Superman: Legacy writer-director James Gunn has revealed that production on the film, which is now just Superman, has officially begun. “Overjoyed to be announcing the start of principal photography on SUPERMAN today, February 29, which just so happens to be – coincidentally and unplanned – Superman’s birthday,” the co-CEO of DC Films shared on Instagram. “When I finished the first draft of the script, I called the film Superman: Legacy. By the time I locked the final draft, it was clear the title was SUPERMAN.” The film is set to hit theaters in July 2025 …
Emily Blunt is in talks to join Dwayne Johnson in Benny Safdie’s solo directorial debut for A24, The Smashing Machine, according to Variety. She would reportedly play Dawn Staples, the wife of MMA and UFC champion Mark Kerr, played by Johnson. Per the studio, “While trying to set up a new life together … (Dawn) struggles to find her place within Mark’s chaotic and contradictory world.” Production is set to begin this summer …
Anne Whitfield, best known for playing Susan Waverly, the granddaughter of Dean Jagger’s Major Gen. Thomas F. Waverly in the holiday classic White Christmas, died February 7 at a hospital in Yakima, Washington, after suffering an “unexpected accident” while on a walk in her neighborhood, according to B-Town Blog. She was 85. Whitfield also appeared on dozens of TV shows, including Father Knows Best, 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, That Girl, Ironside and Emergency! Her other film credits include The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima, Peter Pan, Juvenile Jungle and Tick, Tick, Tick …
Get out your passport – it’s time to travel and eat again with Phil Rosenthal. A new season of his show Somebody Feed Phil drops Friday on Netflix, and this season Rosenthal journeys to Mumbai, Kyoto, Iceland, Dubai, Washington, D.C., Orlando, Taipei and Scotland.
The Everybody Loves Raymond creator tells ABC Audio that one of his best bites this season comes in Kyoto, where he asked world famous chef Rene Redzepi, owner of the restaurant Noma, to take him to his favorite spot.
“He took us to a gorgeous, tiny soba noodle place where the chef is also a farmer,” Rosenthal recalls.
“So he grows the wheat, makes it into soba noodles and flour himself. And that’s all he does. He’s a soba machine,” he jokes.
Another memorable bite came in Dubai, at a small Palestinian-owned place that brought Phil to tears, literally.
“First of all, flavor bomb. Absolutely delicious. Crazy delicious,” he raves.
“But then I can’t even explain it other than magic, that you’re transported. Like it was almost like time travel,” Rosenthal continues.
He adds, “Is it the story? Is it that I’m Jewish and she’s Palestinian and meant more to me then? This was before all the trouble, we filmed this. But we bonded in a beautiful way. Talk about connecting over food.”
Rosenthal says he loves nothing more than when people visit the places he’s been to on his show. “Nothing makes me feel better,” he admits. “People DM me all the time on Instagram with pictures of them eating in the places that we filmed, and happy. And I mean, I couldn’t be happier when I see that.”
On his Instagram, Oscar winner Jared Leto teased his character in the upcoming sci-fi flick Tron: Ares.
Leto posted a photo of a character wearing a skin-tight black suit and matching helmet, with the outfit’s red lighting — as opposed to the franchise’s blue-lit heroes — hinting he may be playing a baddie.
“ARE YOU READY?” the actor and Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman wrote, adding the movie’s title and its year of release, 2025.
He closed with “see you on the grid,” a reference to the world inside the world of computers.
The third film in the Tron franchise follows 2010’s Tron: Legacy and the groundbreaking 1982 original, both of which starred Jeff Bridges.
According to Disney, Tron: Ares “follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings.”
The movie will also star Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Hasan Minhaj, Jodie Turner-Smith, Arturo Castro and Cameron Monaghan, and features Gillian Anderson.
In a release, director Joachim Rønning enthused, “I’m excited to be part of the Tronfranchise and bring this new film to fans around the world.”
He adds, “Tron: Ares builds upon the legacy of cutting-edge design, technology and storytelling. Now more than ever, it feels like the right time to return to the Grid.”
After Warner Bros. reportedly shelved its live-action/animated cartoon Coyote Vs. Acme, another one of its stars is sounding off.
On X, formerly Twitter, Will Fortewrote to the movie’s cast and crew, “I know that a lot of you haven’t gotten a chance to see our movie. And sadly, it’s a looking like you never will.”
He added that when he heard the studio “deleted” the movie, “I was thinking what everyone else must have been thinking: this thing must be a hunk of junk.”
