Entertainment

(NOTE LANGUAGE) While waiting for Robert Pattinson‘s first turn as the Dark Knight in The Batman, Bat-fans are freaking out about an Instagram post from the guy who first wore the suit in 1989. 

Michael Keaton dropped a post last night that didn’t need any caption: A photo of his unmistakable silhouette as the Caped Crusader, first seen in Tim Burton‘s groundbreaking Batman film.

As previously reported, Keaton agreed to return as the iconic hero in both Warner Bros.’ Ezra Miller-led film The Flash and HBO Max’s forthcoming Batgirl movie.

Both of these projects are separate from the Gotham City created by Matt Reeves for Pattinson with The Batman, which premieres March 4. 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last summer, Keaton said of returning to the character, “Frankly, in the back of my head, I always thought, ‘I bet I could go back and nail that motherf***er.'”

However, the Oscar winner admitted that The Flash‘s time-shifting plot that will allow Keaton to occupy the Batsuit, reportedly along with Ben Affleck‘s Caped Crusader, went over his head. “They had to explain that to me several times,” he confessed.

That film hits theaters on November 4, 2022. There’s no release date yet for the Batgirl movie starring Leslie Grace as the heroine, and which Keaton is now shooting overseas.

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The fourth and final season of Killing Eve debuts this Sunday on BBC America and AMC+, and it kicks off with Jodie Comer‘s assassin character, Villanelle, attempting to become “good” by, of all things, joining a church. Laura Neal, the show’s lead writer and executive producer, tells ABC Audio that the big theme this season is whether or not people are actually capable of change.

“Can Villanelle really change? Can she become a good person after all this time of being, you know, a murderous psychopath?” says Neal. “And likewise for [Sandra Oh‘s ex-intelligence agent] Eve — she hasn’t been a murderous psychopath, but can she become somebody who can do very dark things and be very self-serving?”

But this season’s big challenge, Neal notes, was creating an exciting plot that would also lead to a satisfying series finale.

“We did have a sense of where we wanted these characters to end and how we wanted their stories to kind of collide,” she says. “And then, of course, you have to make each episode thrilling and include all of those things that the audience of Killing Eve has come to expect — like fun murders and amazing costumes and amazing locations.”

Neal adds, “We definitely had to balance the overarching intention for the series with the individual episodes, and making those feel fun and light and not too weighed down by the expectation of the ending.”

So what about that ending?  After all Villanelle and Eve have been through, will they end up together?  Neal shares what she says when people ask her.

“I stay very tight-lipped,” she laughs. “I normally say, ‘What do you think happens?’ and then I mine them for ideas!”

The eight-part final season of Killing Eve debuts at 9 p.m. ET/PT, and encores Monday on AMC at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) The new dramedy Family Squares is now in theaters and on demand, following a group of people shaken up by video messages left by the family matriarch after she passes away.

The film was shot remotely during the height of the pandemic by its cast — which includes Archer series star Judy Greer, as well as Emmy winners Henry Winkler, Margo Martindale, Ann Dowd, and Happy Endings star Casey Wilson — and plays out primarily via Zoom.

A fun behind-the-scenes clip runs during the end credits to show what an undertaking it was.

“Even if we were to do it now, it would be easier, but that was still back when we were like, ‘What are these things?'” Greer tells ABC Audio, gesturing to the borders of her Zoom window. “You know, especially…like no offense to actors, but like, we’re not super tech-savvy.”

She adds of the mostly ad-libbed project, “It was nice even just for a few days to have something to take my mind off of everything that was going on with the pandemic and politically. It was just like kind of a godsend for that short amount of time that we shot.”

As one might guess, Family Squares is at times an emotional movie — but real tears weren’t hard to come by during the lockdowns.

“Oh no, no, no,” Greer admits. “It was only hard because we all like we’re just wanting to talk to each other and communicate with each other and shoot the s*** and stuff like that. You know, like after being just like alone in my house with my husband for so long, I was like, ‘I get to talk to my friends!'” 

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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Fans of the emotional rollercoaster known as Love Is Blind should buckle up for the season two finale. Host Nick Lachey says he knows why people are going nuts over the popular dating show, in which contestants have to build emotional connections without knowing what the other looks like. 

Nick tells ABC Audio the “fun experiment” of Love Is Blind “allows people to get to know that other person on the most basic level, get to know who they are, what makes them feel the way they do [and] what makes them tick.”

