Who’s Going to Be in the ‘Harry Potter’ Series? See the Rumored New Actors Side-by-Side with the Original Cast

The new Harry Potter show has been keeping its chamber of secrets closed when it comes to casting — until now.

The beloved book series by J.K. Rowling will be adapted for the screen once again, but this time it’ll be getting a more in-depth treatment as a TV show, with each season slated to capture one of the seven books, per Bloomberg.

While some of the original cast have spoken out about their hopes to return to the wizarding world, others have confirmed they didn’t have plans to reprise their roles.

“Like the rest of the world, [I’m] very excited to watch as an audience member,” Daniel Radcliffe, who originated the titular role, told E! in May 2024. “I don’t know if it would work to have us do anything in it.”

Now, John Lithgow has been the only cast member confirmed so far, while a few actors are nearing deals, with Deadline reporting in March 2025 that Nick Frost, Janet McTeer and Paapa Essiedu are in talks.

So who is joining the cast of the new Harry Potter series? Here’s a look at the actors that have been cast so far side-by-side with those who originated the roles.

‘The Studio’ Is 2025’s First Must-See Comedy

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IN DIRECTOR ROBERT Altman’s 1992 film The Player, Tim Robbins plays an upcoming Hollywood movie studio executive who finds himself in a tricky situation just as his career starts to really take off. It’s a dark comedy, a thriller, and a very funny satire making light of what were some very real conversations happening in the world of movies at the time; it also came together brilliantly, as almost every film in Altman’s legendary repertoire did. The Player was ultimately nominated for three Oscars, including Best Director for Altman, and remains one of the best movies (or shows) about movies ever made.

Now, more than 30 years after The Player hit theaters, it finally has a spiritual sequel in the form of Apple TV+’s brilliant new series The Studio. While The Studio, which comes from the power team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (who are behind Superbad, This Is The End, and countless more modern comedy classics), doesn’t get quite as dark as The Player does, it’s never afraid to cut deep and make incredibly pointed and funny jokes about the state of the movies that we all still love watching each and every week. You’ll be cackling at one joke so much that you might miss a sly reference to that movie you saw a year ago or a quick cameo from this actor or that director.

Rogen plays the lead role of Matt Remick, a rising film executive who, in the first episode, is named the new head of Continental Studios. Leading a studio to make great movies is Matt’s dream job, and he’s excited to do it — but with one reservation. His boss, Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston, playing a character with the same name as Robbins in The Player in a clear homage), has one key objective for him: make lots of money. And so the push and pull between art and commerce, as always, continues on.

The show evolves into a sort of cross between The Player and Curb Your Enthusiasm, where Matt and his team (which include his former boss and mentor, Cathy, as played by Catherine O’Hara, and other executives played by Ike Barinholtz and Kathryn Hahn) interact with very real celebrities playing hilarious versions of themselves; Martin Scorsese plays a particularly convincing (and particularly funny) version of himself in the very first episode.

On top of the smart writing, strong performances, and impressive filmmaking prowess (much like Netflix’s recent Adolescence, each episode features extensive use of single-take shots), the show is also filled with deep cut inside jokes for fans of movies at any level. References to the billion dollar success of Barbie? Check. A shoutout to Paul Dano’s little-seen directorial debut Wildlife? Also in there. And everything in between.

The Studio, to put it simply, is one of the best comedy shows you’ll see this year, and you won’t want to miss a single episode of it. And if you read on below, you won’t ever have a reason to.

Episodes of The Studio officially release on Wednesdays, but Apple TV+ usually releases its shows unofficially the night before at 9:00 EST — so keep an eye out for that. But officially, the next episode of The Studio will be released on Wednesday, April 2.

The Studio will be 10 episodes in total, the first two of which have now aired. That means there’s eight weeks — and eight episodes of hilarious Hollywood madness — remaining in the first season of The Studio.

Why Was Dewey Recast in the ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Revival? What We Know About the Character’s Return — and Where Actor Erik Per Sullivan Is Today

Samantha Stutsman is a writer and surveillance editor at PEOPLE.

The Wilkerson family is getting ready for a reunion in the upcoming Disney+ revival of Malcolm in the Middle — but there will be one familiar face missing.

