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.
Reacher Expands Season 2 Cast
Prime Video has added several actors to the cast of Reacher Season 2. Serinda Swan (Coroner), Ferdinand Kingsley (Sandman), and Rory Cochrane (Winning Time) will play series regulars Karla Dixon, A.M., and Shane Langston, respectively, opposite Alan Ritchson‘s titular former military police investigator. Also set to star in Season 2 are Maria Sten as Frances Neagley and Shaun Sipos as David O’Donnell.
Guest stars for Reacher Season 2 include Domenick Lombardozzi (Magnum P.I.), Luke Bilyk (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Dean McKenzie (Shooter), Edsson Morales (Black Summer), Andres Collantes (Two Sentence Horror Stories), Shannon Kook-Chun (The 100), Ty Victor Olsson (Supernatural), Josh Blacker (See), and Al Sapienza (Coroner).
The second season began filming in September and is based on the eleventh book in Lee Child’s bestselling series, Bad Luck and Trouble. | Source: Deadline
David Harbour to Star in Gran Turismo Adaptation
David Harbour has signed on to star in Gran Turismo, the Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions feature adaptation of the best-selling racing video game. Neill Blomkamp will direct from a script written by Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard).
The film, based on a true story, is described as “the ultimate wish-fulfillment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won him a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional racecar driver.” Harbour will play a retired driver who teaches the teen to drive. Gran Turismo is currently slated to hit theaters on August 11, 2023. | Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Titus Welliver to Play Lex Luthor in Titans Season 4
Titus Welliver is set to play Lex Luthor in the fourth season of Titans. A first photo of the actor as the Superman villain has also been released (see above). Titans‘ take on the criminal mastermind will be, according to showrunner Greg Walker, a “very sensitive, thoughtful approach to evil and power.”
Titans Season 4 will premiere in November 2022 on HBO Max. | Source: Entertainment Weekly
The Acolyte Casts Manny Jacinto
Manny Jacinto, who is best known for his starring role in the NBC series The Good Place, has been cast opposite Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae in the Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte. Jodie Turner-Smith will also star.
The Acolyte was announced in December 2020 and is a mystery-thriller set to take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging Dark Side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. In the real universe of Star Wars, “acolyte” can refer to individuals with Force abilities who learn from a more experienced Sith Lord. | Source: Deadline
Lisa Kudrow to Headline Time Bandits Series
Lisa Kudrow has been tapped to lead the ensemble cast of Apple TV+‘s Time Bandits, an upcoming series adaptation of the beloved 1981 fantasy film. Joining Kudrow as series regulars are Kal-El Tuck (Unseeing Evil), Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up), Tadhg Murphy (Conversations With Friends), Roger Jean Nsengiyumva (You Don’t Know Me), Rune Temte (Eddie the Eagle), Kiera Thompson (Martyrs Lane), and Rachel House (Heartbreak High).
Time Bandits has been in development at Apple since 2019. Taika Waititi will direct the first two episodes of the 10-episode series. He is also on board as co-writer and executive producer. The upcoming series is described as “a comedic journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an eleven-year-old history nerd.” | Source: Deadline
Other Casting Announcements
- Emma Caulfield Ford will reprise her WandaVision role as Sarah Proctor / “Dottie Jones” in the upcoming Disney+ series Agatha: Coven of Chaos. | (Vanity Fair)
- Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone) and Paul Bettany (WandaVision) have joined the all-star ensemble of Miramax and Sony’s Here. | (Deadline)
- Kevin Bacon has joined the cast of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley. | (Deadline)
- Francis Ford Coppola has added Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live), Isabelle Kusman (Licorice Pizza), Bailey Ives, and Dustin Hoffman to the cast of his epic drama Megalopolis. They join previously announced lead stars Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, and Nathalie Emmanuel. Also in the cast are Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, Grace Vanderwaal, Kathryn Hunter, Aubrey Plaza, and James Remar. | (Deadline)
- Winona Ryder, Dan Levy, and Hasan Minhaj will make cameo appearances in the upcoming live-action Haunted Mansion film. | (Deadline)
- Shakira Barrera (GLOW) has joined Marvel Studios’ Ironheart as a series regular. Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola (South Side) has also joined the cast of the upcoming Disney+ series in an undisclosed role. Anthony Ramos has also been confirmed to play The Hood in Ironheart. | (Deadline, D23 Expo)
- Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) and Alan Tudyk (Firefly) will voice the lead characters in Disney‘s upcoming animated film Wish. | (Deadline)
- Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and Laura Benanti (Gossip Girl) have joined the cast of the R-rated comedy No Hard Feelings. Broderick will play the rich husband of Benanti’s character. | (Deadline)
- Bill Skarsgard and Lily-Rose Depp will star in Nosferatu, Robert Eggers‘ upcoming reimagining of the classic gothic tale of obsession, following “a haunted young woman (Depp) in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire (Skarsgard) who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him.” | (Deadline)
- Eva Longoria and George Lopez will star in a Latino-centric adaptation of Judith Viorst’s best-selling children’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Marvin Lemus will direct the feature for Disney+, which will follow “a Mexican American family who have recently lost their connection to each other and their roots, as they embark on an epic road trip that immediately goes hilariously wrong.” | (THR)
That’s it for the last few weeks. What projects mentioned are you interested in seeing once completed? Tell us down in the comments!