Entertainment

Viola Davis has landed a role in The Hunger Games prequel.

The Oscar-winning actress will be playing the “diabolical” Head Gamemaker Volumnia Gaul in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, based on the best-selling novel by Suzanne Collins.

“From the beginning, Viola has been our dream for Dr. Gaul because of the finely layered intelligence and emotion she brings to every role,” producer Nina Jacobson says in a statement. “A brilliant and eccentric strategist, Gaul is instrumental in shaping a young Coriolanus Snow into the man he will become. We are incredibly fortunate to have an actor with Viola’s extraordinary range and presence to play this pivotal role.”

Director Francis Lawrence adds, “Dr. Gaul is as cruel as she is creative and as fearsome as she is formidable. Snow’s savvy as a political operator develops in no small part due to his experiences with her as the games’ most commanding figure.”

The film stars Tom Blyth as an 18-year-old Cornelius Snow, years before he becomes the evil president of Panem – a role played by Donald Sutherland in the original Hunger Games films. Rachel Zegler plays tribute Lucy Gray Baird, whom Snow is tasked with mentoring.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes debuts in theaters worldwide on November 17, 2023.

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Amber Heard is switching up her legal team for her appeal of the June 1 verdict in the high-profile defamation case between her and ex-husband Johnny Depp.

The Aquaman actress has hired attorneys David L. Axelrod and Jay Ward Brown, of Ballard Spahr, as her appellate counsel, according to a press release.

“We welcome the opportunity to represent Ms. Heard in this appeal as it is a case with important First Amendment implications for every American,” Axelrod and Brown said in a joint statement. “We’re confident the appellate court will apply the law properly without deference to popularity, reverse the judgment against Ms. Heard, and reaffirm the fundamental principals of Freedom of Speech.”

Ben Rottenborn, of Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black, is staying on as co-counsel while Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, of Charlson Bredehoft Cohen Brown & Nadelhaft, is stepping down. Rottenborn and Bredehoft represented Heard during the initial defamation trial.

“This is the perfect time to pass the baton,” Bredehoft said in a statement. “I have pledged to Amber and her appellate team my complete cooperation and assistance as they move forward on a path towards success.”

A spokesperson for Heard said in a statement, “When it comes to protecting the fundamental right of Freedom of Speech, we look at the jury’s decision — to paraphrase a famous quote — not ‘as the beginning of the end, but merely the end of the beginning.'” They added that “a different court warrants different representation.”

The jury largely sided with Depp in its June 1 verdict, ordering Heard to pay Depp more than $10 million in damages. Depp was ordered to pay his ex-wife $2 million in damages.

Heard filed a notice of appeal on July 21, with Depp filing a notice of appeal the following day.

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The John Wick prequel series is coming to Peacock, thanks to a new multiyear deal with Lionsgate.

The Continental, a three-part series based on the popular Keanu Reeves action franchise, will premiere on the streaming service in 2023.

The show follows the origin story of the Continental Hotel, a refuge for assassins in the John Wick universe. It stars Colin Woodell as hotel manager Winston Scott, the younger version of Ian McShane’s character in the films.

The cast also includes Ayomide Adegun as a younger version of Charon, Lance Reddick’s character in the films, as well as Peter Greene, Mel Gibson, Ben Robson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Jessica Allain, Mishel Prada and Nhung Kate.

There’s also a fourth John Wick movie in the works, set for theatrical release in March 2023.

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Johnny Depp is set to direct his first movie in 25 years, Variety reports.

The actor is reportedly set to helm Modigliani, a film about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. Al Pacino is on board to produce.

“The saga of Mr. Modigliani’s life is one that I’m incredibly honored, and truly humbled, to bring to the screen,” Depp said in a statement obtained by the trade. “It was a life of great hardship, but eventual triumph – a universally human story all viewers can identify with.”

Depp last stepped behind the camera for 1997’s The Brave, his directorial debut which co-starred Marlon Brando.

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Want to know the real story of how the Lakers became the Showtime Lakers? Then the new docuseries Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers is for you.

The Hulu series, debuting Monday, details how Dr. Jerry Buss bought the team in the late ’70s and created one of the greatest dynasties in sports. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is featured in the show, and he tells ABC Audio the secret to their success was that they “kept trying to build a family situation.”

“We never got to a point where it was develop an individual,” he explains. “It was always about all of us. And we tried to help each other.”

Abdul-Jabbar adds that this docuseries is kind of an antidote to the recent HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, which has been criticized by many former players for alleged inaccuracies.

“It’s a chance for us to tell our stories…There’s no fiction in this,” Abdul-Jabbar says.

Legacy also gets into the power struggle among Buss’s children that came after he died, which his daughter, and current Lakers president, Jeanie Buss, says was “very healing” for their family. 

Additionally, the series shows how the Lakers family, fans included, bonded after several tragedies like “Magic [Johnson] having to retire because of HIV” and “the tragedy of losing Kobe and Gigi [Bryant].”

“What’s happened is Laker Nation comes together and leans on each other,” Buss shares. “And we know there’s going to be another day…where we play basketball again. And that’s how we start to heal because we grieve together.”

Overall, though, director Antoine Fuqua hopes people are left inspired.

“It’s the American dream. I think what Dr. Buss did is incredible…coming from very humble means and making his way out here…and what he brought to not only Los Angeles, to sports entertainment. Just it’s inspiring.” 

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Tom Holland is taking a break from social media. 

Over the weekend, the Spider-Man star shared an over two-minute long Instagram video to announce that he’s stepping away from social media. 

“I get caught up and I spiral when I read things about me online. And ultimately, it’s very detrimental to my mental state so I decided to take a step back and delete the app,” Holland says in the video, which was posted over the weekend.