It’s been over 25 years since the sitcom about an average, dysfunctional American family premiered on Fox in January 2000. Malcolm in the Middle followed boy genius Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) as he navigated life with two eccentric parents, Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek), and four wild-card brothers: Francis (Christopher Masterson), Reese (Justin Berfield), Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) and Jamie (played by twins James and Lukas Rodriguez).

The family comedy eventually ended in May 2006 after seven seasons and 151 episodes, though viewers were left on a cliffhanger. The series abruptly concluded with Lois’ shocking pregnancy news and Malcolm just starting his freshman year at Harvard.

After years of reboot rumblings, Disney+ announced a four-episode revival of Malcolm in the Middle in December 2024.

“Malcolm in the Middle is a landmark sitcom that captured the essence of family life with humor, heart and relatability,” Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, said in a statement, per Deadline. “Its hilarious and heartfelt portrayal of a lovably chaotic family resonated with audiences of all ages, and we’re so excited to welcome the original cast back to bring that magic to life again.”

Most of the original cast members are slated to return for the limited run. However, Per Sullivan will not be among them. The actor portrayed Malcolm’s younger brother Dewey, known for his smarts and wit. Those memorable traits, though, will now be brought back to life by a different actor.

So why did Dewey get recast in the Malcolm in the Middle revival? Here’s everything to know about the switch-up from the original show and where the actor Erik Per Sullivan is now.

The Malcolm in the Middle revival will consist of four episodes and follow Malcolm and his daughter as they are “drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal and Lois demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party,” according to a press release.

Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Jane Kaczmarek, Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield will all reprise their roles in the Malcolm in the Middle revival, Variety reported.

Newcomers include Anthony Timpano, who will play Malcolm’s youngest brother, Jamie, and Vaughan Murrae, who will portray Malcolm’s youngest sibling, Kelly. As fans may remember, Lois was pregnant with her sixth child in the 2006 series finale.

Malcolm’s daughter, Leah, will be played by Keeley Karsten. Meanwhile, Kiana Madeira will portray his “charming and opinionated” girlfriend Tristan who “is way out of his league,” per Variety. It’s unclear if she is also Leah’s mom.

Caleb Ellsworth-Clark will step into the role of Dewey — Malcolm’s musically gifted and lovable younger brother, originally played by Erik Per Sullivan.

After the original Malcolm in the Middle ended in 2006, Per Sullivan continued acting for a few more years before seemingly stopping altogether. According to IMDb, his last on-screen appearance was in 2010 when he played Timmy in Twelve.

Since then, Per Sullivan appears to have left Hollywood and is maintaining a private life. In April 2024, Kaczmarek shared a rare update about her on-screen son during an interview with Malcolm France at the Paris Manga Sci-fi Show by TGS.

The actress explained that Per Sullivan’s interest in acting changed over time, and he shifted his focus to his education.

“He’s very very well,” she said. “He did Malcolm for seven years. He started at 7, he ended at 14. He wasn’t interested in acting at all.”

Kaczmarek revealed that Per Sullivan is currently studying Victorian literature at “a very prestigious American university” that the former actor requested she not name.

“I admire it too because so many people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world. It’s not for everyone,” the actress added.

Fox ultimately canceled Malcolm in the Middle after seven seasons due to low ratings.

In 2000, the pilot episode drew 22.4 million viewers, according to The New York Times, and the show went on to average 13 to 15 million viewers in its early seasons. Unfortunately, season 4 dropped to 10 million viewers, and by season 6, that number was cut nearly in half.

“Fox is proud to have been the home of this groundbreaking comedy,” Peter Liguori, former president of entertainment, said in a 2006 statement, per Movie Web. “From its innovative production values to its exceptional writers and cast, this series has helped shape the modern sitcom. We’ll miss this hilariously loud and manic – yet somehow relatable and admirable – family.”

Since the show’s conclusion in 2006, most of the main cast members have continued acting and tried different hats as well. Notably, Muniz pursued his lifelong dream of being a race car driver.

In October 2024, he earned a spot in the 2025 season of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

“I think at first, maybe people thought it was like a hobby,” he told PEOPLE in March 2025. “I don’t necessarily worry about what anyone says. You earn respect as a driver when you’re out there competing and beating them, right? That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Muniz continued, “That is the name of the game, right? Is to try to be the fastest. I want to beat everybody.”

