Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman is producing an animated series about the paranormal investigators and eliminators, according to Variety.
Reitman, who co-wrote the big-screen hit with Gil Kenan, is reteaming with him as executive producers of the project, according to the trade.
Reitman is the son of the late Ivan Reitman, the director of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2, and the executive producer of Afterlife. Ivan died in February of this year.
Nothing yet is known about the new project, but it would be the third animated adventures of the boys in gray, following The Real Ghostbusters run from 1986-1991. In 1997, there was a shorter-lived cartoon called Extreme Ghostbusters.
(NEW YORK) — Students from several elementary schools gathered at Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem this morning, unveiling benches they painted to advocate for social justice issues. Most notably, they spoke about gun control.
The students at Isaac Newton Middle School for Math and Science painted a bench featuring a handgun with a twisted barrel and two daisies growing out of the muzzle to signify a future without mass shootings and violence.
12-year-old Nicholas Anderson felt strongly about the issue.
“Kids deserve to be in the world, and they need to get an education, and they need to live a life,” he said.
This event was part of a larger city-wide initiative to get students involved in activism through art by CEI Benchmarks. Its summer exhibition served approximately 1,250 children from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
Initially, these benches were displayed in Washington Square Park last month, two days after the devastating shooting at Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas. Some students were already working on benches to raise awareness about gun violence, but now the issue has new relevance in their young lives.
“Many little kids are left out because they get killed each day, and they don’t have a lot of security people to protect them,” said 11-year-old David Sanchez.
The benches have been moved to Thomas Jefferson Park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Prospect Park, and Reverend T. Wendell Foster Park and will remain there until Sept. 15.
Miranda Lambert is making a stop on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Wednesday evening. It’s part of a busy week for the superstar, who is also performing this weekend as part of the TIME100 Gala.
Garth Brooks has set a new on-sale date for his July 23 Stadium Tour show in Buffalo. He postponed the original on-sale date due to the tragic mass shooting that took place in a supermarket in the city last month. The new sale date is Friday, June 17.
Lauren Alaina is joining forces with fashion brand Maurices to give away free pairs of jeans to CMA Fest attendees. For a limited time following the festival, fans can show their ticket at any Maurices store in exchange for a free pair of classic m jeans by Maurices. The giveaway lasts from June 18 to June 24.
Apple TV+ has released the first trailer for its upcoming thriller Black Bird, one of the final performances from Ray Liotta, who died suddenly last month.
In the film, Liotta plays the incarcerated dad of Kingsman series lead Taron Edgerton, playing clean-cut Jimmy Keene, who is facing a 10-year stint in prison himself.
“I never wanted this for you,” the Goodfellas alum tells his onscreen son in the adaptation of the real-life memoir In With The Devil.
“Dad. Tell me there’s a way out of this,” Egerton’s Keene desperately says.
“Not a quick one,” his dad replies.
As it turns out, he’s right. Prosecutors make a deal with the young inmate: transfer to a maximum security prison for the criminally insane and try to get a confession from jailed serial killer Larry Hall, creepily played by I, Tonya‘s Paul Walter Hauser.
“You want me to check into hell and befriend the demon,” Keene says in response.
“You think you could be in danger. You are in danger,” Hall later taunts him.
The film debuts July 8 on Apple TV+.
Liotta passed away in his sleep while in the Dominican Republic, where he was working on a film. The 67-year-old completed work on Black Bird and another film, Cocaine Bear, before his death.
Other projects on which he worked, a drama about the L.A. Riots called April 29, 1992, and The Substance, are still in production.
(NEW YORK) — As the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors face off in the 2022 NBA Finals, players are calling attention to the case of Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who has been detained in Russia for more than three months.
“She needs to be home, she needs to be safe, she needs to be with her family,” Warriors point guard Steph Curry told ESPN on Tuesday.
“Right now it’s just about getting her home and everybody just joining that effort … to make sure she’s talked about and all hands are on deck and all resources are thrown at getting her home as soon as possible,” he added.
Some have argued that if NBA stars like Curry or Lebron James were wrongfully detained in a foreign country, more would be done to get them back home.
“There’s something to that,” Curry said when asked about how Griner has been treated.
