Hugh Laurie is Albus Dumbledore in ‘Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions.’ (Audible)
The voice cast for brand-new Harry Potter audiobooks has been revealed.
Pottermore Publishing and Audible announced the new voice cast for the upcoming, brand-new productions of J.K. Rowling‘s novels, which are being billed as Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions.
Hugh Laurie has been cast as Albus Dumbledore while Matthew Macfadyen will be the voice of Lord Voldemort.
Additionally, Riz Ahmed will be the voice of Professor Snape, Michelle Gomez will play Professor McGonagall and Cush Jumbo will serve as the book’s narrator.
As for the golden trio, Frankie Treadaway, Max Lester and Arabella Stanton will play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in the first three audiobooks. Stanton also portrays Hermione in the upcoming Harry Potter HBO TV series.
Jaxon Knopf, Rhys Mulligan and Nina Barker-Francis will then take over the roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione in audiobook four as the characters grow up. They’ll remain the voices of the golden trio through the series’ conclusion.
“I’m honoured to have been trusted with the keys to Albus Dumbledore, and thrilled to be able to take him around the track of this beautiful incarnation by Pottermore and Audible,” Laurie said in a press release. “I’m also deeply conscious of previous drivers Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, Jude Law and the iconic narrations by Jim Dale and m’colleague Sir Stephen Fry. Just below the horizon, but headed our way, is the rough beast John Lithgow, his hour come round at last. This is great company, and it’s a privilege to be among their number.”
George Clooney as Jay Kelly in ‘Jay Kelly.’ (Peter Mountain/Netflix)
George Clooney stars in the official teaser trailer for Jay Kelly.
Netflix released the trailer for the upcoming dramatic comedy film on Tuesday. Noah Baumbach directed the film, which he co-wrote with Emily Mortimer.
The film follows a famous movie actor (Clooney) and his devoted manager as they go on an unexpectedly profound journey across Europe. “Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they’ve made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they’ll leave behind,” according to an official description from Netflix.
“You know how difficult it is to be yourself? You try it,” Clooney says as Jay in the trailer.
Adam Sandler co-stars alongside Clooney in Jay Kelly. The film’s ensemble also includes Laura Dern, BillyCrudup, Riley Keough, Alba Rohrwacher, Greta Gerwig, Isla Fisher, Louis Partridge and Mortimer.
Sandler, who plays Jay Kelly’s manager, asks Clooney, “Are you running to something or from something?”
“Yes,” he responds.
Jay Kelly arrives in select theaters on Nov. 14 and will be available to stream on Netflix on Dec. 5.
The key art for ‘King of the Hill’ season 14. (Hulu)
King of the Hill is back with new episodes for the first time in 15 years. The adult animated sitcom first premiered in 1997 and follows the Hill family as they try to navigate a constantly changing world from their home of Arlon, Texas.
“Instead of just like being like, ‘Let’s do a reboot or a revival,’ I think they’re much more thoughtful than that,” says Pamela Adlon, who voices Bobby, the son of Hank and Peggy Hill.
Season 14 of King of the Hill picks up several years after we last saw the Hill family, with Hank and Peggy returning from a trip to Saudi Arabia and Bobby becoming a chef at a German-Japanese fusion restaurant. Adlon says the creative team was a mix of new writers and veterans from the show’s original run.
“So you’ve got all, like, the good vintage OG King of the Hill juice happening in the show, and then you’ve got the new, fresh perspective,” she tells ABC Audio.
Adlon says King of the Hill has always been a very grounded show, with this season referencing current events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike other animated sitcoms, characters on King of the Hill age, which Adlon says informed her vocal performance.
“Instead of like, you know, pitching it down in the studio or doing something like that — it was something I that I did subtly and was able to give that kind of OG Bobby,” she says.
Adlon says despite the prominence of conservative characters on the show, the politics of King of the Hill are far more nuanced than simply pitting Republicans against Democrats.
“It’s a good mirror for where we are. … You don’t want people to tell you you’re right or wrong. You just want people to show you how funny both sides are,” says Adlon.
Season 14 of King of the Hill is now streaming on Hulu.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Hulu.
