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.
Percy Jackson Series Casts Annabeth and Grover
Percy Jackson and the Olympians has found its Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase with Aryan Simhadri (Spin) and Leah Sava Jeffries (Empire) set to play the characters, respectively. They join Walker Scobell, who was previously announced to play Percy Jackson.
The first season of the upcoming Disney+ series will adapt The Lightning Thief, the first book in Rick Riordan’s mythology franchise. Production on Season 1 will begin soon in Vancouver. Riordan co-wrote the pilot with Jon Steinberg. James Bobin will direct.
Robin Wright Joins Here
Robin Wright has joined Here, an upcoming adaptation of the 2014 graphic novel of the same name by Richard McGuire. The project is being billed as a Forrest Gump reunion of sorts with Robert Zemeckis signed on to direct from a script by Eric Roth. Tom Hanks is set to lead the movie.
Here focuses “on a room in New England and the different things that happen there over the years such as love, loss, hope, and struggle over the course of generations.” It is currently unclear who Wright or Hanks will be playing.
The Wonder Twins Movie Cancelled
Discovery CEO David Zaslav has pulled the plug on The Wonder Twins. The film adaptation of the DC superheroes was going to be an HBO Max exclusive and star KJ Apa (Riverdale) as Zan, an alien with the ability to transform into any form of water, and Isabel May (1883) as Jayna, his twin sister with the ability to transform into any animal.
Zaslav reportedly cancelled the project because the film’s budget was going to be $75 million and he apparently doesn’t want any HBO Max original movie to have a budget larger than $40 million moving forward. Zaslav plans to eliminate $3 billion in costs following Discovery’s merger with Warner Bros. earlier this year.
True Lies TV Series Ordered at CBS
CBS has ordered its True Lies TV reboot to series. The upcoming drama series is a reboot of the 1994 action-comedy film that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis.
The series will follow “Helen (Ginger Gonzaga), an unfulfilled suburban housewife, who is shocked to discover that her bland and unremarkable computer consultant husband, Harry (Steve Howey), is a skilled international spy. From there, the marrieds are propelled into a life of danger and adventure when Helen is recruited to work alongside Harry to save the world, all as they try to revitalize their passionless marriage.”
Jonathan Levine to Direct Dirty Dancing Sequel
Jonathan Levine (Long Shot, Warm Bodies) is set to direct Dirty Dancing, an upcoming sequel to 1987’s Dirty Dancing. Yes, it’s another legacy sequel that has decided to have the same title as the original film. Levine also co-wrote the sequel with Elizabeth Chomko. Casting is currently underway, but production is expected to start later this year. The film is targeting a 2024 release.
In the sequel, Jennifer Grey will “reprise her iconic role of Frances “Baby” Houseman as she returns to Kellerman’s in the 1990s. Like the original, the sequel will be a coming-of-age romance centered on the experience of a young woman at the summer camp, but Baby’s own journey will intertwine with this to create a multi-layered narrative.”
Lionsgate Working on A Simple Favor 2
Lionsgate and Amazon Studios are developing a sequel to A Simple Favor. Stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are set to reprise their roles from the first film and Paul Feig will also be back as director. Jessica Sharzer is writing the screenplay.
No other details are known at this time. We’ll keep you updated as more becomes available.
Margot Robbie to Star in Ocean’s Eleven Prequel
Margot Robbie will star in and produce a new Ocean’s movie that will be directed by Jay Roach. The two previously worked together on the 2019 drama film Bombshell.
The project is in development at Warner Bros. and will be set in 1960s Europe. Carrie Solomon is writing the script.
More News Updates
- Matt Shakman (WandaVision, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) will direct the first two episodes of the untitled Godzilla and Titans series for Apple TV+. The upcoming series will continue the story established in Legendary’s MonsterVerse.
- Season 2 of Reacher will be based on the 11th book in the Jack Reacher series: Bad Luck and Trouble. Star Alan Ritchson announced the news on his personal Instagram account. Filming for the second season begins later this fall.
- Rebel Moon has made some casting updates. Ed Skrein (Deadpool) has replaced Rupert Friend as the principal antagonist in Zack Snyder’s upcoming sci-fi epic for Netflix. Friend had to depart the project due to scheduling conflicts. Additionally, Cleopatra Coleman (Dopesick), Fra Fee (Hawkeye) and Rhian Rees (Nope) have joined the cast in undisclosed roles.
- Rita Moreno and Scott Eastwood have boarded Fast X, the tenth installment in The Fast Saga. Moreno will play Vin Diesel’s grandmother in the movie while Eastwood will reprise his The Fate of the Furious role as Little Nobody.
That’s it for the last few weeks. What projects mentioned are you interested in seeing once completed? Tell us down in the comments!