He also used the post to shed some light on the mental health charity Stem4, writing in the caption, “Hello and goodbye… I have been taking a break from social media for my mental health, but felt compelled to come on here to talk about @stem4org.”

“Stem4 is one of the many charities @thebrotherstrust is extremely proud to support – and I’d like to take a moment to shine a light on their fantastic work,” the caption continues. “Please take the time to watch my video, and should you feel inclined to share it with anyone who it may resonate with – it would be greatly appreciated.”

The 26-year-old actor signs off with, “Love to you all, and let’s get talking about mental health.”

Holland’s most recent Instagram post prior to the weekend was over a month ago, on July 1, when he announced the launch of t-shirts for his charity, The Brothers Trust. 

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A fourth Kung Fu Panda movie is set for a March 8, 2024 release, Universal Pictures announced on Friday, according to Variety. No further information was revealed. The three previous animated films, which centered on Po — an excitable panda voiced by Jack Black — collectively grossed $1.8 billion and spawned several animated TV specials and three series, including Netflix’s The Dragon Knight, which premiered in July…

Robyn Griggs, best known for her roles as Maggie Cory in the daytime drama Another World and Stephanie Hobart on One Life to Live in the early 1990s, has died at age 49, per her Facebook page. The actress had previously revealed her diagnosis with cervical cancer, saying last month she had four new tumors, according to Deadline. Griggs got her first break on the Nickelodeon show Rated K, which featured youngsters reviewing films. She later appeared in the films Severe Injuries, Dead Clowns, The Absence of Light and Hellweek…

Ahead the A League of Their Own spinoff’s premiere this past Friday, the producers behind the Amazon series revealed they’ve already started planning a season two. “Our hope is to shoot in like, mid-spring. And we’ll see how that works out with everything coming to this a lot,” co-creator and executive producer Will Graham shared during the show’s TCA panel, according to Variety. Amazon has yet to announce plans for a season two renewal…

Actor Troy Kotsur was being honored by his hometown of Mesa, Arizona, when a thief reportedly drove off in the CODA star’s Jeep — along with Kotsur’s Oscar, which he’d brought with him for the event. In a since deleted Twitter post, Kotsur wrote that “a little kid” was the person behind the crime. The city police managed to track down the Jeep with the award still inside, according to Deadline. The tweets were apparently removed on Sunday. No further details on the incident are available…

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On Monday night, we’ll say goodbye to Saul Goodman, aka Jimmy McGill, aka Gene Takavic, as AMC’s Better Call Saul airs its final episode. The show, which began as a Breaking Bad prequel but is now taking place in the post-Breaking Bad timeline, is going out in a shower of critical acclaim and Emmy nominations. But wrapping up a long-running show — especially one part of such a beloved franchise — isn’t easy, says co-creator and showrunner Peter Gould.

“It’s lot of pressure. It’s very scary. A lot of sweaty palms, a lot of sleepless nights,” Gould told reporters last week. “And those of us on the show are very happy with where it ended. I hope everybody else agrees.” 

He adds, “I think the thing that I’m most proud of is, I think the show [is] true to itself, and we’re playing in the same court that we started with.”

Emmy nominee Rhea Seehorn, who plays Kim Wexler, agrees.

“I think the ending that they wrote, Peter insisted upon what they have always insisted upon, which is character must dictate plot, not plot dictate character,” she tells ABC Audio.

Seehorn adds, “I think that he honored the characters and what they would do and what would happen in a way that was so honoring of the fans — and all of the storylines from both of these franchises — and still honoring the intelligence of our fans at the same time.”

In the penultimate episode, Kim gave the court an affidavit revealing the true circumstances of Howard Hamlin’s death, while Jimmy/Saul/Gene went on the run after being ID’d by Carol Burnett‘s character, Marion. What the couple’s ultimate fate will be is anyone’s guess.

The Better Call Saul finale airs on AMC Monday at 9 p.m. ET.

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Anne Heche was taken off of life support Sunday, nine days after she suffered critical injuries in a fiery car accident in Los Angeles. 

Heche, 53, was declared brain dead Thursday night but was kept on life support while her organs were evaluated for donation, her representative said Friday.

Her representative told ABC News on Sunday night that “Anne Heche has been peacefully taken off life support.”

The Emmy-winning actress was driving on August 5 when she crashed into a home in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, engulfing her car and the house in flames, according to Los Angeles police and fire officials. No one else was injured and the home’s resident and her pets were able to escape the blaze unharmed.

Following Heche’s announced brain death Thursday, law enforcement officials said their investigation into the accident and the circumstances surrounding it had been closed.

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The Brad Pitt action-comedy Bullet Train topped the box office for a second straight week, earning an estimated $13.1 million and bringing its domestic tally to $54 million.

The news wasn’t as good for the box office overall, which marked its lowest-grossing weekend since February. In fact, Bullet Train was the only movie to crack the $10 million plateau, and of the weekend’s three new entries in wide release, the slasher film parody Bodies Bodies Bodies and the thriller Fall failed to crack the top five, while the Diane Keaton-led Mack & Rita, didn’t even make the top 10.

DC League of Super-Pets and Top Gun: Maverick were still battling it out for second place as of Sunday night, earning an estimated $7.17 million and $7.15 million, respectively. We’ll have to wait for the final tallies to see who wins.

Fourth place was another dead heat between Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder and Jordan Peele‘s Nope, both with about $5.3 million, though Love and Thunder has a slight edge. Nope, which opened overseas this weekend, grabbed an estimated $6.4 million, far below Peele’s last film, Us.

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