X-Men’s Rebecca Romijn and Alan Cumming return for new Avengers movie – The Mirror

Marvel’s star-studded lineup is set to dazzle fans once again as Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Anthony Mackie’s Captain America, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki reunite for the Avengers team. They’ll be accompanied by some of the original X-Men from cinema’s earlier adaptations, including Rebecca Romijin.

The quintet of Marvel Cinematic Universe stalwarts will feature in the 2026 blockbuster “Avengers: Doomsday,” as revealed by Marvel through a sequence of social media videos that were tantalisingly released throughout Wednesday.

Joining them are cinematic legends Patrick Stewart, 84, reprising his role as Professor X from Fox’s early 2000s “X-Men” movies, and Ian McKellen, 85, returning as the formidable Magneto. The casting coup comes as Disney and Marvel capitalize on the acquisition of Fox’s movie assets.

Also announced were Kelsey Grammer as Hank “Beast” McCoy, Rebecca “Mystique” Romijn, James “Cyclops” Marsden, and Alan “Nightcrawler” Cumming. These characters had been portrayed by younger actors in the 2010s reboot of the “X-Men” series, and their return is bound to ignite intense fan debate about the potential narrative paths and timelines for “Avengers: Doomsday.”

The seasoned superheroes will also be joined by fresher faces, including some who are poised to make their first appearance in the MCU. Vanessa Kirby is all set to make a splash as the Invisible Woman Sue Storm in the upcoming “Fantastic Four: First Steps,” in July and has confirmed her role in the star-studded “Avengers: Doomsday.”

Pedro Pascal will step into the shoes of Reed Richards and unite with the Avengers. Accompanying them in both cinematic adventures, Ebon Moss-Bachrach will take on the mantle of Ben Grimm, or the Thing, while Joseph Quinn lights up the screen as Johnny Storm, also known as the Human Torch.

Simu Liu, who dazzled audiences in 2021’s “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” joins this formidable lineup alongside Tenoch Huerta Mejía, known for his portrayal of Namor in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Letitia Wright is set to reprise her role as Shuri from the “Black Panther” saga, with her co-star Winston Duke also returning to the Avengers fold.

Florence Pugh is slated to bring back her character Yelena Belova from the MCU in the eagerly awaited “Thunderbolts” and she’ll continue her thrilling journey in “Doomsday.”

David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman are lined up to appear in both blockbusters. Danny Ramirez is flying into the action as the new Falcon within the dynamic ensemble cast.

While the roster boasts 27 names, some of the biggest prospects were noticeably absent. Marvel and Disney might be holding back the big reveals, as there was no word on Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine or Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool.

However, fans did get a tease with the inclusion of Channing Tatum, last seen as Gambit from the X-Men in the recent “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The name Tom Holland was notably absent. His portrayal of Spider-Man, who joined the Avengers in earlier films through a deal with Sony, has been a contentious issue due to Sony’s complex relationship with Marvel.

Robert Downey Jr. excited fans last summer by announcing his return to the MCU as the villain Doctor Doom in the upcoming “Avengers” saga. The next instalment, “Avengers: Doomsday,” is slated for a May 2026 release and will be the fifth film in the “Avengers” series, marking the first since “Avengers Endgame” in 2019, which became one of the highest-grossing films ever.

Since then, Marvel has been working hard to regain its cultural prominence and box office success, pinning hopes on the new ensemble movies to recapture the cinematic dominance it enjoyed for over a decade.

Marvel Uses Never-Ending Livestream to Announce ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Cast

When the Marvel Cinematic Universe released its first tentpole film The Avengers in 2012, its success (grossing $1.5 million worldwide) set off a phase of superhero mania — where the least connected of films could get people to fill seats at the mere hint of a new casting or surprise cameo. That is not the world we’re living in now, which is why many fans were shocked when Marvel announced it would reveal the characters starring in Avengers: Doomsday in an five. hour. livestream.

Hosted on Marvel Studios accounts across social media, including Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube, the livestream started with a pair of doors on a film set slowly creeping open. What appeared to be someone walking through them was quickly revealed to be a faceless crew member, dropping down a director’s chair with Chris Hemsworth’s name on the back. The rest of the livestream contained a single static shot of each chair, a view that changed at an excruciatingly slow pace around 15 minutes, only to reveal a new chair with a new name.

