‘Wicked’ tops SAG Awards nominations, many big-names are snubbed

“Wicked” topped nominations to the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards on Wednesday, landing a leading five nominations including best ensemble, and individual nods for Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey.

Out-of-control wildfires that swept across Los Angeles and Southern California on Tuesday night forced the Screen Actors Guild to cancel its plans to announce the nominations live Wednesday morning. The nominations were instead issued by press release by SAG, which last year began a multiyear deal with Netflix to stream the awards.

The smash hit musical “Wicked” saw its Oscar chances rise in nominations to the SAG Awards, one of the most predictive Academy Awards bellwethers. The movie’s big morning — it even scored a nod for stunt ensemble — came after a celebratory night, too. The film was honored by the National Board of Review Awards in New York on Tuesday.

The other nominees for best ensemble are: “Anora,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez” and “A Complete Unknown.”

It was an especially strong showing for the Bob Dylan drama “A Complete Unknown.” It came away with four nominations, including Timothée Chalamet for best male actor, and supporting nods for both Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro.

The best male lead nominees were largely as expected: Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”), Daniel Craig (“Queer”), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”), Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”) and Chalamet.

Coming off her rousing victory at the Golden Globes, Demi Moore was among the nominees for best female actor in a leading role for “The Substance.” She was joined by Erivo, “Emilia Pérez” breakout Karla Sofía Gascón, Mikey Madison of “Anora” and Pamela Anderson for “The Last Showgirl.”

That surprisingly left out some big names. Angelina Jolie (“Maria”) missed out, as did Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”). A few of the most acclaimed actresses of the year, Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Hard Truths”) and Globe-winner Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here”), also were overlooked.

“The Last Showgirl” had more to celebrate, too, with an unexpected nomination for Jamie Lee Curtis in supporting female actor. Her fellow nominees are: Barbaro, Grande, Danielle Deadwyler (“The Piano Lesson”) and Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Perez”).

Jeremy Strong was nominated for his supporting performance as Roy Cohn in the Donald Trump film “The Apprentice,” but his co-star, Sebastian Stan, went unnominated for both “The Apprentice” and “A Different Man.” The other nominees for best supporting male actor were: Bailey, Norton, Yura Borisov (“Anora”) and the category frontrunner, Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”).

A few widely forecast supporting performance were snubbed there, too, including Denzel Washington (“Gladiator II”) and Guy Pearce (“The Brutalist”).

The SAG Awards are arguably the most telling Oscar forecast there is. Their picks don’t always align exactly with those of the film academy, but they often come very close to mirroring them.

The last three best ensemble winners — “Oppenheimer,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “CODA” — all went on to win best picture at the Academy Awards. All but one of the SAG acting winners of the last three years has also won at the Oscars. The sole exception was Lily Gladstone, who won SAG’s award for female actor last year for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but the Oscar trophy went to Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) at the Oscars.

In all likelihood, the Oscar field will look a lot like the SAG nominees. While some overlooked performances might still land an Oscar nomination, any eventual Academy Award winner, including the best-picture recipient, is almost surely coming from those nominated Wednesday.

That’s bad news for Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” which triumphed at the Globes but missed out on a SAG ensemble nomination. Best picture contender “Sing Sing” also came away with a single SAG nod.

In nominations also announced Wednesday, the Directors Guild favored most of the same films. For outstanding directorial achievement, it nominated Sean Baker (“Anora”), Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Pérez”), Edward Berger (“Conclave”), James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown”) and Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”). That left out “Wicked” filmmaker Jon M. Chu, as well as “Dune: Part Two” director Denis Villeneuve. The guild also failed to nominate a female filmmaker such as “The Substance” director Coralie Fargeat.

Those nominations only further muddied the waters in a hard-to-predict best picture race. Rarely does a film win the Academy Awards’ top prize without a DGA nomination. The only exceptions in recent history are “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989) and “CODA” (2022). That means as well as “Wicked” did with the screen actors, it still can’t be called an Oscar favorite.

Coming of sweeps at the Emmys and the Golden Globes, FX’s “Shōgun” continued to run roughshod through the competition, landing a leading five nominations Wednesday, including best ensemble and individual nods for Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai and Tadanobu Asano.

Also faring well were “The Bear” (nominations for Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Liza Colón-Zayas), “Hacks” (Jean Smart) and “The Diplomat” (Keri Russell, Allison Janney).

The Screen Actors Guild Awards will be held Feb. 23 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The ceremony, to be hosted by Kristen Bell, will be streamed live on Netflix. In addition to the competitive awards, Jane Fonda will be presented with the guild’s Life Achievement Award.

