Let’s rundown three recent casting updates, shall we?
Benji is Back
Collider was the first to notice that while on the show Our City Tonight, Simon Pegg revealed that he would be back for Mission: Impossible 7. In the interview, Pegg said:
“I have another Mission: Impossible to start next year.”
Pegg’s confirmation makes him the third Mission: Impossible castmember to be returning for the upcoming sequels joining Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson. New cast members include Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, and Nicholas Hoult.
Simon Pegg first joined the Mission: Impossible franchise in the third installment as Benji Dunn, the IMF tech guy turned field agent. Pegg has been a source of comedic relief in each film.
There’s been no word yet on any other returning castmembers. However, it should be safe to say that Ving Rhames will be back as Luther Stickell. He’s made an appearance in every film, so it would be a shame to leave him out. Personally, I’m hoping Jeremy Renner is able to return this time. And heck, let’s bring back Paula Patton, too.
Mission: Impossible 7 hits heaters July 23, 2021 and Mission: Impossible 8 follows on August 5, 2022.
DuVernay Finds Her DMZ Lead
Last year, we reported that Ava DuVernay was working on an adaptation of the Vertigo comic book series DMZ for HBO Max. Now it’s been announced that she has found her lead star.
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Rosario Dawson is the first cast member to sign on for the forthcoming series. She will play Alma, “a fierce medic who saves lives while desperately searching for her lost son. As she contends with the gangs, militias, demagogues and warlords who now control the lawless island, she becomes the unlikely source of what everyone there has lost: hope.”
DMZ is set in the aftermath of a second Civil War, where Manhattan is a demilitarized zone (hence the DMZ of the title) between the two sides of the battle. DuVernay is set to executive produce the series, and direct the pilot episode.
Channing Tatum, a Regular Guy? Okay.
Variety reports that Channing Tatum is set to star in and produce the upcoming Disney film Bob the Musical. The film has been in development at the studio for more than a decade.
The film’s story centers on “a regular guy whose worst nightmare comes to life when he wakes up and finds that he’s trapped in a musical.”
Tatum will play the “regular guy”, which honestly is a bit hard to buy only because Tatum looks like a the son of Gods. If Tatum is what a regular guy should look like, I’m going to have to start hitting the gym way more than I do now.
Jokes aside, Tatum has shown he isn’t afraid to dabble in a mixture of genres. It should be fun seeing him play a guy who hates musicals.
Which project interests you the most? Will you watch DMZ on HBO Max? What about Bob the Musical? Excited for more Benji? Let us know in the comments!
