In Max’s new tease for ‘The Penguin’, Colin Farrell’s rise to power in Gotham City faces a new queenpin

In Max’s new tease for ‘The Penguin’, Colin Farrell’s rise to power in Gotham City faces a new queenpin
In Max’s new tease for ‘The Penguin’, Colin Farrell’s rise to power in Gotham City faces a new queenpin
Max

Max has dropped an action-packed new tease for The Penguin, director Matt Reeves‘ small-screen spin-off to his hit The Batman.

The new footage depicts Gotham City after the climax of the last film: The city remains flooded from The Riddler’s last gag and, like New Orleans post-Katrina, it’s dangerous.

Colin Farrell‘s Oswald “Ozzy” Cobblepot aka Penguin laments the state of the city “that madman” left in his wake.

Also, at the end of The Batman, John Turturro‘s crime boss — and Ozzy’s actual boss — Carmine Falcone was killed, and there’s a power vacuum Penguin wants to fill. He visits another one of Gotham’s organized crime kingpins, Clancy Brown‘s Salvatore Maroni, in prison. “Carmine’s dead. And I’m here now. I’ll be calling the shots,” Penguin says.

“The business will be ripe for the taking,” he adds.

As he’s shown doing just that, however, a wrinkle emerges in his plan: Falcone’s daughter Sofia, played by Fargo alumna Cristin Milioti.

“I’m the daughter of the Falcone Don, but he’s dead. The family thinks I’m broken. I’m not broken,” she says defiantly.

“I refuse to let these old men push me aside again,” she says. “So I’m gonna force them to their knees.”

As Oz secretly vows to take the Falcone empire down from the inside, Sofia seems to recruit him to help her own rise to power. “People underestimate you, but not me,” she whispers in his ear. “I always knew you were capable of more.”

The series debuts this September on Max.

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‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ swings onto digital July 9

‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ swings onto digital July 9
‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ swings onto digital July 9
20th Century Studios

After a successful theatrical run, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be swinging onto digital platforms on July 9. 

The film will come to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ and DVD on Aug. 27. 

The 4K Ultra HD package of director Wes Ball‘s action epic comes packed with more than three hours of supplemental content, like behind-the-scenes featurettes and more, and also boasts an alternate cut of the film. 

The movie starring Kevin DurandOwen Teague and Freya Allen debuted on May 10 in the U.S. and had an opening weekend global haul of $129 million.

The fourth film in the rebooted Apes franchise, and the 10th overall, made more than $376 million worldwide.

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Ian McKellen pulls out of final three performances of ‘Player Kings’ following stage fall, will join national tour

Ian McKellen pulls out of final three performances of ‘Player Kings’ following stage fall, will join national tour
Ian McKellen pulls out of final three performances of ‘Player Kings’ following stage fall, will join national tour
Dave Benett/Getty Images

While Ian McKellen is expected to make a full recovery from injuries sustained in a fall from the stage during a West End performance on Monday, the 85-year-old actor won’t be back in time to finish out his run.

However, he will be back in action for a national tour in July.

The legendary actor, who played Sir John Falstaff in the adaptation of Shakespeare‘s Henry IV, has bowed out of his final three performances at London’s Noël Coward Theatre.

In a new statement, McKellen noted, “After three nights in hospital, the effects of my fall onstage have been fully analysed and I’m now having physiotherapy, light exercise and a lot of essential rest at home.”

He added, “Meanwhile my part in Player Kings is filled by the redoubtable David Semark supported by Robert Icke‘s amazing production and cast. The many messages of love and support will, I am sure, aid the speedy recovery that my doctors have promised me.”

His final performance was to be Saturday. However, McKellen will take part in a national tour for the U.K. production, which begins July 3, according to the historic venue.

Player Kings also stars Sara Beharrell, Toheeb Jimoh, Richard Coyle and Raphael Akuwudike.