Paramount Pictures released the trailer for the romantic drama film on Tuesday. Allison Williams and MckennaGrace star in the movie directed by The Fault in Our Stars helmer Josh Boone.
The movie, which is based on the bestselling book by Colleen Hoover, finds mother Morgan Grant (Williams) and her daughter, Clara (Grace), figuring out how to go on after a devastating accident. The incident “reveals a shocking betrayal and forces them to confront family secrets, redefine love, and rediscover each other,” according to its official synopsis.
“There’s a lot I wish I had done differently,” Williams’ Morgan says to Grace’s Clara in the trailer. “But I’ll never spend one second regretting you.”
“You deserve to be happy. No regrets, right?” she says back.
This marks the second big-screen adaptation of one of Hoover’s novels after the 2024 film It Ends with Us.
Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald also star in the film.
Regretting You comes to movie theaters on Oct. 24.
The trailer for Are You My First? has arrived. The new reality dating series arrives to Hulu on Aug. 18. The show follows “the largest group of eligible virgins ever assembled, arriving in a tropical paradise with their hearts open and their V-cards intact,” according to an official synopsis. Colton Underwood and Kaitlyn Bristowe host the series, which will have all 10 episodes available to binge at the time it premieres …
American Ninja Warrior has been renewed for season 18. The NBC show will begin filming the 18th season this fall in Las Vegas. A brand-new round of competition will be added this time around, including a supersized three-lane racecourse …
Stephen Colbert has landed a new gig at CBS. The late night host, whose program The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled by CBS in July, is set to guest star in season 3 of the CBS comedy-drama series Elsbeth, Entertainment Weekly reports. Colbert will play the host of the fictional show Way Late with Scotty Bristol …
George Clooney as Jay Kelly in ‘Jay Kelly.’ (Peter Mountain/Netflix)
George Clooney doesn’t care what people think of his acting presence.
The actor recently spoke to Vanity Fair about his role in the upcoming Noah Baumbach film Jay Kelly.
Baumbach is known for his preferred directing style of doing a large amount of takes. Clooney told the outlet he discussed adjusting this with the director.
“I literally said to him, ‘Noah, look, I love the script. I love you as a director, but I’m 63 years old, dude—I can’t do 50 takes,’” Clooney said. “‘I don’t have it in me. I’ve got the acting range from A to B.’”
In the film, Clooney plays a world famous movie star in his 60s who faces critics who say he always plays himself. Clooney was asked how he feels about this specific type of criticism in his real life.
“Do people say that I only play myself? I don’t give a s***,” Clooney said. “There aren’t that many guys in my age group that are allowed to do both broad comedies like O Brother [Where Art Thou?] and then do MichaelClayton or Syriana. So if that means I’m playing myself all the time, I don’t give a s***. … Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s hard to do.”
Clooney also took the time to praise his Jay Kelly co-star Adam Sandler.
“This film, more than any film Adam has done, shows what a beautiful, heartfelt, soulful actor he is,” Clooney said. “I kept telling the cast, ‘Don’t call him Sand Man. Don’t talk to him like he’s just some goofy comedian. He’s actually a really beautiful, wonderful actor.’”
Jay Kelly will premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival in August before arriving in select theaters on Nov. 14. It streams on Netflix on Dec. 5.
Sydney Sweeney attends a Sydney, Australia, screening of ‘Anyone But You’ at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter on Dec. 18, 2023. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump offered praise Monday for Sydney Sweeney amid backlash over a denim ad campaign featuring the actress wearing American Eagle jeans.
“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there,” Trump wrote on his social media platform.
“Go get ’em Sydney,” he added.
Later in his message, which was originally deleted and reposted after incorrectly spelling Sweeney’s first name as “Sidney,” Trump added, “Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be.”
Trump’s post comes as several news outlets reported over the weekend that Sweeney is registered as a Republican in Monroe County, Florida, where she reportedly purchased a mansion in 2024.
Based on publicly available voting records, ABC News was able to pull the voting registration of a Sydney B Sweeney in Summerland Key, Florida, who registered as a Republican in the state and has the same birthday as the actress.
In a gaggle with news reporters on Sunday, Trump was asked by a reporter about his thoughts on reports that Sweeney is a registered Republican.
