- Comedian and actor Jerrod Carmichael has been tapped to join Emma Stone in the upcoming adaptation of the Alasdair Grey’s novel Poor Things directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. This is a very unexpected and unlikely casting announcements of the week which makes it one of the best. Carmichael also joines Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo and Ramy Youssef in the the Victorian-set, Frankenstein-esque story from Searchlight.
- Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown are joining forces to star and produce Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Deadline reported the news about the film which centers on Trinity Childs (Hall), the first lady of a prominent Southern Baptist megachurch, who attempts to help her pastor-husband, Lee-Curtis Childs (Brown), rebuild their congregation and reconcile their faith to make the biggest comeback that commodified religion has ever seen. Shot in a faux-documentary style, the megachurch satire will be an opportunity to see Brown stretch his comedic chops.
- It’s not necessarily new news, but it is confirmed that Oscar Isaac is gonna play the titular Marvel superhero in the forthcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight.
"WE ARE MOONKNIGHT" – Oscar Isaac #MoonKnight pic.twitter.com/GhLgvHnje8
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) May 27, 2021
- Ronny Chieng continues to work! The stand-up comedian and Crazy Rich Asians actor is set to appear in the forthcoming Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and has been tapped to join Blumhouse and Atomic Monster’s horror M3GAN.
- Lee Daniels has renewed his overall deal with 20th Television. The news comes with his return to broadcast television in the 2021-22 season with The Wonder Years revival at ABC and Our Kind of People at Fox.
- Netflix‘s wildly anticipated adaptation of Neil Gaiman‘s comic book series The Sandman has added 12 cast members. This project is getting stacked!
- With all the series announcements for the upcoming TV season, The CW has a lot of returning shows, new shows and some shifting of shows. First off the live-action adaptation of the animated series Powerpuff Girls titled Powerpuff starring Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, Yana Perrault and Donald Faison is gonna get a complete makeover. It is going to be repiloted off-cycle to come back another day. Don’t fret — all cast and crew will stay in place. Not-so-great news:The CW is leaving the fate of Tom Swift in limbo while Our Ladies of Brooklyn and the Black Lightning spinoff Painkiller are not going forward. Good news: the network gave series orders to Ava DuVernay‘s Naomi and the spinoff All American: Homecoming.
- Khris Davis is ready to step into the ring as two-time world heavyweight champion George Foreman in the George Tillman Jr.-directed biopic.
- Anna Akana is set to join Lewis Tan, Emma Roberts, and Thomas in the Marius Weisberg-directed rom-com About Fate.
- Universal has nabbed a live action adult comedy Strays from Phil Lord and Chris Miller and written by American Vandal‘s Dan Perrault. The film follows an abandoned dog who teams up with other strays to get revenge on his former owner.
- Keenan Scott II‘s new play Thoughts of a Colored Man will begin performances at Broadway’s Golden Theatre on October 1 and will open on October 31. The ensemble includes Dyllón Burnside (Pose), Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton), Da’Vinchi (Black Mafia Family), Luke James (The Chi), Forrest McClendon (The Scottsboro Boys), Tristan “Mack” Wilds (The Wire), and Keith David (Greenleaf). The play explores a single day in the pulsing heart of Brooklyn, as seven Black men discover the extraordinary together. Directed by Steve H. Broadnax II, Thoughts of a Colored Man blends spoken word, slam poetry, rhythm, and humor to shine a light onto a tight-knit brotherhood, revealing their most triumphant selves.
- The HFPA has hired diversity consultant…. and?
- R.I.P. to icon Samuel E. Wright, who lent his voice to The Little Mermaid as Sebastian.
- A Black Lady Sketch Show‘s Gabrielle Dennis is set to star in the NBC pilot Someone Out There. Based on the Spanish format Pequeñas Coincidencias created by Javier Veiga, the single-camera romantic comedy is about two set-in-their-ways adults who are challenged by very unexpected strangers to become the best versions of themselves in order to find love and possibly each other.
- Omari Hardwick, John Ortiz and Molly Parker are ready to come aboard the sci-fi adventure feature The Mothership.
- Hiroyuki Sanada has been tapped as one of three leads in the FX limited series Shōgun, based on James Clavell’s bestselling novel.
- NBC’s ensemble drama pilot for At That Age has set a stacked cast with Adrian Holmes, Nicole Ari Parker, Brad James, Jade Eshete, Sinqua Walls, Emayatzy Corinealdi and Christian Keyes. At That Age is an exploration of an African-American family’s legacy. After the Cooper family’s golden child suffers a catastrophic event, seven family members face a foundational shift, make life-altering decisions and deal with deep secrets coming to light.
- BIG NEWS: Amazon has bought MGM For $8.45 billion if you’re into that sort of thing.
- Last but not least, Dave Chappelle‘s new untitled documentary about facing the challenges in rural Ohio during the early days of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement is set to close this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
