In Brief: ‘Star Trek’ scratched; ‘Halloween Ends’ trailer, and more

Hulu has given a series order to Under the Bridge, a limited series about the 1997 murder of Canadian teenager Reena Virk, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The eight-episode drama, based on Rebecca Godfrey’s 2005 book about the case, tells the true story of 14-year-old Virk, who went to join friends at a party and never returned home. The series will join Hulu’s slate of true-crime adaptations, which also includes The Act, The Girl from Plainville, and Candy

YouTubers the Try Guys fired its member Ned Fulmer following his admission that he cheated on his wife, Ariel Fulmer, with Try Guys producer Alex Herring. “Ned Fulmer is no longer working with The Try Guys,” remaining members Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld and Eugene Lee Yang wrote Tuesday on Instagram. “As a result of a thorough internal review, we do not see a path forward together. We thank you for your support as we navigate this change.” Shortly after, Ned shared on his personal Instagram, “Family should have always been my priority, but I lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship. I’m sorry for any pain that my actions may have caused to the guys and the fans but most of all to Ariel. The only thing that matters right now is my marriage and my children, and that’s where I am going to focus my attention”…

Jamie Lee Curtis‘ Laurie Strode is out for revenge against Michael Meyers in the final trailer for Halloween Ends, released on Tuesday. The 13th, and supposedly final, installment in the slasher film saga begun by filmmaker John Carpenter‘s 1978 original and reestablished by 2018’s Halloween, is set four years after 2021’s Halloween Kills and finds Laurie living with her granddaughter, Allyson — played by Andi Matichak — and working on her memoir when “a murder begins a new string of terror,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Will Patton, Kyle Richards, Omar Dorsey, Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney also star. Halloween Ends hits theaters October 14…

Robert Cormier, best known for playing Kit Jennings on the third season of the Netflix horror anthology series Slasher, died Friday in a hospital in Etobicoke, Ontario, of injuries suffered in a fall, his sister Stephanie tells The Hollywood Reporter. He was 33. The Ontario-born bartender-turned-actor also appeared on shows such as American Gods, Heartland, Ransom and Designated Survivor

Deadline reports Paramount has temporarily scratched the next Star Trek film from its release schedule, a month after director Matt Shakman exited the project. The movie, again starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, was originally set to open June 9, 2023, before getting pushed back to December 22, 2023. The recent trio of Star Trek movies — two of which were produced by J.J. Abrams and starring Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban and Simon Pegg as young versions of the legacy TV characters — have grossed $1.96 billion globally. All five stars of those movies are still attached to the upcoming film…

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Mack Wilds talks ‘Swagger’ season 2, new music, and his fitness journey

Courtesy of Apple TV+

Tristan “Mack” Wilds knows the importance of living a life in balance.

Most recently, the Apple TV+ show Swagger was renewed for season 2 and Wilds, who stars in the series, says that the cast is currently “in the middle of shooting it.” 

“We’re literally mid-season,” he told ABC Audio at the Movement LIVE event he hosted with Michelob ULTRA and Rumble Boxing at The Brooklyn Mirage Wednesday, September 21. “I can’t say too much but…we really start to touch on the kind of the crossroad of being a young black basketball player and being a young black man in America. It gets real.”

The series is loosely based on the life of basketball star Kevin Durant, and Wilds shared that the athlete is very active in the show. 

“We’re always talking to KD. He’s always kind of very present making sure that everybody understands where we’re doing and what we’re doing.”

Much like Durant, the 90210 alum has “always been an athlete.” However, he shares that his fitness journey is similar to most people. 

“Anybody is human, you know, you love it, fall off, get back on, but I think right now I’m in such a zone that we, it just feels like a whole new journey on a new perspective, in a way,” the multi-hyphenate said. 

In addition to acting and keeping in shape, Wilds is also a singer-songwriter. His latest track “Simple Things” dropped this spring, so when can fans expect new music?

“I’m always working on some new stuff, always kind of writing or jotting down ideas or recording, like real quick things. I think one of these days I got to put it all together and just drop a mixtape or something. Yeah, I think it’s about time,” he teases.

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Ryan Reynolds teases ‘Deadpool 3’ — and Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine

Noam Galai/Getty Images for Netflix

That sound you might have heard around 5 p.m. ET Tuesday was millions of geeks’ heads exploding, thanks to Ryan Reynolds‘ Instagram

That’s because he teased fans that Deadpool 3 will feature none other than his pal Hugh Jackman‘s return to his X-Men character, Wolverine. 

Reynolds opened by apologizing to fans. “We were extremely sad to have missed D23,” he said of the annual Disney Expo, “but we have been working hard on the next Deadpool film for a good long while now.”

Along with pensive shots of Reynolds both in and out of his Deadpool costumes, he continued, “I’ve had to really search my soul on this one. His first appearance in the MCU obviously needs to feel really special. We need to stay true to the character …”

He continued, “It’s been an incredible challenge that has forced me to reach deep inside. And I have nothing. It’s completely empty up here. And terrifying. But we did have one idea.”

