There’s a lot of breaking news in Hollywood happening every minute. In the age of the blockbuster, it’s easy for some smaller movie and television news to slip through the crack. Last Week in Hollywood is our new weekly series highlighting all the interesting news from the last week that we thought didn’t warrant its own post, but was still worth mentioning. It’s less personal opinions and more a hearty roundup of what you might have missed.
Anya Taylor-Joy is George Miller’s Furiosa
George Miller has announced the cast for Furiosa, his prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. Anya Taylor-Joy will take over the role of Furiosa from Charlize Theron. Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II have been cast in undisclosed roles. Miller will direct, co-write, and produce the prequel. THR states the project is in “advance development.”
Bette Midler Confirms Hocus Pocus 2 Talks
Bette Midler, who played one of the three Sanderson Sisters in the 1993 film Hocus Pocus, confirms there have been talks to return for Disney+’s Hocus Pocus 2. Midler told EW:
“Oh absolutely. I can’t wait to fly! Oh, yeah. We’re just talking logistics.”
It sounds like it is pretty much a done deal.
Stanley Tucci, John Bradley Join Moonfall
Stanley Tucci and John Bradley have joined Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, and Charlie Plummer in Moonfall, the latest space epic from Roland Emmerich that centers on the moon being knocked from orbit and sent hurtling to Earth.
Tucci will play “Tom Phillips, a wealthy car dealer, who’s married to Brian Harper’s (Wilson) ex-wife,” while Bradley plays “KC Houseman, an eccentric and unkempt genius who discovers that the moon has fallen out of its orbit.” Josh Gad was originally cast in the role of KC Houseman but exited the project due to a scheduling conflict.
Kyle Chandler Joins Jason Momoa in Slumberland
Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) has joined Jason Momoa (Aquaman) in Slumberland, an adaptation of Windsor Mccay’s Little Nemo In Slumberland. Francis Lawrence (Constantine, Red Sparrow) is directing the project for Netflix. Chris O’Dowd and Marlow Barkley have also been cast in the film.
The film will follow “a young girl, Nema, who, with the help of a large half-man/half-monster creature (Momoa), travels to a mystical land in her dreams in search of her missing father.”
Joaquin Phoenix Will Be Napoleon for Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott (Alien) has lined up his next project after Gucci. He will direct Joaquin Phoenix in Kitbag, “an original and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine.”
Phoenix will play Napoleon. The project is set up at 20th Century Studios. David Scarpa (All the Money in the World) is working on the script.
Sarah Shahi Cast in Black Adam
Sarah Shahi has joined the cast of Black Adam in the role of “a university professor and freedom fighter leading the resistance in Kahndaq.” The character is reported to not be based on a pre-existing DC Comics character. Shahi joins a cast that includes Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam, Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, and Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher.
Billy Crudup in Talks to Return for The Flash
Billy Crudup is in talks to reprise his Justice League role in The Flash. It’s been so long that I barely remember Crudup’s brief appearance in the 2017 film as Barry Allen’s father. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news stating that although Crudup previously dropped out of the project back when it was still stuck in development hell, the actor is back in talks to return. It is all-but-confirmed that Crudup will be seen in Zack Snyder’s Justice League next year as a number of his scenes were cut after Snyder left the film.
The Lost City of D to Reunite Bullock & Reynolds
Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are set to reunite for The Lost City of D, a new romantic comedy that’s being compared to Romancing the Stone. Reynold is not officially attached at the moment, and scheduling might end up getting in the way because Paramount wants to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. Adam & Aaron Nee (Band of Robbers) have been tapped to direct the project.
The film will follow “a romance author who discovers that a fictional city she had written about is real, prompting her to embark on a risky journey to find the city.”
Tom Hardy, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield Rumored for Spider-Man 3
According to Daniel Richtman’s Patreon, there is a “general interest” for Tom Hardy‘s Venom to show up in Spider-Man 3. It is unclear if the interest if from Sony, Marvel Studios, or both. Richtman says there have been no real talks yet, and Hardy’s involvement would presumably be for just a cameo role. This comes on top of reports that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will be returning for Spider-Man 3.