“Ohhhhh, now I love her ad. Is that right, is Sydney Sweeney?” Trump said. “You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That’s what I wouldn’t have known, but I’m glad you told me that if Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.”
The Euphoria actress, who has not commented publicly on her voter registration, came under fire recently for her “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” ad campaign for American Eagle.
The ads feature a play on the words “jeans” and “genes.”
In one ad, Sweeney says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue,” as the camera pans up to her face.
In another ad, posted on the company’s social media, Sweeney is seen cleaning a photo of herself with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes,” with “genes” crossed out to instead read “jeans.”
Some critics of the ad campaign claim it promotes eugenics, a “scientifically inaccurate theory that humans can be improved through selective breeding of populations,” according to the National Human Genome Research Institute.
Other critics say the campaign is hypersexualized and glorifies Sweeney’s physique.
Some commenters online have also compared the ads to actress Brooke Shields‘ controversial 1980 campaign for Calvin Klein. In one of those commercials, the then-15-year-old actress and model pulls on a pair of Calvin Klein jeans while lying on the ground, saying in part, “The secret of life lies hidden in the genetic code. Genes are fundamental in determining the characteristics of an individual and passing on these characteristics to a succeeding generation.”
A representative for Sweeney did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment Monday.
Reached for comment, American Eagle directed ABC News to its statement Friday on social media, in which it said the ad campaign is about “jeans.”
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” the company said in the statement. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
ABC News’ Anastasia E. Williams contributed to this report.
Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson attend the ‘Marriage Story’ photocall during the 76th Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande on August 29, 2019, in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)
In her latest role, Scarlett Johansson takes on the scaly beasts of Jurassic World Rebirth. In real life, her voice is being used against smaller, furrier predators.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, has been using audio of Johannsson and fellow actor Adam Driver arguing in a scene from the 2019 movie Marriage Story in an effort to scare away wolves.
The audio is deployed by a drone as part of a program to keep wolves from attacking and eating livestock.
“I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad,” says a USDA district supervisor in Oregon whose name is actually Paul Wolf.
Other examples of audio used by the drones include songs by AC/DC and Five Finger Death Punch.
Both Johansson and Driver were nominated for Oscars for their performances in Marriage Story, but didn’t win. Perhaps they’ll be awarded with a Wolfie, instead.
Denzel Washington in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’/Photo Credit: A24
The first official trailer for Highest 2 Lowest has been released, giving fans a look at Spike Lee‘s remake of the Akira Kurosawa crime thriller. The film follows the story of Denzel Washington‘s David King, a reputable music mogul who is targeted with a ransom plot and ends up in a life-or-death situation.
The trailer captures the moment he goes from handling his music business in the Big Apple to receiving a phone call from A$AP Rocky‘s Yung Felon, an aspiring musician who has taken extreme measures to get David’s attention. Felon has kidnapped King’s son and demanded $17.5 million for his return.
“I gotta feed the streets, my lady and a newborn kid, and I ain’t tryna go back and do another bid, ya dig?” Felon says over the phone. David responds, “I know what it is to risk everything you have for something that you want.”
The full trailer is now available to watch on YouTube.
Highest 2 Lowest is set to arrive Aug. 15 in theaters on Sept. 5 on Apple TV+. Also starring Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Dean Winters, John Douglas Thompson and Ice Spice, the filmmarks the first time Lee and Washington have worked together since 2006’s Inside Man.
The trailer for James L. Brooks‘ latest film has arrived.
20th Century Studios released the official trailer for the upcoming film Ella McCay on Monday.
Emma Mackey and Jamie Lee Curtis star in the new comedy from the director of Broadcast News and As Good as It Gets.
Mackey plays the titular Ella McCay, an idealistic young woman who “juggles her family and work life in a comedy about the people you love and how to survive them,” according to an official synopsis.
“Aunt Helen, I have a ridiculously serious problem and you’re the only one I can tell,” Mackey’s Ella says to Curtis’ Helen in the trailer.
“I’m about to add to your problems, Ella. Your father’s here,” she responds.
An all-star cast including Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, Rebecca Hall, Julie Kavner, JoeyBrooks, Albert Brooks and Woody Harrelson also star in the film.