At that, Hugh Jackman walks into frame behind him, eating an apple, and casually walks up a flight of stairs in the background. 

“Hey Hugh: You wanna play Wolverine one more time?”

“Yeah, sure Ryan,” Jackman says, chewing. 

At this, Reynolds raises his eyebrows, and Whitney Houston‘s “I Will Always Love You” blares, the obvious play on words with “you” and “Hugh.”

“Coming Hughn,” a title card reads near the Deadpool logo — which is split apart by Wolverine’s three claws — and a release date reading “9/6/24.”

The news came as a shock to fans, as Jackman had retired playing the role in 2017’s Oscar-nominated Logan, meaning he was never part of the Disney-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox — and the Wolverine character with it — along with the MCU’s dabbling in the Multiverse, however, it looks like fans will finally get their wish and see the two heroes together.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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George and Amal Clooney celebrating humanitarians with inaugural Albie Awards

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Awards shows are sometimes criticized for being superficial, but Oscar winner George Clooney is looking to change that with the Albie Awards.

Clooney, his human rights attorney wife Amal and their Clooney Foundation for Justice have announced they’re staging the inaugural event at the New York City Public Library on the evening of September 29.

South African judge, author and activist Albie Sachs — for whom the awards are named — will be honored with a lifetime achievement award at the event.

Filipino journalist Maria Ressa will be honored with the Justice For Journalists award; Dr. Josephine Kulea, of the Kenya-based Samburu Girls Foundation, will be singled out with the Justice For Women award.

iAct, which supports genocide survivors in refugee camps, will be presented with the Justice For Survivors award, and Belarusian human rights group Viasna will be honored with the Justice For Democracy Defenders award.

Michelle Obama, Meryl Streep, Oscar Isaac, Dua Lipa, Aloe Blacc, John Oliver, Julia Roberts, and Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa will be among the newsmakers saluting the honorees.

In a statement, the Clooneys noted, “We believe that justice must be waged — it doesn’t just happen. So when journalists are locked up just for doing their job, we try to get them out of prison. When young girls are denied the right to study, work, or marry when they want, we help them fight for their rights through the courts. When minorities are targeted for genocide, we help trigger trials against the perpetrators.”

“The Albie Awards add a new dimension to our work at CFJ: they are a way to shine a protective light on the many courageous individuals who, at great personal risk, have devoted their lives to justice,” they conclude.

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“Batgirls get lonely, too”: Leslie Grace shares more behind-the-scenes peeks at shelved movie

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Leslie Grace is sharing more behind-the-scenes peeks at Batgirl, the now-scuttled film in which she played Barbara Gordon/Batgirl.

On her Instagram, and set to a song she apparently wrote with singer-songwriter Lauren LaRue that was initially called “Bad Girls Get Lonely, Too,” Grace is seen being put through her paces on and off set.

Grace is shown training for her role as the titular heroine and bearing the bruises her character endures in the course of the movie. One shows her tangling with Firefly, the baddie who was played by Brendan Fraser.

There’s also more lighthearted moments in between shots of time in the make-up chair or at the training gym. One shows Grace showing off a 3D printed ambigram — the model displays “Leslie” or “Batgirl,” depending on how it’s positioned.

Another shows Leslie being offered a cookie in shape of her Batsuit’s chest emblem.

Regarding the song, Grace explained she laughed at the fact that the lyrics sounded like “Batgirls are lonely, too.” She noted, “in any case, over the last couple weeks, the song obviously took on a whole other meaning – as if it were written with all of the recent events in mind!”

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‘Stranger Things’ star Caleb McLaughlin says “racism” from fans “took a toll” on him

Netflix

At a comic convention in Belgium on Sunday, Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin revealed he has also weathered racist trolling, as did some of the actors of color in Game of Thrones, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

One of the fans at Heroes Comic Con Belgium caught Caleb’s unfiltered answer on video.

“It definitely took a toll on me as a younger kid,” the actor, who plays Lucas on Stranger Things, said.

“My very first Comic-Con, some people didn’t stand in my line because I was Black. Some people told me, ‘Oh I didn’t want to be in your line because you were mean to Eleven,'” McLaughlin said.

“Even now some people don’t follow me or don’t support me because I’m Black. Sometimes overseas you feel the racism, you feel the bigotry. Sometimes it’s hard to talk about and for people to understand, but when I was younger it definitely affected me a lot.”

He continued, “You’re like … ‘Why am I the least favorite? Why don’t I have the followers? I’m on the same show since season 1.’ But then my parents had to be like, ‘It’s a sad truth, but it’s because you’re the Black child on the show.'”

“That’s why with my platform, I try spreading positivity and love because I don’t give hate back to people who give hate to me,” Caleb said, to which the crowd applauded.

The video snippet has been viewed nearly 430,000 times.