Untitled David O. Russell Film Adds John David Washington
John David Washington (Tenet) has joined the cast of David O. Russell’s forthcoming untitled project. Washington joins a cast that includes Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and Michael B. Jordan. Russell will write and direct the project which looks to begin production in Los Angeles this coming January.
Constantin Film Announces Resident Evil Reboot Cast
Constantin Film has announced the cast for its Resident Evil reboot which will act as an official origin story for the franchise. This story will be set in 1998 on a fateful night in Raccoon City.
Starring in the roles of the iconic game characters will be Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell as Chris Redfield, Tom Hopper as Albert Wesker, Avan Jogia as Leon S. Kennedy, and Neal McDonough as William Birkin.
Adam McKay Assembles A-List Cast for Don’t Look Up
Netflix has revealed the cast for its upcoming film Don’t Look Up. Previously announced Jennifer Lawrence will be joined by Leonardo DiCaprio. Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Himesh Patel, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Matthew Perry, Rob Morgan, and Tomer Sisley.
Adam McKay will write, direct and co-produce the film about “two low-level astronomers who embark on a media tour to warn mankind of an approaching asteroid that will destroy Earth.” With that cast, Netflix looks to have another awards contender on hand.
Dev Patel to Play Chippendales Founder
Dev Patel is set to star as Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the founder of Chippendales, the first male strip club targeted for female audiences in the United States. The film will focus on “Banerjee’s rise and fall in pursuit of the American Dream, from founding the multi-million dollar Chippendales franchise to being charged with conspiring to kill three of his business associates.” Craig Gillespie will direct.
Kate Winslet to Star in Fake!
Kate Winslet is set to star in Fake!, a new movie from writer-director Scott Z. Burns. The new film is based on a forthcoming book by Jen McAdam and Douglas Thompson which details McAdam’s involvement in the OneCoin Ponzi scheme. Winslet will play McAdam in the movie.
Kristofer Hivju Joins Distant
Norwegian actor Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones) has joined the cast of Distant, a science fiction film from Amblin. Hivju joins Anthony Ramos and Naomi Scott (taking over for previously cast Rachel Brosnahan) on board in the lead roles. Will Speck and Josh Gordon will direct from a script by Spenser Cohen.
Distant follows “an asteroid miner who, after crash-landing on an alien planet, must contend with the challenges of his new surroundings, while making his way across the harsh terrain to the only other survivor – a woman who is trapped in her escape pod.”
James McAvoy to Star in American Adaptation of My Son
James McAvoy (Split) and Claire Foy (The Crown) are set to star in an American version of My Son, a French missing person thriller with an interesting twist: McAvoy will actually be solving the mystery on his own. The Hollywood Reporter brought word about the project. Christian Carion, who directed the original, will also direct this version. McAvoy will play “a father whose son goes missing, leading him to travel to the town where his ex-wife (Foy) lives in search of answers to the mystery.”
McAvoy won’t be given a script or any lines of dialogue, so he’ll have to improv his surroundings and what is going on around him. Foy and the rest of the actors and crew members will know exactly what is happening (or what is supposed to happen) over the arc of the story. McAvoy will solve the mystery one step at a time.
“James will be doing the detective work of the film in real time, on camera, to create real tension for this thriller” said STXfilms motion picture group chairman Adam Fogelson in a statement.
Sasha Lane Reportedly Joins Loki
Sasha Lane (American Honey) has reportedly joined the cast of Loki, the time-hopping Disney+ series that will star Tom Hiddleston as the version of Loki that escaped 2012 during Avengers: Endgame. GoldenGlobes.com recently published a profile of the actress which stated that Lane “will next appear in the superhero series Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston.”
Casts Announced for Army of Dead Spinoffs
The full casts for Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas and the live-action Army of the Dead prequel have been announced.