Marvel hasn’t revealed much about the plot of Avengers: Doomsday — which is currently in production. But at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, directors Joe and Anthony Russo heralded the return of the franchise’s beloved actor: Robert Downey Jr. Don’t worry, you remember it, right, Iron Man is dead in at least one Avengers universe. But Downey will grace people’s screens in a new mask — Doctor Dooms. “New mask, same task,” Downey said to rapturous applause at his reveal. Today’s casting news also makes it clear that the plot will involve the X-Men, with several characters returning to the roles originated in the 20th Century Fox productions. While the most heartfelt of fans eagerly waited for each new announcement, users on X began making a meme at the sheer number of people that have been cast.

The full list for Avengers: Doomsday comes at a surprising time for the film company, as two more Marvel films — Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps — are set to release this summer, and some confirmed characters could also hint to fans how their stories in the upcoming films play out. Spoilers… who’s afraid of them anyway?

Here are all of the cast members Marvel confirmed on Wednesday that will appear in Avengers: Doomsday: Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Sebastian Stan as The Winter Soldier, James Marsden as Cyclops, Paul Rudd as Ant Man, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Wyatt Russel as U.S. Agent, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Danny Ramirez as The Falcon, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor, Joseph Quinn as The Human Torch, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Rebecca Romijin as Mystique, James Marsden as Cyclops, Channing Tatum as Gambit, and Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic.

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to release in theaters on May 1, 2026.

Review | Can a Hollywood mogul be relatable? Seth Rogen tries in ‘The Studio.’

Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara and Ike Barinholtz co-star in Apple TV+’s formally brilliant, star-studded satire of a movie industry in decline.

It’s typical of Matt Remick, the protagonist of Apple TV+’s Hollywood satire “The Studio,” that he loves, or thinks he loves, film. Film as opposed to TV. Film as in the stuff stored in reels. “I just love the grain,” the Hollywood executive, played by Seth Rogen, says at one point. “You know the way it dances, even in the static parts of the frame.” Remick is nostalgic. He’s ambitious. He’s very rich and a little snobby. And, thanks to a recent shake-up at a fictional movie studio called Continental, he’s suddenly — at a moment when movie studios are in crisis — the guy in charge of green-lighting what does and doesn’t get made.

“The Studio” follows Rogen’s Remick as he figures out how to be a boss. He isn’t especially bright, and he’s only sporadically principled. A Hollywood studio executive convinced that he’s not like other studio executives, he thinks of himself as an artist too — via osmosis. “Film is my life,” he says in the pilot. But everything’s negotiable: When head honcho Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston) fires Remick’s mentor, Patty (Catherine O’Hara), and offers him her job — provided he manages to curb his interest in “artsy-fartsy filmmaking” and focus on profit — Remick agrees. And when Mill confides he’s nearly secured the rights to “Kool-Aid” (yes, the drink) and reminds Remick that “we don’t make film, we make movies,” he practically cheers. Among friends, he’ll confess his real goal: to get an auteur to make a Kool-Aid movie that’s a moneymaker but also actually, somehow, good.

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While clearly doomed to fail in the show’s universe, Remick’s plan more or less captures what “Studio” creators Rogen, Alex Gregory, Evan Goldberg, Frida Perez and Peter Huyck have achieved in this impressive little comedy about genial sellouts. It’ll tell you something about how “The Studio” splices highbrow winks with lowbrow humor that Remick’s absurdist journey as a hapless executive opens with a six-minute oner — a long, uninterrupted camera take that usually, when it shows up in TV, signals cinematic seriousness. (“True Detective” had one; so did “The Bear,” not to mention each episode of Netflix’s “Adolescence.”)

This particular oner (the first of many) is technically challenging and thematically pointed: “The Studio” is a TV show hosted by a streamer about how much the movies hate TV (and streamers). It opens, accordingly, as a film being shot at the studio, with the leading man, played by Paul Dano, being shot by his mentee and mirthlessly reflecting on his protégé’s desire to be boss (a dynamic that largely spoofs Remick’s haste to replace Patty). While the scene is clearly made for the big screen, we belatedly discover, as the camera zooms out, that we’ve been watching on a very tiny one indeed; Dano’s performance was playing on a monitor being watched by director Peter Berg (playing himself), who yells “Cut!” and congratulates him. Watching these two discuss the performance — looking forlorn, sidelined and out of place — is Remick, the studio guy, whom the camera dutifully follows through an amusingly anticlimactic golf cart ride, up stairways and down corridors as he talks to his ambitious assistant, Quinn (Chase Sui Wonders), and his pal and colleague Sal Saperstein (Ike Barinholtz), whose boss he becomes. The contrast between film and TV (and the talent vs. the money) has been made clear.

