Entertainment

Jason Issacs is passing his wand over to another wizard.

The actor, who played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, has a specific actor in mind to take over the role for the upcoming HBO TV series. In fact, Issacs would like to see the role gender-swapped, he told Variety in a recent interview.

“Meryl Streep,” Issacs said when asked who he would cast in the part. “She can do anything, that woman. There’s literally no limit to what she can do.”

As for any advice for those entering the Wizarding World, Issacs said he doesn’t have any to give.

“I wouldn’t have any advice at all. Why would I bother? I know some of the people they’re casting already. They’re brilliant actors. It’s going to be fantastic, and the last thing they need is advice from some old fart like me,” Issacs said.

HBO announced in June 2024 that Francesca Gardiner will serve as the series’ showrunner, while Mark Mylod will executive produce and direct episodes. The network also released an official synopsis for the show at that time.

The show “will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling,” the synopsis reads. “The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years.”

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The Paley Center for Media is set to recognize Wonder Woman‘s Lynda Carter and ABC’s Good Morning America with its esteemed Paley Honors Award.

The award “recognizes individuals whose groundbreaking achievements in media have consistently set the bar for excellence,” according to the Paley Center’s website.

Carter’s portrayal of the legendary DC Comics superhero in Wonder Woman is being honored 50 years after the series’ debut.

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of Lynda Carter’s groundbreaking portrayal, which brought Wonder Woman to life with strength, courage, and compassion in a way that resonated deeply with audiences,” the Paley Center website reads.

The website states that the show’s central themes represented a “powerful symbol of justice and integrity while empowering women and girls around the world.”

GMA is also being honored for its 50th anniversary, with the announcement describing the show as “a beloved morning institution.”

“As the show celebrates its 50th anniversary, it continues to evolve while maintaining its reputation as one of the most trusted voices in media,” the announcement says.

The cultural institution also plans to honor Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty owner Joe Tsai, and filmmaker and author Crystal McCrary.

The group of honorees will be recognized at the 2025 Paley Honors Spring Gala in May.

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John Lithgow thinks joining the Wizarding World will be a breeze.

The actor is about to take on the fan-favorite role of Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series for HBO. He doesn’t think stepping into the shoes of the character will be very difficult, as he said on the most recent episode of the SmartLess podcast.

“You know, Dumbledore, he’s kind of this nuclear weapon,” Lithgow said. “He only goes off very, very occasionally. And I don’t think it’s gonna be that hard a job.”

Lithgow was not very familiar with Harry Potter before landing the role, admitting he is “behind everybody” else when it comes to knowing about the franchise. But he’s currently educating himself on the story.

“The overall concept of this entire reboot of Harry Potter is an entire season is devoted to a single novel,” Lithgow said. He is currently “halfway through the second” novel.

He also understands the time commitment he has signed up for.

“The logistics are a little bit scary,” Lithgow said. “I really did have to think hard about whether to take it on but I also thought, well, I’m about to turn 80 next year.”

With there being seven Harry Potter books, that could theoretically turn into seven seasons of TV.

“If this is indeed a seven- or eight-year-long job, it’s a wonderful way to grow old as an actor,” Lithgow said. “I mean, the alternative is to just be hauled out once a year to play an Alzheimer’s patient [with] an awful lot of weeping middle-aged children, you know.”

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It’s a Drake and Josh reunion.

Drake Bell reunited with his former co-star Josh Peck on the most recent episode of the latter’s podcast, Good Guys.

On the episode, which debuted Monday, Bell opened up about having to be around former dialogue coach Brian Peck while working on the Nickelodeon children’s TV show Drake and Josh. Brian Peck, who has no relation to Josh Peck, was convicted of sexually assaulting Bell in 2004.

“Where I felt most comfortable, where I was the happiest was when I was on set with you guys. And the worst part was every day I got there, the monster was there,” Bell said of Brian Peck.

The podcast episode is the first of a two-part series featuring a conversation between the former co-stars, where they discuss growing up in the spotlight and what it was like to be a child actor.

Bell also discussed the abuse he endured in the Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which debuted in March 2024. Josh Peck said he feels he never fully processed the impact Brian Peck had on Bell until he watched Quiet on Set last year.

“It’s only in watching the doc that I can realize that just him being put to justice, which thank God he was, and deserved, and deserved to go longer, but like, what about you? What about the trauma you endured? It’s so much; it’s so much deeper. It’s so much more unacceptable. It’s not this clean, ‘Well, he went to jail, so everyone’s all better,'” Josh Peck said.

Bell also recounted what it was like to sit in a trial courtroom filled with supporters of Brian Peck at his 2004 sentencing.

“It was hard, I think, during that time because when we went to court, the entire side of his courtroom was full of people who I thought were my friends and people who I looked up to, people whose careers I would like mine to be one day, and I’m on the side … it was me and my mom,” Bell said.

The second part of Josh Peck’s interview with Bell will drop Thursday.   

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The rebellion assembles in the new trailer for Andor season 2.

Disney+ released the trailer for the final season of the Emmy-nominated Star Wars series on Monday. The second and final season of the show premieres on the streamer April 22.

Andor follows Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, as he is radicalized into becoming the rebel who steals the Death Star plans.

The show serves as a prequel to the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It takes place five years before the events of that film to chronicle Cassian’s transformation from a disinterested nobody to a rebel hero.

“I came with you to be part of something,” Cassian says in the trailer. “The Empire cannot win.”

The season will take place over 12 episodes, which will be broken down into four chapters of three episodes each.

