Entertainment

Jaafar Jackson has found his next role.

The Michael actor is set to star alongside Will Smith in the upcoming action-thriller film Supermax for Amazon MGM Studios and Miramax, ABC Audio has confirmed.

Pineapple Express and Halloween director David Gordon Green will helm the film. It is set to stream worldwide on Prime Video.

Smith will star as Rex in the film, which is described to be “a propulsive and twist-laden action thriller.” It follows two FBI agents who investigate a murder that has taken place inside the world’s most secure prison.

AnnaSophia Robb has also been cast in the film. She will seemingly play the second FBI agent along with Smith’s Rex.

David Weil and David J. Rosen, who are known for their work on the TV shows Hunters and Invasion, wrote the film. Smith will produce the movie for his company Westbrook.

Jackson, who is the nephew of Michael Jackson, portrayed his uncle in the hit biopic Michael. The Antoine Fuqua-directed film is now the highest-grossing biopic of all time, having surpassed Oppenheimer and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Supermax will mark Smith’s first onscreen appearance since the 2024 film Bad Boys: Ride or Die. That movie was his first major film part after the 2022 incident in which he slapped presenter Chris Rock onstage at the 94th Academy Awards. It was the same night he won his best actor Oscar for portraying Richard Williams in the biopic King Richard.

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Another one of Lynn Painter’s books is getting the big screen adaptation. Deadline reports Beatrice Kitsos and David Iacono will star in the film adaptation of Painter’s bestselling book Better Than the Movies …

Rebecca Hall has joined the cast of The Secret of Secrets for Netflix. She will play the role of Katherine Solomon in the upcoming series adaptation of the mystery thriller novel from author Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon book series. As previously reported, Morgan Spector will also star as Robert Langdon in the show …

It seems Samara Weaving is set to join the X-Men. Deadline reports the actress is Marvel’s top choice to play Emma Frost in an upcoming X-Men film. The character was most recently portrayed by January Jones in the film X-Men: First Class …

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Spider-Man: Brand New Day is off to a record-breaking start at the box office.

The latest Marvel superhero film earned an estimated $355 million in North American ticket sales during its opening weekend, making it the second-biggest domestic debut of all time, according to studio estimates. It trails only 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which opened to $357 million.

The Sony Pictures release also took in $572 million internationally, including $121 million in China, for a worldwide opening of $927 million, making it the second-largest global debut ever, behind Avengers: Endgame.

Starring Tom Holland and Zendaya, Spider-Man: Brand New Day also became Sony Pictures’ biggest opening weekend in history. The film set a new opening-day record with $168 million on Friday, surpassing Avengers: Endgame‘s previous mark.

The film follows 2021’s blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home, which grossed more than $1.9 billion worldwide and became the first movie to surpass $1 billion globally after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, has earned strong reviews, holding a 90% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” CinemaScore rating from audiences.

The blockbuster opening helped deliver the biggest weekend ever for North American movie theaters, with an estimated $430 million in total ticket sales. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which also stars Holland and Zendaya, finished second at the domestic box office with $51 million in its third weekend.

Here are the top 10 films at the box office:

1. Spider-Man: Brand New Day — $355 million
2. The Odyssey — $51 million
3. Toy Story 5 — $6.3 million
4. Minions & Monsters — $5.8 million
5. Moana — $5.3 million
6. Hadestown: The Musical — $2 million
7. The Invite — $1.2 million
8. I Want Your Sex — $600,000
9. Evil Dead Burn — $527,000
10. Young Washington — $477,727

Marvel is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.

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The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has released two ransom notes received by local media in Tucson, Arizona, in the days after Nancy Guthrie was taken, while calling for the public’s help in identifying their writer.

The redacted versions of the notes arrive six months after the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie was kidnapped from her Tucson-area home. The 84-year-old remains missing.

ABC News has previously described the contents of the notes.

“These communications reveal distinctive patterns of word choice, syntax, and phraseology that reflect the writer’s unique linguistic style,” the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release on Friday. “They also provide valuable insight into the person’s mindset, motives, and the evolution of their tone over time.”

The department said they “believe these distinctive linguistic characteristics may be recognizable to someone who knows or has interacted with the notes’ writer.”

The first note was sent to the local CBS Tucson affiliate KOLD-TV on Feb. 2, according to the sheriff’s department, and is addressed to Savannah Guthrie.

“We have your mother Nancy. She is safe but scared,” the note stated, while asking for millions of dollars in Bitcoin for her release. If payment was not received, “she will be killed,” the note stated.

The note included descriptions of a smart watch near her bed and a damaged floodlight in the home’s backyard.

The second note was sent on Feb. 6, according to the sheriff’s department, and is addressed to the Guthrie family. The note stated that Guthrie died and “is buried in nature now.”

“We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition. We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken,” the note stated.