‘American Primeval’ Review: Betty Gilpin Leads Netflix’s Relentlessly Brutal Peter Berg-Helmed Western Miniseries

‘The Pitt’ Review: Noah Wyle Scrubs in for Max’s Effective ‘ER’-Adjacent Medical Procedural

In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes famously described the life of man in an uncivilized state as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”

In Netflix’s American Primeval, a new six-episode miniseries about life on the Western edge of civilization circa 1857, an Army captain played by Lucas Neff simplifies matters. He writes, in a generally pompous missive that doubles as voiceover, “There is only brutality here.”

This nihilistic observation about the nature of man and Ye Olde West could also apply to American Primeval itself, which hails from previous chronicler of Western brutality Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) and director Peter Berg.

Blessed with the vast emotional palette of human existence, Smith and Berg fill their canvas primarily with “brutality,” working with a bloody, intense precision that makes American Primeval effective for a while, but ultimately monotonous. Boasting a strong ensemble of actors buried under period-appropriate layers of troweled-on grime and scruffiness, the show has an undeniable visceral impact and should find a Taylor Sheridan-primed audience willing to buy in. But it fails to find any fresh insights to give it a place in the Deadwood/Godless/Unforgiven pantheon of the well-trod genre.

The story is set in the Utah Territory, where horrible conflict is simmering between Zion-seeking Mormons, Manifest Destiny-driven pioneers, Native American tribes getting pushed further and further into the corner of the land that was once theirs, and the U.S. Army entrusted with keeping the peace. Some of the settlers are driven by fear, some by zealotry and others by the promises of limitless wealth, but in this moment, life is unquestionably solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.

Sara Rowell (Betty Gilpin) and her son Devin (Preston Mota) arrive at Fort Bridger, a generally neutral stopping place overseen by Jim Bridger (Shea Whigham). She’s going to meet her husband somewhere deeper in-country, but she misses her convoy. Warning her that “civilization and civilized are two different words entirely,” Bridger gets Sara situated with a small party of Mormons led by Jacob Pratt (Dane DeHaan) and his new wife Abish (Saura Lightfoot Leon), who are heading in the right direction. Don’t google “Mountain Meadows Massacre” if you don’t want to know what’s coming. Short version? Brutality, complicated by a Mormon militia and some renegade Shoshone warriors.

Soon, Sara and Devin are witnesses to something that the Mormons — including Brigham Young (Kim Coates, oozing rectitude) — don’t want them to witness. Before long, the Mormons are pursuing the Rowells, who are also being pursued by several bounty hunters, including a party led by Jai Courtney’s Virgil. Sara and Devin might not be seeking a new life so much as fleeing the old one.

The only people who can help Sara and Devin are Isaac (Taylor Kitsch), a grouchy mountain man, and Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier), a mute Shoshone girl fleeing her own violent past.

I will always be an appreciator, at least on a basic level, of the muscularity of Berg’s direction. His clear-eyed bluntness helped make Netflix’s Painkiller a more successful anti-Sackler screed than the more acclaimed Dopesick. Here, he brings a charge to the familiar Western iconography that helps American Primeval stand out from most of the rushed Sheridan/Yellowstone factory output. Berg’s depiction of the Mountain Meadows Massacre is disorienting, nightmarish and terrifyingly immersive, a bravura symphony of whizzing arrows and curdling screams. There isn’t anything especially fresh about the tableaus of solitary riders making their way across the prairies or the shots of snowy mountain passes, but Berg has studied his John Ford and Robert Altman, and he executes the genre clichés with panache. His efforts are boosted by a grimy and grinding score from frequent collaborator Explosions in the Sky.

The visual flair peaks in the first episode, along with the series’ shallow, if not necessarily inapt, insight into life in this particular time and place. I have no doubt that 1857 Utah was pervasively miserable, and Berg captures a miasma of gangrenous wounds, rarely rotated attire, lice-infested beards and freshly butchered meat. It’s easy to find things to be disgusted or unsettled by, but harder to find sources of empathy — which never used to be the case on earlier Berg projects like Friday Night Lights. Too often, the scripts here lean into the ongoing threat of scalping or sexual violence — integral to the narrative of nearly every female character in the series — as a way to make viewers not so much care about any individuals as root for additional retaliatory violence.