“It is an unfortunate situation and it is a tragedy,” he said.
The Boston Celtics raised awareness about Griner’s case on the court this week by wearing “We Are BG” T-shirts — a slogan that has become a rallying cry in the WNBA and beyond this season to show support for the Phoenix Mercury star.
“As a collective we wanted to come out and show our support for Brittney Griner,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said, according to ESPN. “She’s been over there for an extended amount of time, and we feel like enough is enough.”
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said that he got to spend time with Griner when they competed in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, which took place last year due to COVID-19 delays.
“It’s extremely tough seeing what she’s going through,” Tatum said earlier this week, according to ESPN. “I know everybody sees and feels that, and obviously we’re all together in support trying to bring her back to her family and things like that. Yeah, wearing those shirts today in support of her.”
Griner, a WNBA superstar, has been detained in a Russian prison for more than 110 days. She was visiting Russia in February to play basketball during the off-season when she was arrested at Sheremetyevo International Airport near Moscow for allegedly having vape cartridges in her luggage that contained hashish oil — an illegal substance in Russia.
She was charged with “large-scale transportation of drugs” and could face up to 10 years in prison, according to The New York Times.
The U.S. government classified Griner’s case on May 3 as “wrongfully detained” in Russia, which means that the U.S. would work to negotiate her release. The State Department did not immediately return ABC News’ request for comment on Griner.
Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, told “GMA” co-anchor Robin Robertslast month that the support her wife has received from the league has brought the WNBA star “comfort” amid her detention.
The WNBA, which kicked off its 2022 season on May 6, is honoring Griner with a floor decal bearing her initials and jersey number (42) on the sideline of all 12 WNBA teams.
“Things like that matter, like, it has her hopeful,” Cherelle Griner told Roberts. “It lets her know she’s not forgotten.”
“Those small moments, I know, give her some type of hope,” she added.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began one week after Griner was detained on Feb. 17. Some officials are concerned that Americans jailed in Russia could be used as leverage in the ongoing conflict.
Cherelle Griner said that she would like to speak with President Joe Biden.
“I just keep hearing that, you know, he has the power. She’s a political pawn,” she said. “So if they’re holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it.”
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said last month that a U.S. consular officer was able to meet with Griner on May 19.
Price said the officer “found her continuing to do as well as could be expected under these exceedingly challenging circumstances.”
“But again, our message is a clear and simple one — we continue to insist that Russia allow consistent and timely consular access to all U.S. citizen detainees,” he added. “One-off visits are not sufficient, and we will continue to call on Moscow to uphold its commitments under the Vienna Convention for consistent and timely access, as well.”
Calls to free Brittney Griner escalated following the release of U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed in April, who was freed from a Russian prison as part of a prisoner exchange. Former Marine Paul Whelan has also been detained in Russia since 2019.
Reed called for Griner and Whelan’s freedom at a rally on Monday in Griner’s hometown of Houston.
“There is no justice in Russia,” Reed said. “Brittney and Paul will not receive justice in Russia. They’re not going to receive a fair trial, they will not receive a fair investigation. They will be there as hostages until the United States gets them out.”
Griner’s trip to Russia has underscored the issue of pay inequality in professional basketball.
Many WNBA players have traveled around the world to play in the off-season because they don’t make enough money during the season — an issue that is not as prevalent for NBA players who are paid more. The top WNBA salary is $228K, whereas star NBA players can make at least $1 million a year.
ABC News’ Conor Finnegan, Courtney Condron and Kelly McCarthy contributed to this report.
Courtesy of Trafalgar Releasing & Sony Music Entertainment
The documentary about George Michael, narrated by the late star, arrives in theaters June 22, and an exclusive new clip takes a deep dive into the origins of the late singer’s revolutionary “Freedom ’90” music video.
Elton John and Chic‘s Nile Rodgers both make an appearance in the nearly two-minute clip and discuss how Michael’s work permanently changed the music industry.
“It changed the whole face of how videos were done,” said Sir Elton. “The video said everything. It was genius and it was a revolutionary thing.”
Added Rodgers, “George had raised the bar to a whole new level.”
Michael didn’t want to be featured in the music video and instead asked five supermodels to star in “Freedom ’90.”