That opening also contains some cheeky nods to Robert Altman’s 1992 Hollywood satire, “The Player,” which — like “The Studio” — featured a technically complicated oner, a mind-boggling number of celebrity cameos and a character named Griffin Mill. “The Studio” excels at cringy humor, but it’s also doing some high-octane, technically impressive stuff and feathering a goofy Rogen comedy with layer after layer of nerdy film goodies.

And self-referential metacommentary. The second episode, called “The Oner” because Remick pops in to watch director Sarah Polley (playing herself) film a complicated and time-sensitive oner starring Greta Lee, is itself a complicated and exquisitely timed 24-minute oner. The fourth episode, in which Olivia Wilde (playing herself) directs a neo-noir detective film and “Chinatown knockoff,” has Rogen wandering around in a hat and trench coat searching for clues. “The Studio” doesn’t quite achieve “Arrested Development’s” density of nested jokes, but it comes surprisingly close.

The formal confidence and comedic virtuosity of the first few episodes are such that merely competent plots, as in “Casting,” the seventh episode this season, feel half-baked by comparison. Efforts to shake up the comedy’s format, like “The War” (which decenters Remick) and “The Pediatric Oncologist” (which sidelines everyone else) yield mixed results, too; the latter, while objectively hilarious, feels stylistically closer to “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” “The Studio” tends to be a little more sentimental about its millionaire hero, even as he haplessly struggles with the slow death of the movie industry, self-indulgent directors, various crises concerning minority representation, artificial intelligence and budgets.

Barinholtz has never been better than he is as Sal Saperstein, Rogen’s rival and better-liked No. 2. Kathryn Hahn is endlessly surprising as Maya, the studio’s elaborately coiffed marketing guru. O’Hara, terrific as ever, deserves more screen time than she gets as Remick’s ex-boss, who’s finding professional fulfillment on the creative side after her firing. There are far too many cameos to name, but Zoë Kravitz is a standout. Also good: Zac Efron, Adam Scott, Dave Franco. There’s a lachrymose Martin Scorsese and a vengeful Ron Howard.

Saddled with the toughest job, Rogen manages to remain sympathetic and relatable as a wildly wealthy executive whose ability to read the room waxes and wanes from one episode to the next. Rogen leavens Remick, who is variously clueless, cowardly and intrusive, with flashes of humility and frat-boy humor. He may be pliable, easy to manipulate and temperamentally unsuited to pulling rank on artists he genuinely admires. But, as scripted, he’s usually an amiable loser: trapped in a job that pays him a lot of money but garners him no respect or credit from the artists by whom he yearns to be seen and valued.

“The Studio” — meaning Rogen and Goldberg, who direct all the episodes — makes up for that outside the frame. That little monologue of Remick’s about how much he loves film, for instance? It takes place in an episode filmed entirely, and quite beautifully, on celluloid.

The Studio premieres March 26 on Apple TV+.

‘Scooby-Doo’ Live-Action Show Ordered to Series at Netflix With Eight Episodes

The “Scooby-Doo” live-action series is officially moving forward at Netflix, with the streamer picking up the show for eight episodes.

First reported to be in development at Netflix in April 2024 with a script-to-series commitment, the show will delve into how Mystery Inc. and their beloved Great Dane first teamed up together.

As previously reported, Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg serve as writers and showrunners and will also executive produce along with André Nemec and Jeff Pinkner under their Midnight Radio banner. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Leigh London Redman will executive produce via Berlanti productions. Warner Bros. Television will produce. Berlanti Productions is currently under an overall deal at WBTV, with the studio controlling the rights to the Hanna-Barbera characters.

“Mystery, Inc. is back in business! We’re excited to bring Scooby-Doo to TV as a live-action series for the first time,” said Peter Friedlander, vice president of scripted series for Netflix. “The beloved franchise has had an impact on pop culture that is undeniable — it’s rich with universal themes of friendship that generations of fans have long embraced. Together with creative powerhouses Berlanti Productions and Midnight Radio, we’re committed to delighting longtime fans and opening up a world of groovy adventures for a new era of meddling kids.”