The Saturday Night Live veteran expressed, “But then I saw it, and it’s incredible.”
He continued, “Super funny throughout, visually stunning, sweet, sincere, and emotionally resonant in a very earned way. … I just sat there thinking how lucky I was to be a part of something so special.”
He asked himself rhetorically, “This was the movie they’re not going to release?”
The movie stars Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor, and reportedly centers on the cartoon coyote suing Acme for a lifetime of defective, injurious products that got him no closer to catching the Road Runner. Cena reportedly played the company’s legal counsel.
Forte continued, “You would be so proud of it — a movie that should be seen, but won’t. Please know that all the years and years of hard work, dedication and love that you put into this movie shows in every frame.”
One of the movie’s stars, Eric Bauza — who voices a host of Looney Tunes characters — recently used his time as a presenter at the Annie Awards to mention the plight of the movie in character as both Bugs and Sylvester. “I hate to be political, but release Coyote vs. Acme!” he shouted as the lisping cat.
On Thursday, the producers of the 96th Academy Awards telecast announced another round of presenters.
Among them are Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, Kate McKinnon, John Mulaney, Catherine O’Hara, Bad Bunny and Ramy Youssef.
Also added were previous Oscar winners Michael Keaton, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence and Octavia Spencer.
They will be joining previously announced Academy Award-winning presenters Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Lange, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong’o, Ke Huy Quan, Al Pacino, Sam Rockwell and Michelle Yeoh in welcoming the night’s new crop of winners.
More announcers will be revealed the closer we get to the big show, which airs live on ABC on Sunday, March 10, at the new time of 7 p.m. ET.
The skewed-superhero movie universe of the 2010 movie Kick-A** is rolling on.
Variety reports Argylle director Matthew Vaughn is producing The Stuntman and the as-yet-unreleased School Fight, the next chapters of the film series, which also spawned Kick-A** 2 in 2013.
The Stuntman is now underway, with former real-life stuntman Damien Walters behind the camera of the tale of two brothers who aspire to join the titular profession.
According to Vaughn, Stuntman is part of a new Kick trilogy, including School Fight, also directed by Walters, which centers on a high school girl who goes toe-to-toe with a love rival classmate.
Based on a comic series by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., the original film starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Dave Lizewski, a geeky guy who becomes a self-appointed superhero. The original also starred Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. The sequel added Chloë Grace Moretz and Jim Carrey to the mix.
The era of ’90s remakes continues as a new teaser has dropped for a remake of the 1991 comedy Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.
A teaser for the 2024 version, which was shared by Nicole Richie on Instagram, shows Richie alongside Simone Joy Jones and June Squibb carrying the same quirky humor as the original.
The now-famous “I’m right on top of that, Rose!” tagline that has been used with popularity since the original movie’s release also appears to be referenced in the new teaser.
“If we’re not alone, and I ask you for something, you just say —” Richie says in the teaser, a reference to the line from 1991 film.
According to the film’s synopsis, a mother leaves her four kids at home with an unlikeable babysitter who subsequently dies. Rather than ruin her mother’s vacation, Tanya Crandell, played by Jones, decides to seek employment as an assistant to a fashion executive and take care of her siblings on her own.
The film is directed by actor-director Wade Allain Marcus and is produced by Treehouse Pictures and Lighthouse Productions.
The screenplay was penned by WandaVision writer Chuck Hayward.
The 1991 classic starred Christina Applegate and Concetta Tomei, and revolved around a similar plot of a teen forced to get a job to take care of her family after their babysitter dies.
The film has gained a cult following in the 30 years since its initial release.
The 2024 version of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead will hit theaters on April 12.
Oprah Winfrey has parted ways with WeightWatchers after nearly 10 years on the company’s board of directors, two months after her admission in December that she used a prescription medication to help her lose weight.
According to the company, “Winfrey will still continue to work as a public advocate on behalf of weight health and obesity issues,” and she will donate her stock holdings in the company — at one point estimated to be worth $18 million — to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The donation will “support the NMAAHC’s goal to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans and to eliminate any perceived conflict of interest around her taking weight loss medications,” according to a company statement.
In a statement, Oprah said, “I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity.”
She added, “Weight Health is a critically important topic and one that needs to be addressed at a broader scale. I plan to participate in a number of public forums and events where I will be a vocal advocate in advancing this conversation.”
