Tom Hanks and his Playtone production company partner Gary Goetzman are reuniting with Apple TV+ for a new series called Masters of the Air following their World War II naval film Greyhound.
While that Emmy-nominated movie is getting a sequel, Masters of the Air will instead look at the heroes of World War II through the eyes of those who took to the skies during the global conflict: American bomber crews.
Austin Butler, who worked opposite two-time Oscar winner Hanks in the biopic Elvis, is part of the cast, as is Barry Keoghan, recently seen as the Joker in The Batman. Fantastic Beasts series cast member Callum Turner will also appear in the series, as will Shadow and Bone‘s Freddy Carter.
The project is based on Donald L. Miller‘s book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany.
Hanks was also the producer on the Emmy-winning World War II show Band of Brothers and its follow-up The Pacific, along with his Oscar-winning Saving Private Ryan director Steven Spielberg.
Chance the Rapper stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday to deliver a chilling performance of his new single, “Child of God.”
With sounds similar to his Grammy-winning third mixtape, Coloring Book, the 28-year-old Chicago native says he created the track as an ode to artistry through fine art. He did so after experiencing a “life changing” trip to Ghana, where he connected with song collaborators Moses Sumney and Naïla Opiangah.
Sitting in front of an original 6-by-12-foot painting by Opiangah, one that was recently displayed at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art and that is also featured in the song’s official video, Chance spoke the poetic lyrics: “Just do your thing, child // Do your thing // Truth be told, I got the ball on a string // Carried the weight of the world, but it came with some handles // I drag it to the basket, Moses with the passage // Safely Lord God, please make an example.”
Speaking about the song’s name change from “Do Your Thing Child,” which was inspired by the Opiangah’s artwork, Chance told Colbert, “The piece itself is an embodiment of Blackness. It’s a lot of Black bodies in the piece, and not only is it a multitude of them, but they’re all women.”
“Having the autonomy… and the agency to name it [the painting & song] how we want is just a powerful thing,” he added.
Chance also shared on Instagram recently that April marks the 10th anniversary of his first-ever mixtape, 10 Day.
For fans of Netflix’s supernatural hit Stranger Things champing at the bit for the forthcoming fourth season, there’s finally a brand-new trailer.
Stranger Things 4 Vol. 1 premieres May 27th, and the action-packed trailer promises nothing short of an all-out war threatening the residents of Hawkins.
While we see flashbacks of Millie Bobby Brown‘s character Eleven’s early days as a child with enormous powers, she explains that despite the coming storm, she no longer has them. Paul Reiser‘s Dr. Sam Owens implores her: “A war is coming…Without you, we can’t win.”
Relocating her away from Hawkins didn’t keep Eleven and her friends from danger, as it turns out, and while Finn Wolfhard‘s Mike, Gaten Matarazzo‘s Dustin and Caleb McLaughlin‘s Lucas try to move on, a new baddie has emerged — a fearsome zombie-looking menace tied into the Upside Down.
“Your suffering is almost at an end,” it warns.
We also see David Harbour‘s Hopper still imprisoned at a Siberian internment camp, which has been overrun by demogorgons, and glimpses of Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Robert Englund as Victor Creel, who lives in a creepy mansion at the center of the storm.
The second part of Stranger Things‘ fourth season debuts July 1.
Though Viola Davis hasn’t shared much about the private conversation she had with Michelle Obama ahead of her portrayal as the former first lady in the Showtime series The First Lady, the Emmy, Oscar and Tony Award-winning actress did speak to Deadline about her desire to “honor” her.
Davis joined a panel for Deadline’s Contender TV — a series of events featuring highly popular shows on TV today — where she revealed details of a small portion of her talk with Mrs. Obama.
“What’s dramatic about Michelle Obama?” she asked, re-stating the question posed upon her. “I’ll tell you what’s dramatic. She is a Black woman and the first Black woman in the White House built by slaves, someone who literally was perceived to be overly masculine, not feminine, angry, hostile, and I will share one thing that she said to me.”