“I think that people, especially in today’s society with dating apps and all the superficiality of your profile pic, people have forgotten what that can be [like]… We’ve all kind of fell into this trap of superficiality,” the 98 Degrees singer suggested, adding that such mentality creates “unfair expectations [and] unfair judgments that are made on both sides of the fence.”

“Love and attraction for someone for who they are on the inside is incredibly meaningful and incredibly powerful,” Nick continued, which he calls an “important dynamic” of any relationship. “I think this show has brought it back to the forefront that you can have a true emotional connection with someone and fall in love with who they are without even seeing them!”

Nick promises plenty of drama when the couples finally meet face-to-face in the finale and must decide if they want to get married. “You will be equally shocked and surprised,” he teased. “It’s a big moment. It’s a crazy moment. It’s a chaotic moment.  For some, it’s very it’s an easy decision. For others, it’s painfully, painfully tough.” 

Find out which couples take the plunge in season two of Love Is Blind, streaming now on Netflix.

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A day after his first dispatch from his native Ukraine, currently under invasion by Russian military forces, Dancing with the Stars veteran Maksim Chmerkovskiy has updated his followers on his latest experiences.

While the 42-year-old states he’s “not reporting the news” as a journalist, he posted two Instagram videos, detailing the “dire” things he’s been seeing. 

In the first video, Maks noted, “I’m going to do my best to stay as safe as possible.” He explained he’s heard the way to the border “is quite dangerous,” so he’s staying put, declaring, “We haven’t been told to move, and I’m just following instructions. That’s all I can say.”

He added grimly in the second video, “the reality is that I’m also talking to my friends that are here, the Ukrainians, and the situation is pretty dire.”

Maks noted that the civilians in the country “are being mobilized,” explaining, “the whole country is being called to go to war. Men, women, boys …. These people who were…judging dance competitions several days ago…are going forward and…getting guns and getting deployed to defend the country.”

His fellow Ukrainians, “are very aggressively charged,” Chmerkovskiy said, admitting he knows he isn’t “representing everybody” in the country with his messages. 

“If it’s not resolved in a peaceful manner in some way or form in the next day or so, or two, I think it’s gonna take a turn for very, very much more aggressive actions and a lot more casualties,” Maks said. “There are kids that are getting sick, people are sheltering and people that aren’t able to just get up and run, right? Small children, elderly people. This is like it is in every conflict, I’m just drawing attention to the fact that this is what’s happening.”

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Sean Penn is on the ground in Ukraine filming a documentary about Russia’s ongoing invasion of the country.

The Office of the President of Ukraine released a statement on Facebook Thursday praising the Oscar-winning actor for his work.

“The director specially came to Kyiv to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia’s invasion of our country,” reads the translated statement. “Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty.” 

The statement also notes that the actor, who visited the country back in 2021 in “preparation” for the documentary, also attended a press briefing the Office of the President on Thursday, and spoke with journalists and the military.

“Sean Penn demonstrates the courage that many others, including Western politicians, lack. The more such people in our country now, true friends of Ukraine, who support the struggle for freedom, the sooner it will be possible to stop Russia’s treacherous attack,” the statement continues.

Penn is no stranger to anti-war and humanitarian operations. The 2020 Discovery+ documentary Citizen Penn chronicled his efforts setting up the non-profit organization Community Organized Relief Effort, also known as CORE, in response to the Haiti earthquakes of 2010.  CORE also assisted with the COVID-19 response in the United States.

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Amanda Kloots, host of CBS’ The Talk, announced on Thursday that she tested positive for COVID-19 following a recent trip to Mexico.

Kloots — whose husband, Nick Cordero, died of COVID-related complications in July 2020 — also confirmed that she would be missing The Talk while she quarantines.

“My @thetalkcbs family! Unfortunately I tested positive for COVID and will be missing some days at work until my quarantine is over,” Kloots, 39, shared on Instagram. “I am feeling completely normal now and feel very grateful for that. I am vaccinated and boosted which is very much putting me at ease.”

“I recently got back from a trip to Mexico where I tested negative before I left and before I flew home so this was [a] surprise this morning,” she continued. “This is the first time I’ve tested positive since the pandemic.”

Kloots went on to say that she plans on using her time in quarantine to potty-train her two-year-old son, Elvis Eduardo, whom she shared with Cordero.

“I will hopefully be back to work soon but taking this time at home with Elvis to start potty training!!!!” Kloots wrote. “Wish me luck as I run after a naked toddler for the next three days. Any advice please share below.”