American Primeval is likely to earn the ire of Mormons and Native American advocacy groups alike (the U.S. military is presented as pompous and ineffective, but somewhat hygienic). Abish is the most sympathetic of the Mormon characters, and the least ideologically Mormon; while one or two of the Shoshone characters have admirable attributes, the choice we’re given is essentially between slow-speaking “wise” figures and warriors likely to have “ululating” as their only close-captioned dialogue. The ensemble is a mishmash of fictional and historical figures, all rendered similarly glum and all destined for similarly cynical — Hobbes should have added “ironic” to his list of adjectives — fates.

If Hobbes’ quote is generally presented as advocating for governance or control, American Primeval almost seems willing to accept the nastiness in exchange for the scruffy solidarity. It lands on the side of the outsiders — Whigham’s Bridger delivers some straight-talking glimpses of humor, Kitsch’s Isaac some Eastwood-ian monosyllabic heroism and Gilpin’s Sara some proto-feminist backbone. Those were probably my favorite performances, though Leon — who gives a Missing Mara Sister vibe — has welcome punchy attitude and a story arc that makes no sense. Meanwhile, I watched the first half of the first episode and thought, “What an unusually relaxed and normal part for Dane DeHaan.” Needless to say that didn’t last.

Like DeHaan’s performance, everything in American Primeval gravitates toward the wretched and, yes, the brutal. The finale is either a powerful confirmation of what came before if you previously bought into it or a ridiculous and wildly predictable repetition of everything that came before. I’m going with the latter. If you spend five episodes talking about the nihilistic brutality of Ye Olde West and reach a finale in which you reveal the nihilistic brutality of Ye Olde West — accompanied by on-the-nose compositional sampling of “This Land Is Your Land” — you haven’t really taken your audience on much of a journey, have you?

School of Rock cast have rare reunion at co-stars’ wedding 20 years later

The cast of the 2003 coming-of-age movie School of Rock have reunited for the best reason as two of their co-stars tied the knot.

The hit comedy follows fake substitute teacher Dewey (Jack Black) who forms an unconventional rock band with his students.

Well, now the kids are all grown up as the motley crew of musicians got back together for the wedding between co-stars Angelo Massagli and Caitlin Hale who met on the set when they were just 10 years old.

Caitlin played backup singer Marta, and Angelo starred as security guard Frankie. The rest of the cast included Miranda Cosgrove, Sarah Silverman, Mike White and, of course, comedic legend Jack.

It was actually years later in Florida in 2018 that the pair reconnected after leaving show business behind that they started dating.

‘Even though it wasn’t romantic, that familiarity we had and our families had when we were younger, really cut through some of those early relationship hurdles,’ Angelo, who works as a lawyer, told the New York Times.

And Caitlin, now an OB-GYN sonographer, added that she ‘knew very early’ that she was going to marry Angelo. The rest, as they say, is history.

Plenty of their former co-stars attended the big day, which took place at a dreamy venue in New Jersey, and although Jack wasn’t able to attend himself, the couple confirmed he ‘commemorated it privately’ with ‘generous’ words.

Rivkah Reyes, who played Katie in the film, uploaded a TikTok with clips from the day set to Stevie Nicks’ Edge of Seventeen (a nod to the movie).

‘Celebrating the marriage of Caitlin and Angelo with my forever fam,’ Rivkah captioned the video.

The video showed the cast sitting together at the table, taking glam photos and having a boogie on the dance floor, before ending with a shot of the happy couple.

Caitlin also recalled a ‘time capsule’ moment, adding: ‘We were just dancing together to some old-school disco and then there was some sort of ad-lib in the song and we all just hit it.

‘We looked at each other and we’re like, ‘That just happened. We still got it.’

Meanwhile, Rivkah told Hearst Connecticut: ‘We’ve always remained close after filming and it’s rare that we all get together.

‘I’m grateful to have not only witnessed the union of two of my dear friends of 20+ years, but also getting to catch up with my bandmates.’

The other stars present included Brian Falduto (Billy), Joey Gaydos Jr. (Zack), Robert Tsai (Lawrence), Maryam Hassan (Tomika), Aleisha Allen (Alicia), Cole Hawkins (Leonard), Z Infante (Gordon) and James Hosey (Marco).

2023 marked two decades since School of Rock came out and Miranda reflected on the anniversary with Metro.

Talking about filming with Jack, she said: ‘I didn’t know what improv was until I saw Jack Black change it up so many times when we were doing the classroom scenes.

‘He would always do something different. So it kept everybody on their toes and excited waiting to see what he was going to do next.

