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.
Charlie Hunnam & More Join Rebel Moon Cast
Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Bae Doona, and Ray Fisher have joined the cast of Rebel Moon, the upcoming Zack Snyder-directed epic sci-fi fantasy feature in development at Netflix. Jena Malone, Staz Nair, E. Duffy, Charlotte Maggi, and Sky Yang have also boarded the project.
Filming is set to begin in April and last until November. According to THR, the film is being shot as a two-part movie. Rebel Moon follows “a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that is threatened by the armies of a tyrannical regent named Belisarius. Desperate, the colonists dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them make a stand.”
Snyder co-wrote the script with Army of the Dead co-screenwriter Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad.
Michael Mann Assembles Cast for Ferrari
Michael Mann‘s passion project, Ferrari, looks to finally be happening. After a big domestic deal with STX, Mann has cast Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, and Shailene Woodley in the big-budget biopic of racing mogul Enzo Ferrari.
Driver is replacing Hugh Jackman in the title role while Cruz will play Enzo’s wife Laura. Woodley will play mistress Lina Lardi. Ferrari is set “during the summer of 1957. Ex-racecar driver, Ferrari, is in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing ten years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for one son and the acknowledgement of another. He decides to counter his losses by rolling the dice on one race – 1,000 miles across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia.”
Shooting will begin in May. Mann will direct from a script by Troy Kennedy Martin (The Italian Job) and Mann based on Brock Yates’ book Enzo Ferrari – The Man and the Machine.
America Ferrera & Simu Liu Join Barbie
America Ferrera (Superstore) and Simu Liu have boarded Barbie, the upcoming film based on the classic doll line. No word yet on who they might play. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were previously cast as Barbie and Ken.
Greta Gerwig is directing the picture for Warner Bros. She also co-wrote script with Noah Baumbach. Plot details are unknown.
Stacked Cast Announced for IF
John Krasinski‘s next directorial effort, IF (previously Imaginary Friends), has just added to its cast. The Paramount Pictures film will star Steve Carell, Alan Kim, Cailey Fleming, and Louis Gossett Jr. They join previously announced stars Ryan Reynolds, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Fiona Shaw.
Based on an original idea from Krasinski, IF centers around “a child seeking to rediscover their imagination.” Krasinski will serve as writer, director, and producer in addition to appearing in the film. IF hits theaters on November 17, 2023.
Cumberbatch, Dern to Star in Morning
Benedict Cumberbatch, Laura Dern, and Noah Jupe are set to star in the futuristic science-fiction film, Morning. Dern and Cumberbatch will also executive produce. Cumberbatch is expected to take on a smaller, supporting role.
According to Variety, Justin Kurzel (Assassins Creed) will direct. Morning is set “in the near future, in which society has invented a pill that makes one forgo the need to sleep. Due to the presence of an artificial sun that guarantees perpetual daylight, work and productivity are expected to function round-the-clock, but a younger, sleep-deprived generation rebels against the system, reclaiming their right to dream.”
Kingsley Ben-Adir to Play Bob Marley in Biopic
Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami) will play Bob Marley in a biopic about the raggae legend for Paramount. Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard) will direct the feature from a screenplay by Zach Baylin (King Richard), reports THR.
Ziggy Marley, Rita Marley and Cedella Marley will produce on behalf of Tuff Gong. Robert Teitel will also produce the feature that will “focus on the life and career of the pioneering voices of reggae.”
Voice Cast Announced for Luck
Skydance Animation’s first animated feature, Luck, has added to its voice cast. Joining previously announced cast members Jane Fonda and Whoopi Goldberg are Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Flula Borg, Lil Rel Howery, Colin O’Donoghue, John Ratzenberger, and Adelynn Spoon.
Luck centers on “Sam (Noblezada), the unluckiest person in the world who stumbles upon the Land of Luck after aging out of the foster care system. Determined to turn her luck around, Sam joins a group of magical creatures to face a powerful foe. Included in her ragtag group of creatures are a lucky black cat (Pegg), a unicorn engineer (Borg), a flower shop owner (Howery) and a loyal leprechaun (O’Donoghue).”
Ratzenberger will voice Rootie, the self-appointed mayor of Bad Luck, while Fonda is The Dragon, the CEO of Good Luck. Goldberg is voicing The Captain, the Land of Luck’s security guard. Spoon will voice Hazel, Sam’s younger roommate. The film is set to be directed by Peggy Holmes, with a script written by Kiel Murray, Johnathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. Luck begins streaming August 5, 2022 on Apple TV+.
Jake Gyllenhaal Set to Star in Cut and Run
Variety reports that Jake Gyllenhaal is set to star in Cut and Run, “a heist thriller about a group of thieves who use high-powered speed boats to rob super-yachts. Their caper takes a turn when they steal the wrong thing from the wrong group of people.”