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Actress Sally Kellerman, best known for her Oscar-nominated portrayal of U.S. Army Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in Robert Altman’s 1970 black comedy M*A*S*H, died Thursday at a Los Angeles assisted care facility after a battle with dementia, her son, Jack Krane, tells The Hollywood Reporter. She was 84. Kellerman also had memorable roles in the second Star Trek pilot episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” in which she portrayed Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, a Starfleet officer aboard the USS Enterprise. She played free-spirited college literature professor Diane Turner, the love interest of Rodney Dangerfield’s obnoxious businessman, Thornton Melon, in 1986’s Back to School. Kellerman also guest-starred on numerous 1960s TV shows, including The Outer Limits, 12 O’Clock High, Ben Casey, That Girl and Mannix, and was a familiar and prolific voice-over talent, narrating commercials for Mercedes-Benz, Revlon and Hidden Valley Ranch…

Quentin Tarantino is in early talks to direct one or two episodes of Justified: City Primeval, sources tell Deadline. The followup to the FX crime drama Justified stars Timothy Olyphant, reprising his role as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. Tarantino and Olyphant worked together on the director’s most recent film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The show returns to Givens’ story eight years after he left Kentucky and now is based in Miami, balancing life as a marshal and part-time father of a 14-year-old girl. Justified ran from 2010-2015, was nominated for eight Emmys, winning two, in the Guest Actor category for actress Margo Martindale and actor Jeremy Davies…

SEAL Team star Max Thieriot has been tapped for the lead role in the CBS drama pilot Cal Fire, according to Variety. Thieriot reportedly co-wrote the story for the series, which is inspired by his life growing up in Northern California. He will also serve as an executive producer in the hope that Thieriot will be able to star in both series should Cal Fire gets picked up. Cal Fire follows young convict Bode Donovan who, along with other inmates, works alongside firefighters in return for redemption and shortened prison sentences…

Deadline reports that Grey’s Anatomy regular Richard Flood, who has played Dr. Cormac Hayes for the past three seasons, is leaving the long-running medical drama. In Thursday’s midseason premiere, Hayes handed Bailey his resignation and told her that he was returning to Ireland with his kids. Flood’s final episode will reportedly air next week…

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Cyrano, out today, is the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, for a new generation.

Peter Dinklage and Hayley Bennett star in this new interpretation of the classic French play directed by Joe Wright, who tells ABC Audio this version has a lot to say about love, particularly not to be “afraid.”

“Don’t be afraid to allow yourself to be seen. Don’t be afraid of intimacy, although it’s very understandable that we are,” Wright says. “And remember to tell the one you love that you love them.”

Bennet adds, “I think it has everything to say about our inability to express and accept love.”

“It’s a beautiful story about hiding our love and not feeling worthy of it,” she continues. “And then hopefully, ultimately, and maybe not too late, finding the courage to express it.”

Joining Dinklage and Bennett on-screen is Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Christian, the soldier who has Roxanne’s affections through devious means. Harrison Jr. tells ABC Audio he spent a lot of time with Dinklage, and he was a little star-struck at first.

“I think I was more so intimidated…Pete’s incredible. He’s a legend,” he raves.

“But, you know, I also understand that like when I go onto a set, they’re not looking for a kid to come fanning at them. And so I try to come in with some respect,” he adds with a laugh. 

In addition to a story about love, this version of Cyrano is a musical, featuring songs from the band The National. Wright shares that the music serves a very specific purpose as it takes the place of the “long extended monologues” in the original play and “allow the audience access to an inner world of the characters that they might not otherwise gain.” 

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Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are being recognized for their social justice work.

Ahead of the 53rd NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, the NAACP and BET announced the couple will receive the President’s Award, which is given to those who have dedicated their time to public service. Previous recipients include Muhammad Ali, LeBron James, Rihanna and Jay-Z.

“We’re thrilled to present this award to Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who together have heeded the call to social justice and have joined the struggle for equity in the U.S. and around the world,” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement.

This year at the NAACP awards, Harry and Meghan are also recognizing leaders who are creating change in technology and social justice with the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award.

“Not only do they continue to lead by example, the duke and duchess have also decided to inspire the next generation of activists through the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award,” Johnson added.

Archewell, the couple’s nonprofit foundation named after their son, Archie, was founded in 2020 shortly after they stepped back from their roles as senior members of the royal family and settled in Los Angeles.

This year’s inaugural NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award recipient will be given to Dr. Safiya Noble, an internet studies scholar and professor of gender studies and African American studies at UCLA — a pioneer in how digital technologies intersect with culture, race and gender.

The 53rd NAACP Awards will be broadcast live on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on BET.

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