Amazon Video claims its Rings of Power series has been review bombed by viewers taking issue with its Middle-Earth actors of color. Black actor Steve Toussaint vented about the racist trolls he’s dealt with after he debuted as Corlys Velaryon in HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon.

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Kerry Washington-produced legal drama, ‘Reasonable Doubt,’ debuts on Hulu

Hulu

The new legal drama Reasonable Doubt premieres Tuesday on Hulu.

The Onyx Collective series follows Jacqueline “Jax” Stewart, a high-powered attorney in Los Angeles loosely based on real-life celebrity lawyer Shawn Holley. When Jax isn’t challenging the legal system “through wild interpretations of the law and sometimes questionable ethics,” she’s dealing with a complicated personal life.

“The thing that really got me most about this show is the fact that this woman, we get to see a full life,”  Emayatzy Corinealdi, who plays Jax, tells ABC Audio. “It’s not just about her work life. It’s not just about her personal life. We get to see what makes the woman. And we know as women, there’s so many moving parts.”

The show has strong women behind the camera as well, with Kerry Washington executive producing. She also directed the first episode.

“I love directing talented actors,” Washington tells ABC Audio. “And this cast is full of them. So to be able to help an actor find their best performance brings me so much joy. And I just, I really love directing. I love directing content that I like and that I want to watch. And that is definitely the case with Reasonable Doubt.”

Reasonable Doubt, also starring Michael Ealy, McKinley Freeman, Sean Patrick Thomas and Pauletta Washington, is out on Hulu now.

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Gwyneth Paltrow literally goes for the gold with nude “birthday” suit snap

ABC

Gwyneth Paltrow turns the big 5-0 today, and she got herself some gold — body paint, that is. The Oscar winner celebrated her milestone wearing only her birthday suit in an artfully posed nude snap in which she’s glowing from head to toe with the shimmery stuff.

Paltrow was posed so that her modesty was mostly protected. She’s seen in profile with her left arm draped over a white column as she leans on her right elbow, forehead in hand.

“50,” she captioned the snap posted to her 8.1 million followers.

The post got more than 200,000 likes in the first hour it was up on social media.

For the actress and Goop CEO, it’s just the latest picture to commemorate her 50th trip around the sun. Four days ago, she posted a black-and-white snap of herself wearing a bikini, smiling and doing a mid-air split.

The caption there was “musings on a milestone.” Among those to reply to that one was Demi Moore, who called Gwyneth “a goddess.”

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“Yes” Man: ‘Mad Men’ Emmy winner Jon Hamm admits he happily didn’t get paid for ‘Bridesmaids’

ABC

(NOTE LANGUAGE) If you’d like to book Jon Hamm for your podcast, now’s your chance. In a chat with Sirius/XM’s Pop Culture Spotlight with Jessica Shaw, the Emmy-winning Mad Men star admits he’s a pushover for the right project.

Hamm explained that he said yes to his comedic turn in Bridesmaids after getting on “like a house on fire” with Kristen Wiig when he hosted Saturday Night Live. She all but begged him to be in the movie, and he agreed.

Suffice it to say, his agents weren’t too happy, the Top Gun: Maverick co-star star recalled.

“I did that movie before there was a part, before there was a script, I said ‘yes’ to it. And [my] agents went, ‘Oh, well, s***. How do we, you know, ask for money?’ And I was like, ‘Don’t worry about it. It just, let me let go have fun with friends.”

Hamm’s instincts were spot-on, as the 2011 comedy went on to make $288.3 million at the global box office.

“Mostly I drive [my agents] crazy because I say yes to everything, you know?” Hamm says. “I’m always showing up for people’s podcasts or what have you. But that’s what I like doing. I like engaging with the people that I work with and I’ve had some tremendous, fun experiences doing that.”

The Confess, Fletch actor adds, “And things like that turn into other things. And, you know, those are the kinds of things you can’t measure.”

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Report: ‘The Bachelor”s Peter Weber and Kelley Flanagan are “full-on back together”

ABC/Frank Micelotta

After calling it quits in 2020, The Bachelor‘s Peter Weber and Kelley Flanagan are back together, a source tells Us Weekly.

The two, who met while filming season 24 of The Bachelor “rekindled their romance this summer and have been spending a lot of time together since then,” says the supposed insider.

Weber, 31, and Flanagan, 30, have been planning “fun dates” and having “a lot of fun together” since reconnecting earlier this year, the source shares, adding, “Peter wants to be in a serious committed relationship and his feelings for Kelley never went away…They’re both happy and looking forward to where things go this time around.”

Flanagan was the fifth runner-up during Weber’s The Bachelor season.

The pilot first proposed to Hannah Ann Sluss before breaking things off to pursue Madison Prewett. After that relationship went south, he and Flanagan went official in April 2020.

After dating for almost a year, they each took to social media to announce the breakup on December 31. After trying to “get back together” and “work on things” in January, Flanagan told Kaitlyn Bristowe in March 2021 on her Off the Vine podcast that their brief reunion came to an end after Valentine’s Day.

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