New Republic Pictures won rights to the John Glenn-spec script after a bidding war with several potential buyers. In addition to starring, Gyllenhaal will also produce the film through his company Nine Stories Productions.
Fantasia Barrino in Talks for The Color Purple Musical
Singer-songwriter Fantasia Barrino is in final negotiations to play Celie in The Color Purple movie musical. She previously played that part on Broadway in 2007. Whoopi Goldberg originated the role in Steven Spielberg’s dramatic version of The Color Purple in 1985. Danielle Brooks (Peacemaker) has also joined the film in the role of Sofia. Previously announced castmembers include Taraji P. Henson, Corey Hawkins, and H.E.R.
Warner Bros. is behind the feature adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel by Alice Walker. The Color Purple focuses on “Celie Harris and tracks her lifelong struggles as an African American woman living in the South during the early 1900s.” Blitz Bazawule (Black Is King) is set to direct from a screenplay by Marcus Gardley. The film will hit theaters on December 20, 2023.
Sophie Thatcher Joins The Boogeyman Adaptation
Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) is set to star alongside Chris Messina (Birds of Prey) in the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King‘s 1973 short story The Boogeyman. Rob Savage (Host) will direct for Hulu. Mark Heyman is writing the latest iteration of the script.
In the film, “still reeling from the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl and her little brother find themselves plagued by a sadistic presence in their house and struggle to get their grieving father to pay attention before it’s too late.”
Additional Casting Updates
- Michael Rapaport has joined the cast of Only Murders in the Building season 2. He will play Detective Kreps, an investigator who is working on the latest murder in the building from the end of season 1. As well, Nathan Lane has confirmed that he will be back as Teddy Dimas for season 2. (Deadline)
- Ray Stevenson (Thor) has joined Star Wars: Ahsoka in an undisclosed villain role. Sources say he is not playing Grand Admiral Thrawn though. (THR)
- Katie McGrath (Supergirl) has joined the cast of Starz’s forthcoming John Wick prequel series The Continental as The Adjudicator. Other new additions to the cast include Ray McKinnon (Mayans M.C.) as Jenkins, Adam Shapiro (Never Have I Ever) as Lemmy, and Mark Musashi and Marina Mazepa as High Table assassins Hansel & Gretel. (Deadline)
- David Lynch has joined the cast of Steven Spielberg’s upcoming semi-autobiographical drama The Fabelmans. His role remains a closely guarded secret. (Variety)
- Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games), Antony Starr (The Boys), Jason Wong (The Gentleman), Bobby Schofield (Anne), Sean Sagar (The Gentlemen), and Emily Beecham (Cruella) are the latest additons to Guy Ritchie’s untitled action-thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Filming is currently underway in Alicante, Spain. (Deadline)
- Catherine Zeta-Jones has joined the cast of Disney+‘s upcoming National Treasure series. She will play Billie, “a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert, and treasure hunter who lives by her own code. She transformed herself from a penniless orphan to a shrewd, stylish businesswoman and adventurer. Billie’s used to getting what she wants — and she wants the Pan-American treasure. But not just for the money. This treasure has deeper stakes for her.” (Disney+)
- Anthony Ramos (In the Heights) has been cast in a key role in Ironheart, an upcoming Marvel Disney+ series. No word on who he is playing, but Ramos is expected to return for future Marvel projects. (Deadline)
- Elizabeth Mitchell is set to reprise her role as Carol / Mrs. Claus in Disney+’s Santa Clause sequel series. She joins previously announced star Tim Allen, who will once again suit up as Scott Calvin / Santa Claus. (Deadline)
- Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) has boarded Oppenheimer. Details have not been disclosed as to who DeHaan is playing. (Deadline)
- Flula Borg is returning for more Pitch Perfect. The actor will reprise his role as Pieter Krämer in the upcoming Peacock streaming series alongside Adam Devine. the series will follow “Devine’s vocal villain Bumper Allen, several years after viewers saw him in the films. Invited by his old friend Pieter Krämer (Borg), Bumper moves to Germany to revive his music career when one of his songs becomes big in Berlin. Pieter has transitioned from German a cappella star to discredited German music manager. He signs Bumper as his only client and brings him to Berlin to pursue his dreams.” Todd Strauss-Schulson (The Final Girls) has signed on to direct the first two episodes. (Deadline)
- Shohreh Aghdashloo has joined the cast of Universal‘s monster movie Renfield. (Deadline)
- Jamie Dornan (Belfast) is set to join Gal Gadot in Netflix‘s upcoming international spy thriller Heart of Stone. (Deadline)
That’s it for the last few weeks. What projects mentioned are you interested in seeing once completed? Tell us down in the comments!