The note included an apology and said to the family, “Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you all can find peace.”

After receiving the second note, Savannah Guthrie posted a statement in a Feb. 7 Instagram post.

“We received your message and we understand,” Savannah Guthrie said at the time. “We beg you now to return our mother to us. … . This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is opening up about the cancellation of his Marvel TV series Wonder Man.

Abdul-Mateen took to Instagram to post about the surprise cancellation of the series, which had previously been renewed for season 2 on Disney+.

“Word just dropped that Wonder Man won’t be coming back for Season 2. (And if you don’t knowww, now ya knoww!)” Abdul-Mateen captioned his post. “That’s life, right? Everything will shake out.”

The actor, who played aspiring actor and superhero Simon Williams in the show, continued his post by thanking the series’ fans.

“I wanted to say thank you to everybody who WATCHED the show, ENJOYED the show, and SHARED that they enjoyed the show in some way or other. The show worked. And that’s my favorite thing about it,” Abdul-Mateen wrote.

Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest created Wonder Man while Cretton directed its first two episodes. Guest served as the series’ showrunner. Ben Kingsley, X Mayo, Demetrius Grosse, Zlatko Burić, Arian Moayed, Josh Gad and Olivia Thirlby also starred in season 1.

Season 1 of Wonder Man premiered on Jan. 27. Disney announced the show had been renewed for season 2 in March. Earlier in July, Abdul-Mateen was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series for his work on the series. He is already an Emmy winner for his work on Watchmen.

Despite the renewal reversal, Abdul-Mateen continued his post with positivity.

“I can see in the messages I get saying how the show reminded some of you not to give up, and I feel it in the genuine love shared when I bump into some of you all during the day. So, thinking of you all today. I’m glad we got to be a part of something cool. Thank you for watching… And uhh… See you at the EMMYS,” Abdul-Mateen wrote.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News, Disney+ and Marvel.

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Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen are teaming up for a new drama series. The actors are set to star in You Are Here for STARZ and BBC. The new show will be based on the love story written by author David Nicholls. He adapted his own story as an eight-part series to be directed by Normal People‘s Lenny Abrahamson …

Fake Skating is headed to the big screen. Sony Pictures has tapped The Fault in our Stars director Josh Boone to direct the film adaptation of the high school hockey romance book by Lynn Painter. It marks the first book by the bestselling author to get a screen adaptation. Morgan Lehmann and Victoria Bata wrote its screenplay while Boone and his writing partner Knate Lee handled its revisions …

The official teaser trailer for Alix Earle’s Netflix documentary series has arrived. Earle Meets World follows the Gen Z influencer’s everyday life as she balances making big moves in her career while staying true to herself. The series consists of eight 45-minute episodes. It premieres on Sept. 4 …

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Howard Charles plays a heavyweight championship boxer in Fightland, the new Starz series that follows Duke Kilroy as he seeks vengeance for the death of his brother, whom he believes was killed by criminal kingpin and former promoter Kingsley Marshall.

Though Howard was already in shape before landing the role, he says portraying Duke required a different kind of physique.

“I had to put on weight for the role, actually. I was a bit too lean. That’s the first time that’s actually happened. So I was eating a bit more than I usually do. I was lifting a bit heavier than I usually do,” he tells ABC Audio.

Howard says he was drawn to the character the moment he read the script.

“I saw a man who on the face of it appeared to be dangerous and capable of terrible things, and sometimes even reckless, but this was not a man who was a monster. You know, this is someone who’s wounded, someone who is carrying grief, rage … and he is a man with a heart,” he explains. “I just really felt for the guy, you know, I really, really felt his pain and I wanted to play him and I wanted to represent him and I wanted to honor him. And luckily, I was given the opportunity to do that.”

Fightland is executive produced by 50 Cent, who is known for starring in, creating and promoting the Power universe. Despite that franchise’s long-running success, he believes Fightland is an even better series.

“When you watch that show, you go, well, this is better than where we started with Power,” he says, noting it took more effort to promote Power in its early days.

“I took $17,000 to be a reoccurring actor, to write the theme song for Power, to do the marketing and promotions for it because they didn’t know who Omari Hardwick was in the very beginning,” he says. “So Good Morning America wouldn’t accept the cast without me being available. I’m in a nightclub. I got to put a suit on and go to Good Morning America. Like that, it was really interesting.”

“I knew I had something going when they would accept them without me season 3,” 50 continues. “Then it gradually got to that point.”

By contrast, Fightland is captivating from the start. “I’m excited because I think after people see the first [episode] … they’ll understand why I’m been saying that.” 

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Good Morning America.

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George Clooney and Amal Clooney evacuated their home in Brignoles, France, this week as wildfires tore through the region, sending a moving note to the town’s mayor as they left.