Davis continued: “She said, ‘I’m not even an angry person.’ Isn’t that something? Listen, I am sort of an angry person, but she’s not. And so what I wanted to do was honor her and not the perception of what Black women are supposed to be.”
The First Lady will tell the story of White House leadership through the lens of former first ladies Mrs. Obama; Eleanor Roosevelt, who will be played by Gillian Anderson; and Betty Ford, who will be portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer.
The 10-episode series premieres April 17 on Showtime.
Will Ferrell has joined the cast of the upcoming Greta Gerwig-directed live-action Barbie movie, alongside Ryan Gosling as Ken and Margot Robbie as the titular doll, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Ferrell will reportedly play the CEO of a toy company that may or not be Mattel. Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey and America Ferrera also star. Plot details are being kept under wraps. Barbie will mark Ferrell’s first feature film since Netflix’s 2020 musical rom-com Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga…
Back to the Future’s Christopher Lloyd and She’s All That star Rachael Leigh Cook have been tapped to star in Spirit Halloween, based on the titular North American costume and prop store chain, according to Variety. The plot revolves around three middle school friends who brush off trick-or-treating to spend Halloween night locked in the store and discover it’s full of creepy animatronic characters haunted by an evil spirit who wants to possess them, as well. Spirit Halloween is set to open in October…
Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to the comedy-thriller Based on a True Story, from The Boys executive producer Craig Rosenberg and Ozark‘s Jason Bateman, according to Deadline. The series, inspired by real events, follows “a realtor, a plumber and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide, exposing America’s obsession with true crime, murder and the slow-close toilet seat,” according to the streamer…
Peacock is also developing a new live-action series based on Casper the Friendly Ghost. Per Variety, the “horror/adventure show” is a “coming-of-age story that explores what it means to be alive. When a new family arrives in the small town of Eternal Falls, Casper finds himself entangled in a mystery uncovering dark secrets that have been buried for over 100 years.” The first live-action film, based on the the 1940s cartoon and Harvey Comics character, was released in 1995 with Malachi Pearson voicing Casper and Devon Sawa playing him in human form, alongside Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty and Eric Idle. It grossed over $287 million worldwide and was followed by the live-action films Casper: A Spirited Beginning and Casper Meets Wendy, and the animated films Casper’s Haunted Christmas and Casper’s Scare School in 2000 and 2006, respectively…
The journey to find the next American Idol continued Monday night with the remaining half of the Top 24 taking the stage in hopes of winning America’s votes.
Before taking the stage, though, they were mentored by pop star Bebe Rexha, who offered guidance and words of wisdom to talented singers. While no eliminations were scheduled this week, a shocking departure came from Platinum ticket winner Kenedi Anderson who withdrew from the competition for “personal reasons.” Her show-stopping performance of Christina Perri‘s “Human” was still aired, followed by a quick announcement from host Ryan Seacrest.
“You might have noticed that there was no voting information during Kenedi’s performance just now,” he said from a studio. “Since we taped these shows in Hawaii earlier, Kenedi has decided to withdraw from our show for personal reasons. We send her well wishes.”
On social media, Kenedi issued a lengthier statement explaining, “I’m unable to continue on American Idol. This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but I know it’s necessary.”
“I’m so grateful to American Idol, the judges, the producers, the amazing contestants, and all the fans who have supported me,” she continued. “Thank you for giving me such an amazing opportunity to share my voice, chase my dreams, feel so much joy and happiness doing what I love, and make lifelong friends along the way.”
