Studios has been busy reshuffling its future franchise to focus on projects that’ll crossover in multiple ways to establish one unified DC Cinematic Universe. Yet, there are still a few projects too far into development that is still going to see the light of day. We all expected The Flash and the Aquaman sequel to release in theaters, but many were surprised that Gotham Knights was given a series order after all on the CW.

    Even going by the first trailer, the project seemed like a far cry from what makes a Batman series what it is. Plus, CW was currently undergoing its own major management shift that’ll reshape the broadcaster’s future endeavors, as they seemingly move away from their usual release schedule. Still, Gotham Knights endured and it looks like we’ll see Hellraiser star Doug Bradley join the production in an iconic DC role.

    While he’s not one of the biggest of Batman’s Rogue’s gallery, Joe Chill definitely left the biggest impression given he was the one that killed Bruce Wayne’s parents. He’ll be featured in the upcoming sixth episode, as he is scheduled to be executed after sitting on death row for fifty years. Yet, it seems Gotham’s “Patron Saint of Bad Guys” won’t let his secret die with him. Series co-creators Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux, and Natalie Abrams had the following statement to share on his casting.

    When casting the iconic role of Joe Chill, arguably the man who created Batman, there was only one name we considered – Doug Bradley. We needed an actor with the kind of gravitas that would do justice to such a seminal character in DC Comics canon. And who better to embody the role of the classic Gotham fiend than the man whose legendary portrayal of another classic fiend – Pinhead in the Hellraiser franchise — continues to terrify generations of horror fans?

    Bradley definitely knows how to leave an impression with his performance, though it does seem like their take on Chill might be quite different from the man we’ve seen many times throughout cinematic Batman history. We’ve seen many variations of the character, one even ending up as Joker himself in Tim Burton‘s original Batman film. So, we’ll see what Gotham Knights has in store for us.

    Source: Variety

  • HBO Max’s ‘Dune’ Spinoff Falling Apart as Director and Star Exit

    HBO Max’s ‘Dune’ Spinoff Falling Apart as Director and Star Exit

    It’s not Dune yet but the upcoming spinoff Dune: The Sisterhood is facing quite some production troubles. It started production back in November but has gone through quite the creative shift that is definitely going to end up pricey for HBO Max. Chernobyl‘s Johan Reenck has seemingly left the project, as he was set to direct the first two episodes. Production has been put on hold but this also lead to one of its leads, Shirley Henderson, leaving the project as well.

    Henderson was set to play Tula Harkonnen, who is currently being recast. That isn’t all, as this news comes just as co-showrunner and pilot scribe Diane Ademu-John has also stepped down. Now, Alison Schapker is the sole showrunner for the project spearheaded by Legendary productions. An HBO Max spokesperson had the following to say:

    As Dune: The Sisterhood (wt) has entered a pre-scheduled hiatus, there are some creative changes being made to the production in an effort to create the best series possible and stay true to the source material. Johan Renck has completed his work on the series and a new director will be brought on; through mutual agreement, Johan is moving on to pursue other projects. Additionally, Shirley Henderson will be exiting the series and will no longer be playing Tula Harkonnen.

    It seems the showrunner change put a lot of pressure on Schapker, which led to major rewrites as the series was starting production in Budapest. It also seems the director Renck‘s more “auteur” approach wasn’t quite coming together with the vision of the series and was moving too far away from Denis Villeneuve‘s film. As of now, there’s no word if they’ll even use any of the footage he filmed or reshoot the entire thing.

    At the moment, there’s no clear indicator of if the current hiatus was planned or not. Some believe it was always meant to pause during the winter months while others hint it may have been pushed back by seven months to rework the entire series and find a new director. Henderson leaving is also unclear at the moment but it seems her schedule was one of the reasons that she had to leave.

    Source: Deadline

  • Leaked ‘One Piece’ Image May Offer New Glimpse at Mackenyu’s Zoro

    Leaked ‘One Piece’ Image May Offer New Glimpse at Mackenyu’s Zoro

    2023 started off strong for those looking forward to the new Netflix adaptation of One Piece. Not only did we get a first poster for the live-action series confirming a 2023 release, but a look at the entire Straw Hat crew swiftly followed it. Among them was our first look at what Mackenyu will look like as the iconic swordsman. With a rumored release date in August, news died down quite a bit on the series, at least until now.

    A new low-res image has found its way online via @OP_Netflix_Fan, which seemingly gives us our first tease of what Mackenyu’s Zoro looks like pulling off the three-sword style. While the image is exceptionally blurry, one can make out that it’s someone wearing a bandana with a sword in his mouth. While it’s not definite, there’s only one character that can pull off that kind of look.

    It’s unclear if this is an actual shot that’ll be used in the series or just something they were testing out. What is interesting is that he is seemingly holding one of the swords facing downwards, which is quite different from how he fights in the original anime. Though, it may be a way to give him more flexibility nd the action sequences will be quite a bit different in the live-action adaptation from his usual one-shots in the manga.

    Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a BTS image of the Three-Sword Style, as one of the earliest leaks ahead of production was an image of either Mackenyu or a stunt person practicing with this technique. There he’s holding the sword different, which may mean we’ll get quite a variety of fighting styles in the series. Here’s hoping our first official look isn’t too far away.

    Source: Twitter