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.
Ariana DeBose & Fred Hechinger Join Kraven the Hunter
Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) and Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) have joined the cast of Sony‘s Kraven the Hunter. Aaron Taylor Johnson leads the film as the titular character. Variety says DeBose is playing Calypso, a voodoo priestess in the comics who utilizes magic potions and occasionally has mind control powers. The character is also commonly depicted as a love interest of Kraven.
Meanwhile, Deadline reports Hechinger is playing Chameleon, the half-brother of Kraven and a master of disguises, known for his ability to impersonate virtually anybody. The film hits theaters on January 13, 2023.
Meg 2: The Trench Adds Plenty of Fresh Meat
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sienna Guillory (Resident Evil: Apocalypse), Skyler Samuels (The Gifted), and Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Resident Evil: Afterlife) have joined the cast of Meg 2: The Trench. Peris-Mencheta is playing one of the movie’s human antagonists, “a hard-edged mercenary.” Guillory will play “the head of an applied sciences division.” while Samuels is “an adventure-loving member of Statham’s submarine crew.” Variety reports that Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior II) has also boarded the cast in an undisclosed role.
Additionally, Cliff Curtis, Shuya Sophia Cai, and Page Kennedy are also set to reprise their respective roles from The Meg alongside lead star Jason Statham. However, Li Bingbing will not be returning as Suyin, the oceanographer and love interest for Statham’s character, Jonas Taylor. Ben Wheatley is directing Meg 2, which is based on Steve Alten’s 1999 novel The Trench.
John Cena Joins Coyote vs. Acme
John Cena has been announced as the first human star of Coyote vs. Acme. The upcoming Looney Tunes live-action/animated hybrid film is based on Ian Frazier’s 1990 piece for the New Yorker of the same name. Cena will play the intimidating former boss of Coyote’s lawyer representing the Acme company.
Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) is directing from a script by Samy Burch (Crown Prince). James Gunn is also one of the producers on the project making this a Peacemaker reunion of sorts.
Lukas Gage Cast as a Series Regular for You Season 4
Lukas Gage (The White Lotus) has joined the cast of You season 4 in the series regular role of Adam. Deadline reports that Adam, the youngest son of a wealthy East Coast magnate, is “famous for spectacularly failing to meet the standards of his successful, venerable family. An entrepreneur and a gambler, Adam is a warm and funny party host and fast friend. But underneath, Adam is hiding a trove of secrets and papering over problems with heavy self-medication.
“Determined to prove himself, Adam’s taking big, risky swings, living by the truism that a good businessman does absolutely anything he can get away with. Does he love his wealthy, titled girlfriend, or is he using her? There’s no doubt he’s manipulating his friends; the only question is how far he’d go.”
No word yet on when the fourth season of You might premiere on Netflix.
Other Casting Updates
- Rupert Friend and Stuart Martin have joined the cast of Zack Snyder‘s Rebel Moon. Friend will be playing one of the lead antagonists, likely Balisarius, “an interplanetary warlord who has shown up on a small planet’s doorstep.” (Netflix Geeked)
- Lyric Ross (This Is Us) has joined the cast of Marvel Studios‘ Ironheart as Riri Williams’ best friend. No character name was announced, but in the comics, Riri’s best friend is named Natalie Washington.
- Ariana Greenblatt and Kate McKinnon are the latest actors to board Barbie, the upcoming Warner Bros. film based on the iconic doll line. (Deadline)
- David Dastmalchian has joined the cast of The Boogeyman, a horror-thriller based on the Stephen King short story of the same name.
- Aaron Pierre (Krypton) has boarded Marvel Studios’ Blade. No word on who he is playing. (Deadline)
- Rupert Grint (Servant) has signed on for Knock at the Cabin, the next horror film from M. Night Shyamalan. Nikki Amuka-Bird (Old) has also joined the cast. The film hits theaters on February 3, 2023.
- Ian Petrella (Randy), Zack Ward (Scut Farkus), Scott Schwartz (Flick) and R.D. Robb (Schwartz) will be reprising their A Christmas Story roles in the upcoming sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas
That’s it for last couple of weeks. What projects mentioned are you interested in seeing once completed? Tell us down in the comments!