“It was a specific group of women that George wanted that had just been on the cover of British Vogue that was shot by Peter Lindbergh. It was like, ‘He wants you five and it has to be all you five,'” recalled model Cindy Crawford.
Added Naomi Campbell, who was also in the music video, “George pitched it to me in L.A. and his exact words were, ‘You’re the leader of the gang and unless you say yes, the rest of the girls won’t.'”
George Michael Freedom Uncut explores the late singer’s career following the release of his 1987 album, Faith, which skyrocketed him into fame, through the release of his 1990 follow-up work, Listen Without Prejudice: Vol 1. That period in his career saw George fight for his artistic freedom while grieving the loss of his mother and first real love.
(WASHINGTON) — While some of their friends and loved ones are still being buried at home, both survivors and families of victims in recent mass shootings challenged lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week to reach a deal on gun reform negotiations or risk continuing a 30-year trend of inaction in the wake of tragedies from Sandy Hook to Parkland.
As Senate negotiators continue talks, House Democrats on Wednesday will move to pass a sweeping package — called the “Protect Our Kids Act” — which would raise the age limit for purchasing semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, ban high-capacity magazines, create firearm safe storage requirements, and tighten the regulation of bump stocks and “ghost guns.”
Republican leaders pushed back ahead of the vote, with Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the House GOP Whip, noting, “there wasn’t a conversation about banning airplanes,” after the Sept. 11 attacks — and calling for the majority to hold bipartisan talks like their Senate counterparts. Though the legislation is doomed in the upper chamber, it’s intended to put pressure on Republicans who have been hesitant to enact — or outright blocked — reform at the federal level, despite growing calls for change.
The real opportunity to change policy lies in the Senate, where a small group of bipartisan negotiators is inching closer to reaching a gun reform deal in principle.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., leaving a meeting with the group of roughly 11 lawmakers on Wednesday, said they were discussing “a series of concrete proposals” that he’s “hopeful in the next day will all be reduced to a framework that includes a broad range of commitments, in terms of dollar amounts and purposes.”
But questions remain around what the final deal will include — and if it will go as far as many Americans are demanding.
“Somewhere out there, a mom is hearing our testimony and thinking to herself, ‘I can’t even imagine their pain,’ not knowing that our reality will one day be hers — unless we act now,” said Kimberly Rubio, mother of Lexi Rubio, a fourth-grade student among the 19 kids and two teachers killed in Uvalde, Texas. “So, today, we stand for Lexi. And as her voice, we demand action. We seek a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.”
“You expect us to continue to just forgive and forget over and over again. And what are you doing?” asked Garnell Whitfield Jr., a son of Ruth Whitfield, the oldest victim of the Buffalo shooting, which left 10 Black people dead, asked senators Tuesday. “My mother’s life mattered. Your actions here will tell us if, and how much, it mattered to you.”
Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, who said he learned responsible gun ownership growing up in Uvalde, also offered a passionate plea from the White House after lobbying lawmakers on both sides of the aisle this week, saying that Americans are more united on the issue of guns, but it’s Congress that’s divided.
“Enough of the invalidation of the other side. Let’s come to the common table that represents the American people. Find a middle ground, the place where most of us Americans live anyway, especially on this issue,” McConaughey said in an emotional and lengthy speech. “Because I promise you, America — you and me, who — we are not as divided as we’re being told we are.”
The bipartisan group of senators, led by Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, is aiming to reach a compromise this week on a package that could garner enough support to pass Congress — but they’re considering measures much smaller in scope than what both victims and President Joe Biden have publicly called for.
Instead of universal background checks, supported by 89% of Americans according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll, negotiators are looking to expanding background checks to look at juvenile records. Regarding red-flag laws, supported by 86% of Americans according to the same poll, laws which temporarily remove guns from the hands of individuals who are considered a danger to themselves or others, the group is considering incentivizing states to implement their own, as opposed to enacting red-flag laws at a federal level.
Funding to states for mental health resources — a measure Republicans pushed for, along with increased funding for school safety — is about 80% complete, according to Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who is part of the talks.