Thilo Semmelbauer, chairman of the company’s board, called Winfrey “an inspiring presence and passionate advocate for our members, providing critical insights and counsel that has helped shape WeightWatchers over these last 8 years.”
He also thanked her for “her energy, dedication, and for continuing to play a role as collaborator and thought partner going forward.”
The 96th annual Academy Awards are on Sunday, March 10, and with that in mind, the financial wonks at WalletHub took a dive into the numbers behind Hollywood’s biggest night.
For example, according to the site, the ceremony will reportedly cost $56.9 million.
Thirty-three percent of this year’s nominees are women, the site’s analysts say, noting that’s the highest percentage in three years. And speaking of the fairer sex, considering the outfit and jewelry, your average A-list actress’s getup is worth $10 million.
At $18.1 million, Oscar winner Cate Blanchett‘s 2014 gown was the most expensive in history, though Lady Gaga‘s Tiffany diamond necklace from the 2019 ceremony was the most expensive piece of bling, at $30 million.
The average female nominee’s outfit costs $1.5 million, but for a first-timer, the average is $266,000, WalletHub says.
The 50,000-square-foot red carpet on which the celebs will stride apparently takes 18 rolls to complete and costs $24,700. It takes 18 workers 600 hours to roll out.
A Best Actress or Actor winner can see a 20% boost in pay for their next job, which is handy, because a pair of tickets to the Vanity Fair Oscar party reportedly costs $100,000.
Considering all the green that goes into the big show, it might not come as a surprise that the City of Los Angeles sees a $170 million economic boost from the Oscars, according to WalletHub.
Methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.
Curb Your Enthusiasm stars Larry David and Cheryl Hines are remembering Richard Lewis, who died Tuesday, February 28, from a heart attack. He was 76.
Lewis, who is known for his role on the HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm and more, was remembered by his Curb Your Enthusiasm co-star, Larry David, who called Lewis a “brother to me.”
“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me,” David said in a statement. “He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest.”
“But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him,” he added.
Hines, who also starred in the comedy series, took to Instagram to remember Lewis and said working with him was “a dream come true.”
“When I was young I had the biggest crush on Richard Lewis,” Hines began. “He was the funniest person on stage and the most handsome comedian. Then when I was cast on Curb Your Enthusiasm, I got to work with him and it was a dream come true.”
“Through the years I learned who Richard really was and the gifts he gave,” she continued. “Yes, he was the comedian I fell in love with, but he was also one of the most loving people I know. He would take time to tell the people he loved what they meant to him — especially in recent years. In between takes on Curb, he would tell me how special I was to him and how much he loved me.”
“To be loved by Richard Lewis. A true gift,” she said and ended her note with a message to David: “Larry, Richard adored you. But you know that.”
Keep reading to see more tributes to Lewis:
Jamie Lee Curtis: “[W]e were casting the ABC pilot Anything But Love and asked the casting people to bring him in to audition to play my best friend/maybe boyfriend, Marty Gold …He blew everyone else away It was a love triangle show and they didn’t pick up that pilot but they came back to me and said that the chemistry with Richard was so great and could we revamp the original pilot which is the show we ended up making for a couple years … He also is the reason I am sober. He helped me. I am forever grateful for him for that act of grace alone. He found love with Joyce and that, of course, besides his sobriety, is what mattered most to him.”
Mark Hamill: “So sad to hear we have lost @TheRichardLewis. He was one-of-a-kind & always hilarious. Thank you for a lifetime of laughter.”
Tim Allen: “So very sad to hear about the loss of my dear friend Richard Lewis. God bless your wife. So much legacy comedy you have left here. So very sad you’re gone.”
Cary Elwes: “Noooo….. We were literally just making plans to get together. Besides your remarkable talent there was no one sweeter or more generous than you, my friend. I miss you already & forever. Rest in Power, Richard. Our sincere condolences to Joyce, his family, friends & fans.”
Jeff Garlin: “How many people get to work with their hero? I’m heartbroken.”
Jeffrey Ross: “First time I saw Richard Lewis perform was at Carnegie Hall in Dec 1989. (He recently reminded me of the date). I was just an aspiring comic in the crowd and Richard’s performance showed me that you don’t have to play guitar or write songs to be a rockstar. We called each other ‘son of a caterer’ because both our dads ran famous catering halls in New Jersey. He was such a mensch. Long Live King Richard! —son of a caterer.”
Dane Cook: “Aww @TheRichardLewis I love you and will miss you man. You were a champion. RIP”