The official logline for the show describes it as a modern reimagining of the popular cartoon show. “During their final summer at camp, old friends Shaggy and Daphne get embroiled in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely lost Great Dane puppy that may have been a witness to a supernatural murder,” the logline reads. “Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie, Velma, and the strange, but ever so handsome new kid, Freddy, they set out to solve the case that is pulling each of them into a creepy nightmare that threatens to expose all of their secrets.”

“One of my first and favorite jobs in Hollywood was sitting with Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera while they signed animation cells,” Berlanti said. “Josh and Scott and everyone at Midnight Radio have crafted a story that captures their amazing spirits and their genius creation. We are grateful to them and everyone at Warners and Netflix for the partnership in helping bring this iteration of Scooby-Doo to life!”

This will not be the first live-action Scooby-Doo project to make it to the screen. Most famously, “Scooby-Doo” was released in 2002 and starred Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, and Linda Cardellini, with Neil Fanning voicing Scooby. The film was a box office success, generating over $250 million worldwide. A sequel with the same cast, “Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed,” came out in 2004 and grossed over $180 million. There was also the live-action TV film “Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins” and its sequel that were released in 2009 and 2010.

There have also been a wide range of Scooby-Doo animated projects over the years, beginning with the original cartoon series in the late 1960s. Various incarnations have followed over the years, spanning multiple animated series and films. Most recently, the animated film “”Scoob! Holiday Haunt” was meant to be released on Max but was scrapped in a cost-cutting move. Max previously aired the animated series “Velma,” with Mindy Kaling voicing the bespectacled member of the Mystery Inc. gang, but the show was canceled after two seasons.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with our longstanding partners at Berlanti Productions and with Midnight Radio to bring the legendary Scooby-Doo franchise to a live-action series for the first time,” said Clancy Collins White, president of creative affairs for Warner Bros. Television. “It’s no mystery why audiences continue to love these iconic characters after more than a half century. We’re excited for a new generation to discover Mystery Inc. And we’re grateful to our partners at Netflix for the opportunity.”

Netflix has made a push into adapting animated shows into live-action projects over the last several years. The streamer currently airs live-action versions of “One Piece” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” both of which are going into their second seasons. Netflix has also adapted shows like “Cowboy Bebop,” “Death Note,” and “Fullmetal Alchemist” into live-action.

Appelbaum and Rosenberg are repped by WME and Sloane Offer. Midnight Radio is repped by WME, Sloane Offer, and Ziffren Brittenham. Pinkner is repped by WME and Ziffren Brittenham. Berlanti is repped by CAA and Felker Toczek.

‘Rust’ trailer shows first footage of Alec Baldwin Western since tragic shooting

The first footage of Alec Baldwin’s tragedy-plagued Western Rust has arrived, four years after an accidental on-set shooting claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The 1880s-set film stars Baldwin as notorious outlaw Harland Rust, who breaks his 13-year-old grandson (Patrick Scott McDermott) out of jail after he accidentally kills a rancher and is sentenced to death. Together, they flee the country on the run towards Mexico — but before reaching that safe haven, they must defend themselves against an unforgiving wilderness and the relentless pursuit of U.S. Marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) and a ruthless bounty hunter named Preacher (Travis Fimmel).

The film also stars Frances Fisher, Devon Werkheiser, Rhys Coiro, Xander Berkeley, Jake Busey, Abraham Benrubi, Travis Hammer, Nick Farnell, Sam Carson, Richard Gunn, and Easton Malcolm.

The trailer sets a moody tone for the long-delayed frontier flick, putting particular emphasis on the landscapes.

Halyna Hutchins died in an accidental shooting after Baldwin’s prop gun discharged a live round at the Bonanza Creek Ranch during production. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the incident, but recovered. After the shooting, filming on the movie was shut down for more than a year but resumed in April 2023 in Montana rather than New Mexico.

In the wake of Hutchins’ death, more than a half dozen individuals, including production crew, filed lawsuits against Baldwin and production, citing negligence on set and sparking industry-wide conversations about the use of weapons on Hollywood sets.

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Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a case surrounding the incident and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Later, the involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin was abruptly dismissed in July amid allegations that prosecutors withheld evidence. The actor pleaded not guilty and, throughout the legal battle, has maintained that he “didn’t pull the trigger.”