Senate Democrats support the expanded versions of these measures as well as raising the age to buy assault-style weapons from 18 to 21 — but they don’t have enough Republican support to become law. Democrats need 10 Senate Republicans to join them on any legislation to meet the chamber’s 60-vote threshold, required by the filibuster rule, and allow a bill to advance for final passage.
So far, it’s not clear there is enough support even for a more modest deal.
Despite Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky expressing a willingness in private to support lowering the age to buy assault-style weapons, sources told ABC News’ Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, the measure is a nonstarter for most Republicans.
Asked by a CNN reporter why Americans would need an AR-15, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said people use them in his state “to shoot prairie dogs and, you know, other types of varmints.”
Less than 24 hours later, a Uvalde pediatrician, who treated the victims of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting, described to House lawmakers the damage the gunman’s AR-15 there had on the tiny bodies.
“Two children, whose bodies had been so pulverized by the bullets fired at them, over and over again, whose flesh had been so ripped apart, that the only clue as to their identities were the blood spattered cartoon clothes still clinging to them,” said Pediatrician Dr. Roy Guerrero.
What’s next?
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has given negotiators roughly until the end of the week to come up with a framework agreement, after which it would take more time to then develop legislative language and get the requisite budget analyses.
“I’m encouraging my Democratic colleagues to keep talking, to see if Republicans will work with us to come up with something that will make a meaningful change in the lives of the American people and stop gun violence,” he said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Making real progress is very important. Sen. Murphy has asked for space to have the talks continue, and I have given him the space.”
But not every negotiator appears on board with that swift timeline.
Lead Republican on the talks, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, told reporters on Wednesday that his “aspirational goal” would be to reach a deal “in the next couple of weeks, by the end of this work period” on June 27.
While negotiators appear to be closing in on a framework deal by Friday, one GOP aide familiar with the matter said that paper is still being exchanged by each side. It’s possible that members announce a deal in principle and then take a few more weeks to finalize language, as was seen with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Senate Democrats need 10 Republicans to join them in theory, but some think any agreement is going to need even broader Republican support to pass — under the thinking more in the GOP will be willing to support the measure if it has the backing of their larger conference.
If negotiators do not come to an agreement, Schumer has vowed to get every senator on the record by holding a vote on doomed-to-fail comprehensive gun reform legislation, ahead of the fall midterm elections.
ABC News’ Trish Turner, Benjamin Siegel and Allie Pecorin contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — A California man was charged with attempted murder of a U.S. Supreme Court justice for allegedly making threats against Justice Brett Kavanaugh and showing up near his Maryland home armed, federal court records show.
The suspect was angry over the recent mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and the leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s decision impacting Roe v. Wade, according to an affidavit from an FBI agent submitted in support of a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court on Wednesday.
The man — identified by the Department of Justice as 26-year-old Nicholas Roske of Simi Valley — was allegedly spotted by two U.S. Marshals wearing black clothes and carrying a backpack getting out of a cab in front of Kavanagh’s house at approximately 1:05 a.m. Wednesday, according to the affidavit. A Glock 17 pistol, two magazines, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, screwdriver, nail punch, crowbar, pistol light and duct tape were in the backpack, according to the affidavit.
The suspect then allegedly called the Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center to say he wanted to kill a Supreme Court justice, according to the affidavit.
“Roske also told the call taker he came from California to kill a specific United States Supreme Court Justice,” the complaint stated.
The suspect was arrested at about 1:50 a.m. Wednesday and was taken into custody in Montgomery County, a Supreme Court spokesperson said. Montgomery County police said the case has been transferred to the FBI.
“Roske indicated that he believed the Justice that he intended to kill would side with Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws,” the affidavit stated. “Roske stated that he’d been thinking about how to give his life a purpose and decided he would kill the Supreme Court Justice after finding the Justice’s Montgomery County address on the internet.”
Roske is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court Wednesday afternoon. Attorney information for him wasn’t available in online court records.
The charge of attempted murder of a Supreme Court justice carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The Department of Homeland Security warned in May that there could be threats against Supreme Court justices over the leaked draft of the Roe v. Wade decision.
A bulletin obtained by ABC News in May said the draft leak “prompted a significant increase in violent threats — many made online via social media and some of which are under investigation –directed toward some U.S. Supreme Court Justices and the Supreme Court building.”