‘I think it made a lot of that feel real because we really are all like, “What’s he gonna do?” and laughing. A lot of those reactions are just natural.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

Noel Gallagher’s Cosmic Collision: Oasis Icon Joins Psychedelic Supergroup Before Reunion Tour

Noel Gallagher’s musical journey takes an unexpected turn as he joins forces with an eclectic supergroup, Mantra Of The Cosmos, led by none other than Zak Starkey, son of the legendary Beatles drummer Sir Ringo Starr. This surprising collaboration comes mere months before Gallagher’s highly anticipated Oasis reunion tour, set to hit the road in 2025.

The supergroup’s latest psychedelic offering, “Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous),” features an all-star lineup that includes Gallagher on guitar, Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder on vocals, former Oasis guitarist Andy Bell, Starkey on drums, and Happy Mondays’ iconic percussionist Mark “Bez” Berry. “Mantra Of The Cosmos is like Dylan, Dali and Ginsberg on a rocket ship to the moon to have it with the clangers,” Gallagher quipped, hinting at the group’s cosmic ambitions.

Starkey’s connection with Gallagher dates back to 1995 when they first crossed paths in a London rehearsal room, before Starkey eventually joined Oasis as their drummer in 2004, contributing to the albums “Don’t Believe The Truth” and “Dig Your Own Soul.” Reflecting on the collaboration, Starkey said, “It’s not every day that the greatest songwriter of my generation — not to mention Shaun, the greatest beat poet of our times — sends a tune to me, and I was in a daze for a bit cos it’s not something you want to f*** up.”

The admiration between the artists is palpable, with Gallagher referring to Ryder as “the British Bob Dylan” and “the king of lyrics.” Starkey echoed this sentiment, saying, “Noel loves Shaun. He texted me to say ‘Do you know what you’ve got? The British Bob Dylan’ — and he’s not f****g about because now I’ve witnessed what Shaun does.”

While the collaboration may seem unlikely, it is a testament to the enduring spirit of creativity and the willingness of artists to push boundaries. As Gallagher gears up for the highly anticipated Oasis reunion tour, his detour into the cosmic realms of Mantra Of The Cosmos showcases his versatility and hunger for new artistic endeavors.

With Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous) — a nod to Bez’s first band — already making waves, the supergroup is set to take the stage at the iconic Cavern Club in Liverpool on January 19th, a venue steeped in Beatles history. “Can’t believe I’ve never even been there,” Starkey mused. “There’s a great deal of family heritage at the Cavern, aside from the Beatles, my parents courted there… Who knows I may have even been conceived there.”

As the world eagerly awaits the return of Oasis, Gallagher’s foray into the psychedelic realm with Mantra Of The Cosmos offers a tantalizing glimpse into the boundless creativity that continues to drive him. Whether it’s the anthemic rock of Oasis or the cosmic explorations of this supergroup, Gallagher’s musical journey remains an ever-evolving tapestry, weaving together diverse influences and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Predators’ Road Woes Continue: Scoring Droughts and Missed Chances Lead to 5-2 Defeat Against Jets

Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi finally broke through their scoring droughts, but the Nashville Predators still ended their road trip with a disheartening 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at the Canada Life Centre. Despite a vastly improving performance from both players, it was a case of too little, too late as missed opportunities and injuries plagued the Predators throughout the game.,The mismatches on special teams—a recurring theme for Nashville this season—proved pivotal. With an abysmal 1-8 on power plays, the Predators simply couldn’t convert on their chances, while their penalty kill failed to show up, finishing 0-1. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stepped up, making 26 saves to secure his 300th career NHL victory, while Juuse Saros matched him in saves but had to shoulder the loss.,With this defeat, the Predators wrapped up their road trip with a disheartening 2-4-0 record and moved to a frustrating 13-21-7 overall this season. It’s safe to say the team was seeking some momentum, but the absence of key players exacerbated their woes—Cole Smith and defensemen Jeremy Lauzon and Adam Wilsby remained sidelined on injured reserve, while Zachary L’Heureux was serving the final game of his suspension for slew-footing.,The game unfolded with an energetic start from Nashville—cycling the puck and putting four shots on goal before the Jets could even hit the board. But before they could set the tone, disaster struck. In what can only be described as a comedy of errors, Jets forward Morgan Barron, brother of Predators defenseman Justin Barron, scored the first goal at 6:30 of the first period—thanks to a botched clearance by Nashville’s Nick Blankenburg. Yes, an own goal—a tough pill to swallow. Just 16 seconds later, Josh Morrissey struck again with a slap shot that sailed past Saros. Just like that, it was 2-0 for Winnipeg.,Things went from bad to worse as Predators forward Luke Evangelista took a hard hit from Neal Pionk, leaving the ice unable to put weight on his right leg. Concerns grew among fans and teammates alike as they watched Evangelista head to the locker room. Moments later, Kyle Connor added to Nashville’s frustrations with a third goal—slamming home an open shot right up the middle, pushing the Predators into a daunting 3-0 deficit after just one period.,Finally, Forsberg showed a flicker of hope for Nashville—getting the Predators on the board with a much-needed power play goal at 16:45 in the second period. His wrist shot fired past Hellebuyck, igniting a glimmer of optimism for the visiting fans. But the optimism was short-lived. A flurry of penalties at the start of the third period created a brief window of opportunity, but it was again squandered—as Nashville failed to capitalize on their two-minute power play.,Then, as if the hockey gods were having their last laugh, Nikolaj Ehlers took advantage of a Predator penalty, assisting Gabe Vilardi with a goal nine seconds into their man advantage—pushing Winnipeg’s lead to 4-1. Nashville retaliated less than two minutes later, with Josi’s shot deflecting off Logan Stanley and into the net, narrowing the gap to 4-2. Yet, even with Stanley getting into penalty trouble for a high-sticking double minor toward the end of the game, Nashville’s power play once again faltered. And as the clock wound down, Nino Niederreiter sealed Nashville’s fate with an empty-net goal, cementing the 5-2 final.,The Predators are set to return home, kicking off a four-game homestand against the Washington Capitals this Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. CT—a chance for redemption and a new beginning. But they’ll need to sharpen their blades and harness the lessons learned from this frustrating road trip if they wish to turn things around.,Stay tuned for all the latest updates, game coverage, and player features on the Nashville Predators.

‘Reacher’ Season 3 Trailer: Alan Ritchson Busts a Dude Up Without Even Spilling His Coffee

Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) is back, taking down “the big, powerful sons of bitches who think they can get away with things,” in the words of his best only friend Neagley (Maria Sten). It’s kind of his thing.

Amazon Prime Video released the trailer for “Reacher” Season 3 on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. The season itself premieres on Thursday, February 20, which is when its first three episodes will be made available; the remaining five episodes will roll out weekly each Thursday through March 27, 2025.

“Reacher” has already been renewed for a fourth season, which will begin shooting this year.

The third “Reacher” season is based on Lee Child’s novel “Persuader.” This time, Reacher will infiltrate “the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise when trying to rescue an undercover DEA informant whose time is running out,” per the official logline. “There he finds a world of secrecy and violence — and confronts some unfinished business from his own past.”

So, pretty much like “Reacher” Seasons 1 or 2 (and probably 4), more or less.

In addition to Ritchson’s return in the title role, Sten returns as Frances Neagley; Sten’s character already has her own spinoff serious, (predictably — and perhaps lazily) titled “Neagley.” New to the “Reacher” cast for Season 3 are Anthony Michael Hall as “Zachary Beck,” Sonya Cassidy as “Susan Duffy,” Brian Tee as “Quinn,” Johnny Berchtold as “Richard Beck,” Robert Montesinos as “Guillermo Villanueva,” Olivier Richters as that huge dude “Paulie,” and Daniel David Stewart as “Steven Elliot.”

Impressively, Richters makes Ritchson look like, well, me.

The “Reacher” series are based on Child’s novel series. The show is produced by Amazon MGM Studios, Skydance Television, and CBS Studios. “Reacher” is written for television by Nick Santora (“Prison Break”), who also executive produces and serves as showrunner. In addition to Santora and Child, Ritchson will serve as an executive producer, along with Don Granger, Scott Sullivan, Mick Betancourt, and David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Matt Thunell for Skydance. Carolyn Harris and Kenny Madrid are the executives-in-charge of the series for Skydance Television.

Friday Night Lights’ Taylor Kitsch issues major update about reboot

Friday Night Lights star Taylor Kitsch has confirmed that he has been approached to play a part in the upcoming reboot.

The beloved series ran on NBC from 2006 to 2011 and has been long been hailed as one of the best high school sports dramas to hit the small screen.

The show saw Taylor, 43, star as Dillon Panthers’ bad boy fullback Tim Riggins and the star has now revealed whether he would be open to the idea of returning as No. 33.

In a new interview on SiriusXM’s The Spotlight with Jessica Shaw, the John Carter star explained: ‘I know I’ve been asked, and we’ll leave it at that.’