Hutchins’ widower Matthew Hutchins is an executive producer on the film, a title that came after he and his late wife’s family reached a settlement with Baldwin and other producers in their wrongful death lawsuit.

Rust first premiered at Poland’s Camerimage Festival in November, with director Souza and Bianca Cline, who took over cinematography duties following Hutchins’ death, in attendance.

Rust arrives in theaters and on VOD on May 2. Watch the full trailer for the film above.

Zendaya, Barry Jenkins team for A24 biopic about this music icon

Zendaya will showcase her musical prowess in a biopic about a Hall of Fame singer.

Per Deadline, Zendaya will star in a movie about the life of Ronnie Spector. Oscar winner Barry Jenkins will direct the Spector movie from a screenplay by Dave Kajganich. Instead of a traditional biopic, Zendaya will play Spector in a movie focusing on the singer’s life with troubled producer Phil Spector.

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Zendaya will play Spector, the artist who co-founded The Ronettes in 1959. The original lineup included Spector, her sister Estelle Bennett, and cousin Nedra Talley. The Ronettes are best known for the hit songs Be My Baby, (The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up, Walking in the Rain, and Baby, I Love You. The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

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Spector died in January 2022 at the age of 78 after a brief battle with cancer. Before her death, Spector reportedly hand-picked Zendaya to play her in a movie.

A24 will produce the biopic with Zendaya, Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Mark Itkin, Tom Shelly, Adele Romanski, and Mark Ceryak. Jonathan Greenfield will executive produce.

Zendaya is currently filming the long-awaited third season of Euphoria. She will then join the cast of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. A leaked character list has Zendaya playing Athena, a goddess and Odysseus’ mentor. Zendaya also stars alongside Robert Pattinson in The Drama, an A24 rom-com expected to premiere later this year.

Jenkins, who won an Oscar for Moonlight, is coming off the success of Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King, which grossed $720 million worldwide.

‘Rust’ Trailer Revealed: Western Mired in Tragedy of Halyna Hutchins’ Death Unveils First Footage

The feature, the production of which was forever marked by the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after a prop gun fired, has unveiled its first footage with lead star Alec Baldwin. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the accident. The official synopsis reads: “Set in 1880s Kansas, the film follows orphan Lucas McCalister (Patrick Scott McDermott), who “accidentally kills a rancher and is sentenced to hang,” according to its plot description. “In a twist of fate, his estranged grandfather, the notorious outlaw Harland Rust (Baldwin), breaks him out of jail and takes him on the run toward Mexico. As they flee across the unforgiving wilderness, the fugitive pair must outrun the determined U.S. Marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) and a ruthless bounty hunter named Preacher (Travis Fimmel).”

The October 21, 2021 accident involved actor/producer Baldwin, who was holding the gun during a rehearsal that discharged a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin stood trial for an involuntary manslaughter charge over Hutchins’ death, but the case was dismissed. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed is serving an 18-month sentence for Hutchins’ death as she had loaded a live round into the prop gun.

“Rust” premiered at the EnergaCamerImage film festival in November 2024. Baldwin said at the festival that he does not want to see the final cut of “Rust.”

“I haven’t seen the film,” Baldwin told Variety. “Only because this is obviously the most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt with in my life. Beyond the victims themselves, the thing that most pains me is what it did to my wife. My wife has been very, very traumatized from this. There has been a lot of pain. When you are married to somebody and everything was going fairly well and we had seven kids … and the floor falls out. It’s very frightening and very disturbing. And we are trying to get the wind in our sails, to get away from this stuff. Because the film doesn’t stand by itself. It’s always going to be overshadowed by this.”

As part of a settlement in a civil suit with Halyna’s widow Matt Hutchins, Baldwin and director Souza agreed to finish the film with Halyna’s husband as an executive producer. Any of the proceeds from the film’s sale will be donated to a fund for Halyna’s son. Bianca Cline took over cinematography duties to complete the feature.

“I hope the movie is sold, and that he gets his money,” Baldwin said. “We all made a deal with him and we all want to follow through. But this idea that people — who shall remain nameless — say, ‘You are profiting from this!’ That is absolutely wrong.”

“Rust” will be released in theaters and on digital May 2. Check out the trailer below.