Entertainment

Michael Cera turned down the chance to join the wizarding world of Harry Potter over fears he would become too famous.

The actor explained why he passed on the role of Jacob Kowalski in the 2016 spinoff film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in a recent appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast.

Cera says he did not entertain the idea of accepting the role when he was being considered for the part.

“I did, sort of, make a conscientious choice to limit my exposure a little bit, or just try and be a little more in control of it,” Cera said. “Doing like, especially little kids movies, I had a big fear of doing things that would get me too famous. I think that’s changed a little. I think I’ve outgrown that particular feeling, but I think that’s what that was at that time.”

Cera also said he had a difficult time adjusting to fame in his youth. He would “react poorly sometimes to being recognized” and struggle with feeling a loss of control when fans gave him attention.

In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Jacob Kowalski is a muggle factory worker who learns about the wizarding world through his friendship with Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne.

Dan Fogler went on to play the part of Jacob in all three Fantastic Beasts films.

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Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst are teaming up for a new film.

The duo star in the Derek Cianfrance-directed film Roofman, which will be out later this year. The trailer for the film was released Wednesday. 

According to a synopsis for the movie, Roofman is based on an “unbelievable true story.”

It follows Tatum’s character, Jeffrey Manchester, a “former Army Ranger and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname ‘Roofman,'” a synopsis states.

“After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys ‘R’ Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move,” the synopsis continues. “But when he falls for Leigh (Dunst), a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.”

In addition to starring in the film, Tatum serves as an executive producer.

Cianfrance co-wrote the script with Kirt Gunn.

The film also stars Ben Mendelsohn, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Melonie Diaz, Uzo Aduba, Lily Collias, Jimmy O. Yang and Peter Dinklage.

Roofman arrives in theaters Oct. 10.

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It turns out there’s more to The Social Network story.

Aaron Sorkin will write and direct a sequel to his 2010 film The Social Network, Deadline reports. The film is to be called The Social Network Part II. It will be made for Sony Pictures.

While the film is being called a part two, it is not expected to be a direct sequel to the first. Instead, the film is to be more of a follow-up. The Social Network Part II explores The Wall Street Journal‘s The Facebook Files, which are a series of articles published in October 2021 that exposed the inner-workings of and harms caused by Facebook.

The Social Network was directed by David Fincher. It was nominated for eight Oscars, including best picture, eventually winning three awards at the Academy Awards ceremony. Sorkin won best adapted screenplay for his script.

Deadline reports Sorkin is focused on finding his cast for the new project. It is unknown if any roles from the first film will carry over into the second.

It is also unknown if any actors from The Social Network, including Jesse Eisenberg, who earned an Oscar nomination for playing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, will reprise their roles in the sequel.

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The final trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has arrived.

In the trailer, which was released on Wednesday, Galactus arrives to attack a retro-futuristic New York City.

Played by Ralph Ineson, Galactus had yet to be featured in any of the prior trailers for the film. While there is still no true look at the space god, we do see Marvel’s First Family battling against him.

“I herald his beginning. I herald your end. I herald Galactus,” Julia Garner‘s Silver Surfer says in the trailer.

Pedro Pascal stars as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, while Vanessa Kirby is Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach is Ben Grimm/The Thing and Joseph Quinn is Johnny Storm/Human Torch.

“Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer,” according to an official synopsis for the movie. “And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.”

Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne and Sarah Niles also star in the film that is directed by Matt Shakman.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Marvel.

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Kim, there’s people that are dying to see you in a Bratz movie.

Kim Kardashian is being eyed to star as the villain in an upcoming live-action Bratz film in development at Amazon MGM Studios, ABC Audio has confirmed.

Kardashian will produce the film alongside Picturestart and MGA Entertainment.

While the film’s plot is being kept under wraps, Charlie Polinger and Lucy McKendrick are set to write the script.

Kardashian last took to the screen in season 12 of American Horror Story. She will appear in the upcoming Ryan Murphy Hulu series All’s Fair. She also serves as a producer on the show.

Additionally, Kardashian is producing and starring in the upcoming Netflix film The 5th Wheel and producing the upcoming Hulu series Group Chat.

Bratz has sold over 200 million of its fashion dolls to date globally. The dolls debuted in 2001 and strive for an “unyielding commitment to inclusivity, self-expression, and, of course, a passion for fashion,” a press release reads.

The doll brand has the highest social media engagement across all platforms of any toy brand in the world, according to Amazon MGM.

There have been 14 animated Bratz films, which were primarily direct-to-home video releases. A live-action film based on the dolls, called Bratz: The Movie, was released in theaters in 2007. An animated Bratz TV series ran for two seasons from 2005 to 2008. 

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Daisy Edgar-Jones is taking on the role of one of Jane Austen‘s classic heroines.

The actress will star as Elinor in a brand-new film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. Georgia Oakley will direct the movie for Focus Features and Working Title.

This marks Oakley’s sophomore feature. Her recent debut, Blue Jean, won the People’s Choice Award at the Venice Film Festival.

Bestselling author Diana Reid is adapting Austen’s book for the film’s screenplay. This adaptation is being described as “a new take on Austen’s enduring masterpiece,” according to a press release.

Edgar-Jones shared the news of her casting to her Instagram. She posted a selfie holding Austen’s novel close to her face with a simple caption of the eyes emoji.

Focus Features also shared the news to their Instagram.