When pressed if he was asked to appear as a coach, he continued: ‘No. But to be a part of some kind of reboot. I’m always flattered. Never say never.

‘But I would come in and do something – maybe for an episode or something. But I don’t want to go and do the whole thing.’

Friday Night Lights star Taylor Kitsch has confirmed being approached to play a part in the upcoming reboot series

The show saw Taylor, 43, star as Dillon Panthers’ bad boy fullback Tim Riggins and the star has now revealed whether he would be open to the idea of returning as No. 33

He added: ‘I’d go and have fun. But I don’t want to lead or anything. I love the continuous, challenging roles and to keep pushing.’

Jessica then pushed: ‘Would you want to go in for, like, an episode as Riggins or a totally different character?’

To which the Battleship actor responded: ‘Yeah, I would do both. That’s a good point. I could create something that could be, hopefully, pretty fun.

‘But I think if you saw me as someone else, you’d be like, “That’s Riggins,” especially in that element, if you’re in Texas or doing it the way they’re going to do it.’

He concluded: ‘I’d maybe play an opposing team’s coach or something, and be on screen for like, eight seconds. I would do that, sure.’

Back in November it was revealed that a reboot of the beloved high school series Friday Night Lights was in development with new characters.

The franchise started life as a 1990 nonfiction book called Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team And A Dream by H. G. Bissinger about high school football in Texas.

In 2004, a movie adaptation was released starring Billy Bob Thornton as the coach amid a cast including Garrett Hedlund, Connie Britton and Tim McGraw.

He admitted in a new interview: ‘I know I’ve been asked… I would come in and do something that, maybe for an episode or something. But I don’t want to go and do the whole thing’

Last year it was revealed that a reboot of the beloved high school series is in development; Connie Britton, Kyle Chandler and Aimee Teegarden pictured on the 2006-2011 TV series

But the most famous version of the property was the acclaimed show starring Connie and Kyle Chandler.

The show also featured such names as Michael B. Jordan, Jurnee Smollett, Minka Kelly, Jesse Plemons, Scott Porter, Aimee Teegarden, Zach Gilford and Adrianna Palicki.

When asked if he had been approached about reboot during an appearance on the Today show on Wednesday, Kyle revealed: ‘I have not. No calls. Nothing… I don’t know what I’ll say [if I’m asked].’

Friday Night Lights gained a modest but devoted fanbase and was a critical darling before its cancelation in 2011.

The reboot percolating at Universal Television is allegedly generating fierce competition over the streaming rights.

Netflix, Amazon and Peacock are claimed to be locked in a ‘bidding war’ to acquire the upcoming project, according to a new report in Puck.

Peter Berg, who directed the movie and developed the TV series, is also part of the creative team for the revival, according to Deadline.

So are Jason Katims, who was the showrunner of the series, and Brian Grazer, who produced the film and was an executive producer on the TV version.

In 2004, a movie adaptation was released starring Billy Bob Thornton as the coach (pictured) amid a cast including Garrett Hedlund, Connie Britton and Tim McGraw

But the the most famous version of the property was acclaimed show starring Kyle Chandler (pictured) as the coach

Elsewhere, Taylor’s former co-star Minka Kelly recently opened up about her ‘toxic’ relationship with the actor in her memoir titled, Tell Me Everything.

The Euphoria actress, 44, admitted that her on and off again relationship with Taylor not only affected her, but also her interactions with other cast members.

‘All the effort I might have invested in connecting consistently with the girls on the show went to Taylor,’ she expressed in her book. ‘So when my relationship with Taylor became toxic, I had no one to turn to.’

Minka notably portrayed the role of a cheerleader named Lyla, while Taylor also played her love interest on the show.

The star, who is currently dating Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds, admitted that she had ‘shacked up’ with her co-star, although a producer on the show, Peter Berg, had warned her to do otherwise.

The actress explained that both she and the actor had broken up and gotten back together ‘more times than [she] [could] count.’

She also added, ‘Life became very difficult both on and off set whenever we broke up. We were young and had very few tools to handle our emotions and personal grievances.’

Minka then opened up what days had been like on set when they were not dating.

Elsewhere, Taylor’s former co-star Minka Kelly recently opened up about her ‘toxic’ relationship with the actor in her memoir titled, Tell Me Everything (pictured in 2007)

The Euphoria actress, 44, admitted that her on and off again relationship with Taylor not only affected her, but also her interactions with other cast members

‘On the days we had to work together and were broken up, he didn’t want to be in the hair and makeup trailer at the same time I was.’