The National Capital Threat Intelligence Consortium identified at least 25 violent threats on social media that were referred to partner agencies for further investigation, the bulletin said.
“Some of these threats discussed burning down or storming the U.S. Supreme Court and murdering Justices and their clerks, members of Congress, and lawful demonstrators,” the bulletin said.
U.S. Marshals bolstered their protective details for the justices and began guarding their homes around the clock in the wake of the leaked draft, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday.
“This kind of behavior is obviously behavior that we will not tolerate,” Garland said. “We will do everything we can to prevent them [violence and threats of violence] and to hold people who do them accountable.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday, “This is exactly, exactly the kind of event that many feared the terrible breach of the court’s rules and norms could fuel.”
McConnell used the incident to call on the House to pass legislation increasing protection for Supreme Court Justices and their families.
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., a member of the Judiciary Committee, called on President Joe Biden to condemn those who target justices.
“Political violence is un-American. President Biden needs to personally and forcefully condemn violence and threats against Supreme Court justices,” he said.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement, “I call on leaders in both parties in Washington to strongly condemn these actions in no uncertain terms. It is vital to our constitutional system that the justices be able to carry out their duties without fear of violence against them and their families.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that Biden “condemns this individual in the strongest possible terms” and is grateful for the quick law enforcement response in apprehending the suspect.
“As the president has consistently made clear, public officials, including judges, must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety, or that of their families,” she said.
The Department of Justice has U.S. Marshals providing support to the Supreme Court marshal, she said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Attorney General Merrick Garland has named a team of nine law enforcement experts to advise the Justice Department in its review of the law enforcement response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
The goal of the review, according to the DOJ, will be to “provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses, identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events, and provide a roadmap for community safety and engagement before, during and after such incidents.”
At an appearance Wednesday announcing plans for the review, Garland said that members of the review team will conduct regular site visits to Uvalde and interview a “wide variety” of stakeholders, including law enforcement, government officials, school officials, witnesses, families of the victims and community members.
The team of experts includes several members of law enforcement who handled the response to previous major mass shootings or led similar review teams.
Team members include retired Sacramento, California, police chief Rick Braziel, retired Virginia Tech deputy chief Gene Deisinger, retired Coral Gables, Florida, public safety director Frank Fernandez, FBI Unit Chief Albert Guarnieri, retired Pennsylvania State Police Major Mark Lomax, McElroy Media Group CEO Laura McElroy, Orange County, Florida, sheriff John Mina, Vibrant Emotional Health assistant vice president April Naturale, and retired Aurora, Illinois, chief Kristen Ziman.
Asked whether he was concerned about the lack of transparency thus far from authorities in Uvalde, and whether the team leading the review will have the tools necessary in the event that officials choose to not cooperate, Garland cited assurances from Uvalde’s mayor, who had asked the DOJ to conduct its independent review.
“As I said, we’ve been invited by the mayor, we have been promised, assured and welcomed with respect to cooperation at every level of law enforcement — state, federal and local — and we’ll participate in that vein,” Garland said. “We don’t expect any problems.”
When pressed further, Garland said, “We expect voluntary cooperation from everybody at every level.”
The attorney general reiterated that the review, as stated earlier, “is not a criminal investigation,” and compared it to past reviews that followed the San Bernardino and Pulse nightclub mass shootings.
The assessment will examine the policies and training that authorities who responded to the shooting had received, and will provide a “complete incident reconstruction” detailing how the various law enforcement agencies responded during and after the shooting, DOJ officials said.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump, his eldest son and eldest daughter have agreed to sit for depositions as part of a civil investigation by the New York Attorney General’s Office next month unless the state’s highest court intervenes, according to a stipulation filed Wednesday said.
Absent court intervention, former President Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump will appear for testimony beginning July 15, and concluding by the following week, the stipulation said.
A state appellate court ruled in May that the subpoenas for their testimony were not, as the Trumps argued, part of a politically motivated investigation into how the family valued its real estate holdings.
The stipulation gave the Trumps until Monday to file for a stay to the Court of Appeals.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