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In Brief: ‘Spaceballs’ sequel; ‘Bridgerton’ dominates, and more

In Brief: ‘Spaceballs’ sequel; ‘Bridgerton’ dominates, and more
In Brief: ‘Spaceballs’ sequel; ‘Bridgerton’ dominates, and more

Viewers can’t get enough of Bridgerton. The Shonda Rhimes Netflix series is back at the top of Netflix’s top 10, following the release of part two of season 3 on June 13. According to Netflix, the show’s final four episodes took in 28 million views within their first four days of availability …

Spaceballs is getting a sequel, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Josh Gad and Mel Brooks will be producing the project, with Gad also starring and co-writing the script. The original 1987 Star Wars spoof starred Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis and Daphne Zuniga

Resident Alien has been renewed for season 4, Variety reports. The sci-fi series starring Alan Tudyk will move from Syfy to USA Network for the new season. The series “follows a crash-landed alien named Harry whose secret mission is to kill all humans.” …

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Kevin Costner addresses rumors that he’s dating Jewel

Kevin Costner addresses rumors that he’s dating Jewel
Kevin Costner addresses rumors that he’s dating Jewel
Cindy Ord/Getty Images — MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images

Kevin Costner is clearing up rumors around his dating life, specifically addressing a rumor making recent headlines that he was dating singer Jewel.

The Yellowstone and Horizon: An American Saga star denied a romantic relationship to The Howard Stern Show this week.

“Jewel and I are friends. We’ve never gone out ever,” Costner told Stern.

“She’s special — and … I don’t want these rumors to ruin our friendship because that’s what we have,” he continued. “She’s special to me. She’s beautiful enough to go out with.”

Costner revealed that the two were recently part of a group of nine people that visited Necker Island, Richard Branson‘s private island. Jewel was there for work for her foundation, The Inspiring Children Foundation.

“Richard Branson has been asking me for years to come down … and so I finally did,” Costner explained. “I’m divorced, all of the sudden I’m a single father, and he’s asked me for, you know, 10 years to come down there. I said, ‘Well I guess I’ll go down.'”

Costner said Emma Watson was also in attendance, along with six others. The actor said he heard speculation that just he and Jewel traveled on a private plane together but in reality, they were joined by a few others.

“I don’t want the press to ruin this for us because — I’ve had conversations with her, text-wise, and she’s so smart and she’s been through a lot herself, and so we have a friendship,” Costner said. “We don’t have a romance and we’ve not dated.”

He added, “She’s beautiful and smart enough for all those things. It just has never happened for us … she’s everything you might think, but it just hasn’t happened.”

Costner and his ex-wife Christine finalized their divorce in February, nine months after she filed for divorce in May 2023. The two were married for 19 years.

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Ore-Ida celebrating 20th anniversary of ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ with Tater Tot-protecting pants

Ore-Ida celebrating 20th anniversary of ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ with Tater Tot-protecting pants
Ore-Ida celebrating 20th anniversary of ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ with Tater Tot-protecting pants
Ore-Ida

In celebration of the cult classic turning 20 — and some memorable product placement therein — Ore-Ida has created Napoleon Dynamite-inspired pants to protect your precious Tater Tots.

In the film, Jon Heder‘s tumbleweed-headed hero smuggles some of his Tots into class via a zippered pocket in his pants, only for his jealous bully Randy to smash them with his foot in a fit of anger.

In a pair of new spots, Heder, in character, says he’s “still haunted” by the moment and introduces the Ore-Ida Tot-Protecting Pants — a replica of Napoleon’s crocodile print joggers, retrofitted with a branded pocket to keep your stash safe.

To prove it, Heder has the pants run over by Uncle Rico’s sweet orange van.

Full disclosure, the fine print notes it may not work for vans IRL, but they should keep your Tots safe from an errant bully kick or a Rex Kwon Do class gone wrong.

You can get your own pair here for $20 while supplies last. Lucky!

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Alicia Vikander, Jude Law on playing Katherine Parr and Henry VIII in ‘Firebrand’

Alicia Vikander, Jude Law on playing Katherine Parr and Henry VIII in ‘Firebrand’
Alicia Vikander, Jude Law on playing Katherine Parr and Henry VIII in ‘Firebrand’
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Katherine Parr takes center stage in Firebrand, the new period drama in theaters now. Alicia Vikander plays the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII in the film, and she told ABC Audio what it was like to tell her story.