Here are the remaining 11 contestants and their song choices:
Cadence Baker: “Something’s Got A Hold On Me” Etta James Sir Blayke: “Breakeven” The Script Allegra Miles: “Adore You” Harry Styles Lady K: “Before He Cheats” Carrie Underwood Ava Maybee: “Tell Me Something Good” Rufus and Chaka Khan Noah Thompson: “Blue Side Of The Mountain” The Steeldrivers Leah Marlene: “Call Me” Blondie Cameron Whitcomb: “Bad Moon Rising” Creedence Clearwater Revival Christian Guardino: “Leave The Door Open” Silk Sonic Katyrah Love: “Blame It on the Boogie” The Jacksons Fritz Hager: “Waves” Dean Lewis
The Top 24 will be narrowed down to the Top 20 when American Idol returns Sunday, April 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Lady Whistledown might just run out of ink, thanks to a real-life behind-the-scenes scandal on the spin-off to Netflix’s hit Bridgerton.
The upcoming series centers on the younger days of Golda Rosheuvel‘s Queen Charlotte and other characters from the popular bodice-ripper series.
However, in a kerfuffle worthy of the show’s resident gossip maven, an anonymous whistleblowing hotline has led to the dismissal of design chief Dave Arrowsmith, according to The Sun.
Apparently, Arrowsmith was accused of “bullying” co-workers on the set, prompting producers to start the tip line to gather evidence after “several incidents” on the show.
The head production designer, tasked with decorating the Regency-era show’s settings, was a veteran of BBC series like Doctor Who and Cold Feet, and ABC’s romantic action show Whiskey Cavalier.
Netflix had no official comment to the publication, but confirmed that Arrowsmith was no longer a part of the show.
Warner Bros. has announced that director Matt Reeves‘ hit The Batman is swinging home on digital release on April 18, the same day it premieres for subscribers to HBO Max.
Robert Pattinson‘s debut as the Caped Crusader/Bruce Wayne then will be released as a feature-packed 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 24, a day after the film debuts on HBO.
Included in the disc release will be deleted scenes and making-of featurettes, including one on Colin Ferrell‘s transformation into The Penguin; a closer look at Pattinson’s new Batmobile; a feature on Zoë Kravitz‘s Selena Kyle/Catwoman; and more.
The film, which also stars Jeffrey Wright as Lt. James Gordon and Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, has made more than $735.1 million worldwide.
If fans attending Chris Rock‘s comedy shows lately are hoping to hear what the comedian might say about being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars, they’re in for disappointment.
Those in attendance of his Friday show in Indio, California, were the latest group to be let down, after the 57-year-old entertainer told them right out of the gate that he wasn’t going to talk about the incident.
“I’m OK, I have a whole show and I’m not talking about that until I get paid,” Rock joked, according to the Palm Springs Desert Sun. “Life is good. I got my hearing back,” he added.
While it’s unclear what kind of compensation Rock is seeking, he did decide not to press charges against Smith, who stormed the Oscar stage on March 27 and slapped Rock across the face, after the latter made a joke referencing the movie G.I. Jane and Jada Pinkett Smith‘s bald head. Oscar producer Will Packer told ABC News’ TJ Holmes later that LAPD officers told Rock during the Oscars, “This is battery,” and that he could move forward with pressing charges against Smith, but Rock was “dismissive” of those options and insisted that he was “fine.”
Rock’s first public appearance following the slap was at his sold-out show in Boston the Wednesday following the Oscars. Upon receiving a standing ovation and a warm welcome he told fans he wasn’t prepared to talk about the event and “still processing what went down.”
“I don’t have a bunch of s*** about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend,” he said then.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney — Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Ryan Coogler has been tapped as the executive producer of Ironheart, the upcoming Marvel Studios series bound for Disney+, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
As previously reported, the show will center on Riri Williams, a brilliant student who creates her own Iron Man suit in her MIT dorm.
Coogler’s involvement is a logical bit of synergy, as Dominique Thorne will reportedly make her debut as the character in his upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which takes place after the death of Robert Downey Jr.‘s Tony Stark/Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame.
Ironheart does not yet have an official premiere date, but could debut later this year. Black Panther: Wakanda Foreveris set to hit theaters on July 8, 2022.
Marvel is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.