In season 2, “the horizon of war draws near and Cassian becomes a key player in the Rebel Alliance. Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound,” according to a press release.

Luna stars alongside Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Alan Tudyk, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau, Ben Mendelsohn and Forest Whitaker.

Tony Gilroy created the series and also executive produces it with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, Luna, Sanne Wohlenberg, Luke Hull and John Gilroy.

Disney is the parent company of Lucasfilm and ABC News.

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Will Ferrell and Zac Efron‘s upcoming comedy film for Amazon MGM Studios has two new cast members. Regina Hall and Jimmy Tatro have joined the film’s cast, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, respectively. Its plot centers on a young convict who takes a TV courtroom hostage after its judge delivered a ruling that ruined his life. The film comes from director Nicholas Stoller, who also helmed You’re Cordially Invited, a film starring Ferrell that debuted on Prime Video earlier this year …

Two Nickelodeon alums are uniting for a new horror film. Victoria Justice has been cast alongside Robbie Amell in the upcoming Send a Scare, Deadline reports. Josh Trank will direct the film from a script he wrote with Andrew Ryan. The movie follows what happens when a demonstration at an interactive horror startup is hijacked by a masked killer with deadly plans …

The Resident Evil universe is making the moves to expand. Austin Abrams is in talks to star in the upcoming reboot of the action horror film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Barbarian director Zach Cregger is set to direct the film from a script he wrote …

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Despite battling negative press before its release, Disney’s Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler in the title role, managed to snag a box office win this weekend.

According to Box Office Mojo, the film brought in $43 million to debut at #1, with the foreign box office at about $44.3 mil.

Coming in at #2 domestically is the Steven Soderbergh-directed spy thriller Black Bag, starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, which brought in $4.4 million, followed by Captain America: Brave New World at #3 with $4.1 mil, and Mickey 17 at #4 with $3.9 million.

Rounding out the top five is last week’s #1, Novocaine, which brought in $3.76 million, a drop of over 57% from the week prior.

Here are the top 10 films at the box office:

1. Snow White – $43 million
2. Black Bag– $4.4 million
3. Captain America: Brave New World – $4.1 million
4. Mickey 17 – $3.9 million
5. Novocaine – $3.76 million
6. The Alto Knights – $3.16 million
7. The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie – $1.83 million
8. The Monkey – $1.54 million
9. Dog Man – $1.5 million
10. The Last Supper – $1.34 million

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Former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, known as much for his gregarious personality as his vicious right hook, died Friday. He was 76 years old.

Foreman, known during his post-boxing career for pitching his now-omnipresent countertop grill, was heavyweight champion twice. He also won gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

His family announced his death in a post on Instagram.

“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose,” the statement said.

“A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two time heavyweight champion of the world, He was deeply respected — a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name— for his family.”

Foreman won his first heavyweight title at just 24 with a stunning knockout of the then-undefeated Joe Frazier.

Foreman’s most famous fight, billed as The Rumble in the Jungle, ended in his first professional loss to Muhammad Ali in October 1974. He surrendered the heavyweight title in the knockout loss. He would regain the belt after a 10-year retirement in a fight in 1994 against Michael Moorer at age 45.

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Quinta Brunson has filed for divorce from Kevin Jay Anik, her husband of three years.

The Abbott Elementary star and creator filed for divorce from Anik on Wednesday, March 19, in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences.

The filing did not list a date for the couple’s separation.

According to the filing, the parties entered into a postnuptial agreement, and Brunson requested that their property be divided between them.

A representative for the Emmy winner offered no additional comment on the divorce filing. Anik does not appear to have commented publicly on the divorce filing.

Brunson confirmed her engagement in July 2020 on Instagram. They tied the knot more than a year later on Oct. 5, 2021, according to Wednesday’s filing.

Though the former couple kept their relationship mostly private, Brunson has praised Anik for his support through the years.

During her 2022 Emmys acceptance speech for outstanding writing for a comedy series, which she won for Abbott Elementary, she gave a shoutout to Anik, saying, “In case I am not back up here again, I have to thank my mom, dad, brothers and sisters, my cousins … my wonderful husband, because he’s the most supportive man I’ve ever known.”

She praised Anik again in a November 2022 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

“To be 100% fully me requires a lot of stuff that a lot of men do not have time for,” she said. “They even have thought they did in the past, but then realized there’s no dimming me. My husband — that’s what I mean by him being the biggest support, that there’s no need to dim me at all, and that allows me to love him fully and to be the person that I want to be and am meant to be.”

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Amanda Seyfried thinks her movie Jennifer’s Body deserved better.

The actress starred alongside Megan Fox in the 2009 horror comedy film. She spoke about the role in a recent video with GQ where she looked back on some of her past performances.

“It’s got balls,” Seyfried said. “We were expressing a certain angst in a very, very specific, comedic way in a very specific genre. … There was everything you could want.”

The actress called the film a “perfect movie,” saying it was ruined by a marketing strategy that ultimately misrepresented what it actually was going for.

“If the critics criticize anything it would be the marketing. The marketing sucked. It just did. And we all agree. … The marketing team cheapened it like it was just, you know, a romp, a gory romp. I think they ruined it,” Seyfried said.

Seyfried said she and Fox made a really good team and that she’s looking forward to the eventual sequel, which is in the works.

“I’m looking forward to the sequel. They’re working on it. I already said thumbs up. I was like, ‘Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready,'” Seyfried said. “We all just had a lot of fun, so I wanna celebrate it by doing a sequel.”

Jennifer’s Body was directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody.

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