‘We couldn’t ride in the van together from base camp to set for the same reason,’ the Titans star wrote in her memoir, detailing that ‘tensions’ were ‘high’ on days such as those, and that, ‘everyone felt the awkwardness.’

Minka then opened up about how her co-stars jumped to support Taylor rather than her after they had split, and revealed that the main reasoning was due to the actor being more open about his ‘feelings’ with other castmates.

‘I’d show up to work with a smile on my face thinking I was being professional, while everyone else felt sorry for the guy whose heart had just been broken.’

She continued, ‘My co-workers weren’t taking me out for drinks after work to mend my broken heart,’ and added that, ‘they were taking him out.’

Minka had starred on the series for the first three seasons, and only briefly appeared in the fourth season.

Taylor, on the other hand, remained on the series for five seasons.

A Gender-Swapped ‘Holes’ Pilot for Disney+ Is in the Works

Disney+ has ordered to pilot a series based on the acclaimed book from Louis Sachar, “Holes,” an individual with knowledge of the project told IndieWire. The project will be a new take on the story, this time gender-swapping the characters to make it about a teen girl sent to the desert to toil away in the dirt.

The Disney+ series will be a project of 20th Century Television and will be executive produced by Drew Goddard via his Goddard Textiles banner, with Alina Mankin (“Lodge 49,” “The Mindy Project,” “Anne With an E”) serving as writer and EP and Liz Phang (“Yellowjackets,” “Foundation,” “The Haunting of Hill House”) serving as showrunner and EP.

No cast was announced.

Sachar’s “Holes” from 1998 was previously adapted into a 2003 Disney film starring Shia LaBeouf, which made $71 million worldwide against a $20 million budget. The novel too sold millions of copies and won the Newbery Medal for children’s literature and the National Book Award. It tells the story of Stanley Yelnats, the youngest generation in a family of generationally unlucky people who is accused of stealing a pair of shoes and is sentenced to a discipline camp where he’s required to dig a perfect 6-foot hole every day at the mysterious demands of a vicious warden. Sachar also wrote two spinoff “Holes” books.

Per an official logline, this time around the “Holes” series will focus on a teenaged girl sent to a similar detention camp.

The 2003 “Holes” had an impressive cast that included LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver as the Warden, Jon Voight, Tim Blake Nelson, Patricia Arquette, Khleo Thomas, Henry Winkler, Dúle Hill, and Eartha Kitt.

The gender-swapping trend in film and TV has cooled down since the 20-teens, but there was a report last year about Cord Jefferson writing a new take on “Just Cause” starring Scarlett Johansson.

Goddard has a first-look deal with 20th Century Television. Mike Medavoy, who also produced the original “Holes,” is also an EP alongside Sarah Esberg for Goddard Textiles. Walden Media and Shamrock are the rights holders and are also non-writing executive producers.

Mankin is represented by UTA and Kaplan / Perrone Entertainment. Phang is represented by WME and Yorn Levine. Goddard is represented by UTA and Hansen Jacobson.

Get Ready for the Galaxy S25 Launch: Samsung’s January 2025 Unpacked Event Promises Big Surprises!

Samsung is gearing up for yet another blockbuster launch—mark your calendars for January 22, 2025. That’s when the tech titan will unleash its latest mobile marvels at the Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose, CA. The excitement buzzes in the air as fans eagerly anticipate the next iterations of the Galaxy S series: the Galaxy S25, S25+, and the crown jewel, the S25 Ultra.

Leaked promotional images had hinted at this date, showcasing the glitzy details of the event. But now it’s confirmed—Samsung is not just teasing but delivering, and it’s expected that the event will start promptly at 1 PM Eastern / 10 AM Pacific.

The Galaxy Unpacked livestream will be available through various platforms, including the Samsung Newsroom, the official website, and Samsung’s YouTube channel. So whether you’re at home or on the go, you won’t miss a beat of what Samsung has in store.

As we edge closer to the launch, whispers of pricing and features are starting to circulate. Notoriously accurate Android beat reporter Ishan Agarwal has provided some tantalizing tidbits—rumored pricing for the Galaxy S25’s 512 GB model is around €1,079. This represents a €90 increase from last year’s Galaxy S24, which launched at €960, but with added RAM and storage.

What about the S25 Ultra, you ask? It’s safe to assume it will come in at a similar price point to last year’s models, with the S24 Ultra starting at around €1,570. If history has taught us anything, it’s that Samsung often aligns the pricing closely with enhanced specs—expect bigger and better without the bank account taking a hit too hard.