“I think it’s nice that we focus on the person who actually did survive,” Vikander said. “I think that it’s almost been more films and TV series that have focused on the other wives. I felt I probably knew the least about Katherine Parr, and I was kind of amazed when I read the script the first time and also even realized that she was actually the first ever published woman in British history.”

Jude Law took on the role of the famous king, and he said he found the character through wardrobe.

“I tried to look at shapes and silhouettes of the guy. So, the shape of his head and his jaw and the beard. The clothes help a lot because we’re wearing these enormous and layered outfits. They kind of wore their fortune on them, so everything was gold and jeweled,” Law said.

Director Karim Aïnouz said Law “brought a vulnerability to a monster that I think is something that not every actor can do.”

As for what made Aïnouz know Vikander would make the perfect Katherine Parr, he said her acting talent was obvious, “but there’s also something very modern about her.”

“I thought it would be an interesting contrast. When you think of Katherine Parr, you think hundreds of years ago and so on,” Aïnouz continued. “I thought it was very important to have a body and a face and a soul which was a very modern soul. And I was also very intrigued by having an English queen being played by a Swedish actress.”

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Pat Sajak’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’ farewell draws 4-year-high 11 million viewers

Pat Sajak’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’ farewell draws 4-year-high 11 million viewers
Pat Sajak’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’ farewell draws 4-year-high 11 million viewers
ABC

Pat Sajak‘s final Wheel of Fortune episode on June 7 was the show’s most-watched episode since April 2020, according to Variety.

It also grabbed more viewers than any other broadcast or cable telecast for that week, excluding sports.

Sajak, 77, announced in June 2023 that the show’s 41st season would be his last.

Sajak concluded his 41-season run with a direct-to-camera address at the end of his final Wheel of Fortune episode, calling it “an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade.”

“I’ve always felt that the privilege came with a responsibility to keep this daily half hour a safe place for family, fun, no social issues, no politics, nothing embarrassing I hope, just a game,” he continued. “But gradually it became … a place where kids learned their letters, where people from other countries honed their English skills, where families came together, along with friends and neighbors and entire generations.”

“What an honor to have played even a small part in all that. Thank you for allowing me into your lives,” he concluded.

Ryan Seacrest joins co-host Vanna White for Wheel of Fortune‘s 42nd season, kicking off this fall.

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‘Game of Thrones’ prequel series ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ gets underway

‘Game of Thrones’ prequel series ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ gets underway
‘Game of Thrones’ prequel series ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ gets underway
HBO/Steffan Hill

HBO has announced that shooting has begun in Belfast, Ireland for the forthcoming Game of Thrones prequel spinoff series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.

As reported, the show is based on the characters Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire, Egg, who were featured in George R.R. Martin‘s The Hedge Knight novella. Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell play the respective characters. 

HBO teases, “A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros: A young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg.”

The network continues, “Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”

HBO also announced that Finn Bennett will appear as Aerion Targaryen; Bertie Carvel plays Baelor Targaryen, and Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen.

Also in the series will be Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon and Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle.

Director and executive producer Owen Harris will direct three episodes of the six-episode series, with Lessons in Chemistry and Hanna veteran Sarah Adina Smith calling the shots on the remaining three. 

 

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Ian McKellen thanks fans for their “kind messages and support” after fall off stage

Ian McKellen thanks fans for their “kind messages and support” after fall off stage
Ian McKellen thanks fans for their “kind messages and support” after fall off stage
Dave Benett/Getty Images

In a post on social platform X on Tuesday afternoon, legendary actor Ian McKellen let fans know he’s OK after he took a nasty spill off of a stage during a performance of Player Kings in London’s West End Monday night.

“I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support,” the theater veteran and star of the X-Men and Lord of the Rings franchises said.

He added, “Since the accident … my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of course, I am hugely indebted.”

McKellen concluded, “They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work.”

The actor apparently tumbled offstage during a fight scene at the Noël Coward Theatre. A pair of doctors in the audience tended to the actor after the mishap.

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