“SENSE AND SENSIBILITY starring Daisy Edgar-Jones. Directed by Georgia Oakley. Coming soon from Focus Features and Working Title Films,” the company’s caption reads.

Sense and Sensibility, of course, follows sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. It shows the journey of their love lives, losses and financial uncertainty, all of which they navigate as complete opposites in emotional approach.

This new film reunites Austen’s classic storytelling with Focus Features and Working Title. They previously collaborated for the adaptation of her novel Pride & Prejudice in 2005 and again on the 2020 film Emma. 

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Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness have finalized their divorce.

Furness filed for divorce from the Deadpool & Wolverine star on May 23. According to court records from New York’s Suffolk County Supreme Court, the divorce was granted on June 3.

News of the divorce comes two years after Jackman and Furness announced in in September 2023 that they were separating after 27 years of marriage.

The former couple shared a joint statement about their split at the time, saying their “journey is now shifting” and that they have “decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”

They vowed to put their family first and to embark on their next chapters “with gratitude, love, and kindness.”

At the time, Jackman and Furness had just celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary.

The duo married in April 1996 after meeting the previous year on the set of the Australian TV series Corelli.

They share two children: son Oscar Maximilian Jackman and daughter Ava Eliot Jackman.

In May 2025, Furness shared a statement with People in which she opened up about the emotional toll of her and Jackman’s breakup.

“My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal. It’s a profound wound that cuts deep,” she said at the time. “However, I believe in a higher power and that God or the universe, whatever you relate to as your guidance, is always working for us.”

Furness added that this belief helped her navigate the end of her decadeslong marriage.

“I have gained much knowledge and wisdom through this experience. Even when we are presented with apparent adversity, it is leading us to our greatest good, our true purpose,” she said then. “It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom.”

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Paramount+ with Showtime has rebranded. The streaming service informed its subscribers on June 23 that the name of its ad-free plan will no longer be called Paramount+ with Showtime. The service will now be called Paramount+ Premium. According to its website, Paramount+ says the name change “reflects the broad and diverse offerings across both plan tiers.” …

Judge Judy is back on the bench. Prime Video released the trailer for her new series, Justice on Trial. The show is set to debut all eight of its episodes on July 21. The show follows Judge Judy Sheindlin as she puts the American justice system on trial in a true-crime series spotlighting cases that did not necessarily feel “just” …

Ransom Canyon is coming back for more. The Josh Duhamel-led series has been renewed for season 2 at Netflix, Deadline reports. The romantic Western also stars Minka Kelly. Its renewal comes a little over two months after the 10-episode first season debuted on Netflix … 

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Eric Dane and Jensen Ackles star in the new Prime Video series Countdown.

The show, which debuts on Wednesday, follows a secret task force that comes together to investigate the murder of an officer with the Department of Homeland Security.

Ackles leads as LAPD Detective Mark Meachum, while Dane plays his commanding officer, Nathan Blythe. The characters butt heads at times, but they’re ultimately on the same team.

“There’s this beautiful dance that happens between a commanding officer and the guy who is effectively a bit of a maverick and a loose cannon and has problems with superiority,” Ackles said.

Dane is “the one swinging the hammer and I’m the hammer,” Ackles said.

His co-star agreed with his assessment. “That’s a really great analogy,” Dane said. “We butt heads but it doesn’t matter because at the end of the day I get what I want out of him.”

Ackles said working with Dane was both fun and intimidating.

“Right off the bat Eric and I had quick chemistry,” Ackles said. “I just knew it was going to be a lot of fun to be in scenes with him, and it was and it continues to be.”

“I sometimes turn to a bit of a wallflower watching him and forget I have a line because there’s just this quiet reverence that he portrays and that he delivers on set,” Ackles continued. “It’s quite fun to watch. And it’s sometimes a little intimidating to be in scenes with.”

Dane opened up about his ALS diagnosis in an interview that aired on Good Morning America June 16. He told ABC Audio the hardest thing about filming Countdown was the pace of which the show was filmed.

“It’s challenging shooting this show at the pace in which we shoot this show. It’s not a marathon, it is a sprint,” Dane said.

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My Life with the Walter Boys is getting ready to return.

The second season of the show has finished filming, Netflix announced on Tuesday. It will premiere on the streaming service later in 2025.

Netflix also released first-look photos from season 2 to tide fans over before they get to see if Jackie decides to come back home to live with Cole, Alex and the rest of the Walter family.

Nikki Rodriguez, who plays Jackie in the series, told Netflix the final weeks of filming season 2 felt strange because she didn’t feel like it was about to end.

“I really like it here,” Rodriguez said of the Walter ranch where the show is filmed. “I get to work with my best friends every day, looking at trees. It’s the best.”

My Life with the Walter Boys creator Melanie Halsall says season 2 will be “bigger and better” than the first.

“We’ve got massive set pieces in each episode, and the stories are more intricate. We found our feet with our characters, [and] the actors really understand their characters now. When I was coming back, I was excited to start shooting again because I knew we had great stories to tell,” Halsall said.

Season 2 finds Jackie “determined to make amends with Alex and set boundaries with Cole while finding her place within the Walter family,” according to its official logline. “But fitting back in isn’t that easy. Alex – who changed a lot over the summer – isn’t too thrilled about Jackie’s attempts to reconnect, as he’s focused on training for a risky rodeo event (and enjoying all of the new attention he’s getting).”

My Life with the Walter Boys has already been renewed for season 3. The third season of the show is set to debut in 2026.

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