In past years, the pre-order window has typically opened within hours after the launch event. So, savvy shoppers can gear up for Friday, January 24, when pre-orders are expected to kick off. This window will remain open until February 4, providing ample time for eager fans to get their hands on the newest Galaxy gadgets.

Samsung knows how to entice its customers—a tradition has emerged where pre-ordering comes with perks like discounts on accessories, upgrades to the next storage tier, and exclusive colors available only online. It’s like Samsung is saying, “We’ve got your back—now take your mobile experience to the next level.”

Mark your calendars for February 7, 2025, when the Galaxy S25 series will officially hit the shelves. This two-week gap between pre-orders and market launch is a pattern Samsung has maintained, ensuring that anticipation builds while they prep for a world of new sales.

While the focus is squarely on the S25 series, it remains to be seen if Samsung will drop any hints about the fourth Galaxy S25 variant—the elusive Special Edition. Rumors are swirling, but until we hear the official news, all we can do is speculate.

As the countdown begins, keep your eyes peeled and your fingers crossed—Samsung is set to leap into 2025 with a bang, ready to redefine how we engage with our tech-infused lives, one Galaxy at a time.

Disney+ is Remaking This Nostalgic Adventure Classic Because Nothing is Sacred

Holes, the classic 2003 Disney film that played on every kid’s television screen at some point, is being remade by the studio’s streaming service because nothing is truly sacred in today’s world. Based on a book by the same name, Holes starred Shia LaBeouf as a teenager who is sent to a detention camp in Texas for a crime he didn’t commit, as well as Khleo Thomas, who played Zero, a fellow prisoner. The adored adventure film is getting a television remake courtesy of Disney+, but with a major twist or two.

According to Variety, Disney+ has greenlit a pilot for a series based on the award-winning 1998 book Holes by Louis Sachar. The upcoming reboot will “reimagine” the original story with a gender-swapped protagonist from writer and executive producer Alina Mankin (Katy Keene, Lodge 49). Yellowjackets and The Strain producer Liz Phang is set to serve as showrunner. Meanwhile, Drew Goddard, who is directing Matrix 5, will serve as an executive producer. The official logline for the upcoming pilot will sound very familiar to fans of the film:

“In this reimagining of the beloved 1998 book from Louis Sachar, a teenage girl is sent to a detention camp where the ruthless Warden forces the campers to dig holes for a mysterious purpose.”

In addition to Shia LaBeouf and Khleo Thomas, Holes’ cast included Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette, Tim Blake Nelson, Eartha Kitt, and Henry Winkler. Andrew Davis, who had previously helmed action thrillers like The Fugitive and Collateral Damage, directed the Disney film in 2003. Check out the official synopsis for Holes.

“Dogged by bad luck stemming from an ancient family curse, young Stanley Yelnats is sent to Camp Green Lake, a very weird place that’s not green and doesn’t have a lake. Once there, he’s thrown headlong into the adventure of his life when he and his colorful campmates – Squid, Armpit, Zigzag, Magnet, X-Ray, and Zero – must dig a hole a day to keep the warden at bay. But why?”

‘Holes’ is One of Many Reboots by Disney+ Close

Those with a Disney+ subscription are well aware that the streamer is not afraid of reaching deep into the Big Mouse’s vault for remakes and reboots. In 2022, the streamer released a new version of Cheaper by the Dozen, starring Gabrielle Union and Zach Braff, a remake of another 2003 film that originally featured Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt. Meanwhile, on the TV side of things, Disney+ rebooted the beloved 2007 children’s show that starred Selena Gomez, Wizards of Waverly Place, late last year. Wizards Beyond Waverly Place debuted in October, with much of the original cast making special appearances.

Related Underrated Disney+ and Hulu Series ‘Goosebumps’ Returns With New Season This Month

It’s a new story with a new cast of characters tackling some fan-favorite books.

Posts

Dinsey+ is no stranger to legacy sequels, either. They released a follow-up to the 1988 film Willow, a sequel series that saw characters new and old introduced in the beloved fantasy world. The steamer infamously canceled the show after one season, despite positive reviews and a loyal fanbase that widened upon the show’s release. Willow would then go on to be removed from Disney+, a controversial and heartless decision that would be criticized by its stars, as well as those who appreciate the preservation of art.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Holes PG Release Date April 18, 2003 Director Andrew Davis Cast Sigourney Weaver , Jon Voight , Tim Blake Nelson , Shia LaBeouf , Khleo Thomas , Jake M. Smith