Joe Manganiello, Christian Slater, Vanessa Hudgens, Harry Lennix, Ross Butler, Anya Chalotra, Yetide Badaki, Christina Wren, Monica Barbaro, Jena Malone, and Nolan North are announced as the new cast members of the Netflix anime series Lost Vegas. They join previously announced Dave Bautista, Ana De La Reguera, Tig Notaro, Omari Hardwick and Ella Purnell who will be reprising their roles from Zack Snyder’s upcoming Army of the Dead. Snyder will direct the first two episodes of the anime series.
Meanwhile the prequel, directed by and starring Army of the Dead actor Matthias Schweighöfer, has added Nathalie Emmanuel, Stuart Martin, Guz Khan, Ruby O’Fee, Jonathan Cohen, Noémi Nakai, and Peter Simonischek to its cast.
Sandra Oh to Star in Horror Film Umma
Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Films has scooped up the rights to Umma, a new supernatural horror movie from Sam Raimi. Iris K. Shim wrote and will make her feature non-documentary directorial debut on the picture that will star Sandra Oh.
The plot focuses on “Amanda (Sandra Oh) and her daughter living a quiet life on an American farm, but when the remains of her estranged mother arrive from Korea, Amanda becomes haunted by the fear of turning into her own mother.”
Allison Williams to Star in M3GAN
Blumhouse has set Allison Williams (Get Out) to star in M3GAN. The film, set up at Universal, follows “a brilliant roboticist (Williams) at a toy company who is developing the titular life-like doll with artificial intelligence that can be programmed to be ‘a kid’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally.’ But when she decides to activate M3GAN to help out when she unexpectedly gains custody of her niece, the doll may not end up being as helpful she hoped. In fact, it’s a mistake that will have unimaginable consequences.”
Gerard Johnstone (Housebound) will direct from a script written by Akela Cooper (Malignant, The Nun 2). James Wan will produce through his Atomic Monster productions banner. And yes, that does sound like a reimagined take on Child’s Play (which sort of did the same thing last year).
Tanner Buchanan Joins He’s All That
Tanner Buchanan (Cobra Kai) has joined He’s All That, a remake of the 1999 rom-com She’s All That, in the role of the nerd who is secretly a hot, up-and-coming actor in nerd makeup. Buchanan joins Addison Rae (TikTok) who was announced as being part of the cast a few weeks ago.
The remake will follow the same premise as the original, except gender swapped. Rae will star as a social media influencer who has to transform Buchanan from a nerdy high school student into prom king.
Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley Starring in Maid Together
Mother-daughter duo Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley are set to star in their first film together. Deadline reports that MacDowell is officially set to star opposite her daughter in Maid, a new Netflix dramedy series inspired by Stephanie Land’s bestselling memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive.
Qualley will play “Alex, a single mother who turns to housekeeping to make ends meet.” MacDowell will play Alex’s mother “Paula, an eccentric and self-proclaimed artist, who also struggles with psychological demons – a struggle she has never acknowledged, and often does not win.” Nick Robinson (Love, Simon) and Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls) are also part of the cast. Maid recently began production in Vancouver.
Xochitl Gomez Joins Doctor Strange Sequel
Xochitl Gomez (The Baby-Sitters Club) has joined Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There’s no word on who she might be playing, but rumor says America Chavez/Miss America, a character who only started appearing in Marvel Comics in 2011. It’s only a matter of time before the official cast of Doctor Strange 2 is announced, so hopefully we’ll find out who she is playing then.
Jurassic World: Dominion Adds Dimitri Vegas
Dimitri Vegas, who is one half of the DJ duo Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, announced on his social media that he has joined the cast of Jurassic World: Dominion. He stated:
“Thrilled to join the cast of @JurassicWorld: Dominion and super grateful to be a small part of the legacy that made my childhood awesome … Dream come true.”
No word on who he might be playing.
That’s it for last three weeks. What castings mentioned are you interested in seeing the most onscreen? Tell us down in the comments!