The actor and human rights attorney informed Didier Bremond, the mayor of Brignoles, of their departure in a note shared with ABC News by a representative for Clooney on Thursday.

“At this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment and as we evacuate Brignoles we want to emphasise 2 things,” the note read. “First we hope you and the people of our city are safe and second that Amal and i are committed to making sure that whatever happens to our village, we are part of this community and we’ll be part of making it whole.”

“We love Brignoles and our friends who live there,” the note concluded.

Brignoles is located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southeastern France and has a population of around 18,000, according to a recent census.

A wildfire broke out near the town on Wednesday, burning approximately 321 acres of vegetation before it was contained around 3 a.m. local time, but not fully extinguished, according to local authorities. Four firefighters were injured while battling the blaze, authorities said in an update Thursday, adding that firefighters were still working to put out the flames.

Wildfires are currently burning through large swaths of southern Europe, including parts of Greece, France and Spain, and as far north as the U.K. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been evacuated amid the fires, with sweltering heat waves blanketing the region, worsening conditions.

George Clooney and Amal Clooney reportedly purchased their home in France in 2021, according to The Associated Press.

George Clooney discussed his life in France in a 2025 interview with Esquire, describing what it was like for his family to live on farm in the country.

“Yeah, we’re very lucky,” he said at the time. “You know, we live on a farm in France. A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid I hated the whole idea of it. But now, for [my kids], it’s like — they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”

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Paramount+ has some totally buggin’ news.

The streaming service has greenlit a sequel series to the classic ’90s film Clueless. Alicia Silverstone is set to reprise her starring role as “it” girl Cher Horowitz in this new event series based on the teen comedy movie.

Silverstone will also executive produce the series. It is set to start production in LA in 2027.

The upcoming show picks up 30 years after the events of the original film. “Beloved Beverly Hills icon Cher Horowitz has figured out a lot: She’s successful in business and has mastered motherhood — that is, until her daughter’s high school years, and Cher finds that parenting a teenager makes her feel ‘clueless’ all over again,” according to an official description.

The OC‘s Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage wrote and will executive produce the series. It will be produced by CBS Studios. Amy Heckerling, who directed the 1995 film, will also executive produce alongside Robert Lawrence.

“Clueless is coming home,” Jane Wiseman, head of originals for Paramount+, said. “Thirty-one years ago, Alicia Silverstone’s Cher Horowitz captivated audiences with her signature chic style, sharp wit and relentless optimism, helping make Clueless a box office hit and instant pop culture classic. We’re especially proud to be filming this much-anticipated series in Los Angeles, honoring its starring role in the original film while investing in the city’s exceptional talent and crews.”

Clueless celebrated its 30th anniversary in summer 2025. Additionally, the movie was recently added to the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

A Clueless sequel series was previously in development at Peacock. ABC Audio confirmed Peacock was no longer moving forward with the series back in April.

Along with Silverstone, the original movie starred Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Donald Faison, Elisa Donovan, Breckin Meyer and Dan Hedaya.

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Ben Affleck and Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding scored the winning prize on the ABC television show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on Wednesday. The pair earned $1 million for the nonprofit Eastern Congo Initiative.

Affleck and Ding clinched the win on a Thanksgiving trivia question.

The final question read, “In an annual Thanksgiving tradition, all but which of these have been the names of turkeys pardoned by a U.S. president?”

The four options the pair could choose from to answer the question were “Peanut Butter & Jelly,” “Tater & Tot,” “Mac & Cheese” and “Spaghetti & Meatball.”

Affleck and Ding selected the correct answer, “Spaghetti & Meatball.”

Lights flickered across the stage and confetti fell as Affleck and Ding celebrated the win with host Jimmy Kimmel, receiving an oversized $1 million check written out to Eastern Congo Initiative.

At the start of the round, which aired the previous week, Affleck shared why the Eastern Congo Initiative holds a special place in his heart.

“I’ve been working with them for about 15 years,” Affleck said of the nonprofit. “And right now, of course, as I’m sure most people know, there’s an Ebola crisis there, and so this is in large part designed to try to relieve that, contain the spread of Ebola.”

According to the Eastern Congo Initiative website, Affleck co-founded the charity with businesswoman Whitney Williams in 2010 to “elevate local solutions” in eastern Congo.

The group says its mission is to “transform humanitarian aid into a locally driven model by directly funding community-based organizations and advocating for greater international visibility for the region.”

“We support locally led organizations to expand access to essential services, strengthen economic opportunities, and promote justice,” the website states. “Our work is designed to create scalable, sustainable impact across eastern Congo.”

Affleck and Ding’s big win for charity comes one year after Affleck’s longtime friend and collaborator Matt Damon earned $1 million on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire alongside Jeopardy! star Ken Jennings, benefiting Damon and Gary White’s nonprofit, Water.org.

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