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.
Jack Kesy Is Hellboy in The Crooked Man
Jack Kesy (Deadpool 2) has been cast as Hellboy in Millennium Media‘s upcoming reboot, Hellboy: The Crooked Man. Additional casting is in the works.
As previously announced, Brian Taylor (Crank) will be directing with a script penned by Hellboy comic book creator Mike Mignola and Chris Golden. The movie will find Hellboy stranded in 1950s rural Appalachia with a rookie BPRD agent. There they discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy’s past: the Crooked Man. | Source: Deadline
Jenna Ortega Circling Lead Role in Beetlejuice 2
Wednesday and Scream VI star Jenna Ortega is reportedly circling a role in Beetlejuice 2. If a deal is made, sources say Ortega would play the daughter of Lydia, the character played by Winona Ryder in the original.
Tim Burton is expected to direct the feature for Warner Bros., which would be the long-awaited follow-up to his 1988 film starring Michael Keaton, who is also returning. Production is eying a late May or early June shoot in London. | Source: The Hollywood Reporter
New Alien Movie Expands Cast
Isabela Merced is set to join Cailee Spaeny in Fede Alvarez‘s upcoming Alien movie for 20th Century Studios. David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn, and newcomer Aileen Wu have also signed on for roles in the film.
In the ninth entry in the iconic sci-fi horror series, a group of young people on a distant world find themselves in a confrontation with the most terrifying life form in the universe. | Source: Deadline
Jack Black to Star in Farrelly Brothers’ Dear Santa
Jack Black will reunite with Bobby and Peter Farrelly (Shallow Hal) for Dear Santa, an upcoming Christmas comedy that Bobby Farrelly is set to direct with Peter Farrelly on board as producer. The current working draft of the script is by the Farrelly brothers and Ricky Blitt, based on an original idea from Dan Ewen.
The movie centers on “a young boy who, in writing his yearly note to Santa, mixes up the letters and sends it to Satan instead.” No word yet on who Black could play. The film also will star Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, PJ Byrne, newcomer Jaden Carson Baker, Kai Cech, and Austin Post. | Source: Deadline
Eric Stonestreet Joins The Santa Clauses as Evil Santa
Eric Stonestreet has joined the cast of The Santa Clauses Season 2 as “Magnus Antas (a.k.a. the Mad Santa), who reigned during the 14th century and is now returning to try and take down Scott Calvin and reclaim the North Pole.” Additional new cast members for The Santa Clauses include Gabriel Iglesias as Kris Kringle, and Marta Kessler as Olga, a surly, take-no-prisoners gnome who is the Mad Santa’s sidekick.
In the second season of The Santa Clauses, “the Calvin family is back in the North Pole as Scott Calvin continues his role as Santa Claus after retirement plans were thwarted when failing to find a worthy successor in season one. Now that Scott and his family have successfully saved Christmas, Scott turns his focus towards training his son Calvin to eventually take over the ‘family business’ as Santa Claus.”
Adam McKay Assembles Stellar Cast for Next Film
Adam McKay has lined up Robert Pattinson, Amy Adams, Robert Downey Jr, Forest Whitaker, and Danielle Deadwyler to head the ensemble cast of his next directing vehicle, Average Height, Average Build. The package is currently being shopped to studios and streamers with hopes of going into production by late summer or early fall.
In Average Height, Average Build, “Pattinson will play a serial killer who enlists a lobbyist (Adams) to change laws that will allow him to get away with murder more easily. Downey’s role is a retired cop who won’t give up on the murders, and the killer tries to prevent him from dogging his trail now that he’s hung up his gun. The serial killer turns himself into a cause celebre, a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington figure shielding his true motives.” | Source: Deadline
More Casting to Know
- Jenna Fischer (The Office) has joined the ensemble cast of Paramount Pictures’ upcoming Mean Girls musical film in the role of Cady Heron’s mom. (Deadline)
- Clancy Brown is set to recur as Salvatore Maroni in the HBO Max Original limited drama series, The Penguin. (Deadline)
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson has boarded Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu. (Deadline)
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two writer/director Christopher McQuarrie announced that Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham has joined the upcoming film in an undisclosed role. (Instagram)
- Vanessa Hudgens is set to reprise her role as weapons expert Kelly in Bad Boys 4. (Deadline)
- Ciarán Hinds, Rory Kinnear, and Tanya Moodie have joined the Season 2 cast of Prime Video‘s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in recurring roles. (Deadline)
- Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where The Crawdads Sing) is set to star in Twisters. (Deadline)
- Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, James Acaster, and Emily Alyn Lind have joined the cast of the live-action sequel to Sony Pictures’ Ghostbusters: Afterlife. (Deadline)
- Arty Froushan (Carnival Row) has landed a major role in Marvel Studios’ Daredevil: Born Again. (Deadline)
- Demetrius Grosse (Fear the Walking Dead) has officially signed on to play Eric Williams / Grim Reaper, the brother of Simon Williams / Wonder Man (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) in Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man. (TVLine)
That’s it for the last few weeks. What projects mentioned are you interested in seeing once completed? Tell us in the comments!
