Many details about Amazon’s upcoming TV adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic “Lord of the Rings” series still remain a mystery, but now, audiences know at least one name who will be starring in the series.
Variety has the scoop that Australian actress Markella Kavenagh is in talks to take a role in the sprawling fantasy epic. Not much is known yet about who she will be playing, though Variety’s sources say her character’s name is Tyra.
Kavenagh is relatively unknown outside of the U.K. and her native homeland, where she was named a Rising Star by the Casting Guild of Australia in November of 2018. She recently starred in the BBC One series “The Cry,” and has also appeared in the sequel series to the Australian film “Romper Stomper,” as well as the TV show “Picnic at Hanging Rock.”
Amazon’s adaptation is said to be a prequel of sorts, and is set in the years before the events in the first novel of the “LOTR” series, “The Fellowship of the Ring.” Though details about the series are scant at this point, the show’s official Twitter account previously teased two big clues for fans: a map depicting lands that are assumed to be the show’s setting, as well as a reference to the Second Age, a.k.a. the timeframe when the Rings of Power were created.
The as-yet-untitled series has a crack creative team behind the lens, including writers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, consultant Bryan Cogman (“Game of Thrones”), and director J.A. Bayona (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”). Amazon had previously aimed to get the series to air by 2021; stay tuned to see if it makes that deadline.
Celebrated Comedy Central series “Broad City” may have ended earlier this year, but star Ilana Glazer is staying in the spotlight: The comedian is about to film her first stand-up special, which is slated to air on Amazon Prime.
Glazer announced the triumphant news herself in an Instagram post on Tuesday, telling fans she was “vibrating with excitement” about the opportunity.
The comedian is about to wrap her eight-city “The Planet Is Burning” stand-up tour, and the last stop — scheduled for Wednesday night in Houston, Texas at the White Oak Music Hall — will be recorded for the special (which will also be called “The Planet Is Burning”). Glazer’s announcement included a video clip highlighting some of what fans can expect from the one-hour production, and there’s plenty of the star’s signature zany energy on display.
While we’re a little bummed that there doesn’t appear to be any cameo from Glazer’s “Broad City” co-creator and co-star, Abbi Jacobson, we’re plenty excited to see more from Glazer. The comedian is also executive producing the special.
No word yet on when it’s set to premiere. We’ll be eagerly awaiting additional info.
Amazon Prime Video has added 2,500 hours of entertainment from The Jim Henson Company.
The classic programming hit the streaming service Thursday and is now available in 68 English language territories. The Jim Henson Company announced the news, describing Amazon Prime Video as “providing a one-stop destination to enjoy and rediscover many of the Company’s most popular specials and series.” Those include “Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series,” “Doozer Music,” “Fraggle Songs,” “Living with Dinosaurs,” and more.
The content available to you depends on where you’re located. The original “Fraggle Rock” won’t be available to U.S. viewers, for example, but the animated series will be. Other territories will get both, plus “The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss” and others.
The Jim Henson Company is known for innovation in puppetry, animatronics, and digital animation. Thanks to its new deal with Amazon, fans can look forward to many more hours of cheerful, colorful fun.
There won’t be a second “Homecoming” for Julia Roberts.
The actress, who earned Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nominations for her lead performance on the Amazon drama, is not returning for Season 2. “Homecoming” was Roberts’s first TV series regular role and was always meant as a one-season gig, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Roberts will remain an executive producer on the series, which landed at Amazon with a two-season commitment.
The drama was adapted from the popular Gimlet Media podcast by “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail. Roberts played Heidi, a former therapist at a military facility whose memory of her time there is strangely missing. In flashbacks, viewers see her develop an emotional connection with young soldier Walter (Stephan James).
At the end of the first season, the show made a major departure from the podcast, when Heidi finds Walter living happily in a small town. In the podcast, Heidi spends the entire second season searching for Walter.
“We’ve deviated from very much of the podcast, so [season two of] the podcast doesn’t really have anything to do with the way the show is going. We’re working on a second season, but we have a very different trajectory for our show,” Esmail told THR.
It’s unclear which, if any, of the show’s original cast will return, including Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale, Shea Whigham, Alex Karpovsky and Sissy Spacek.
Though Heidi’s story is seemingly at an end, a post-credits scene in the finale indicated that Season 2 will explore the inner workings of the Geist Group, the shadowy organization that ran the military facility. The scene featured Cannavale’s blustery executive Colin getting fired by his newly-promoted superior, Audrey (Hong Chau), who uses a mysterious medicine to calm herself after their encounter.
They have a lot of new content to check out in October, including the Prime Original movie “You Were Never Really Here” coming to Prime Video on October 26. You can also finally watch the Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder reunion in “Destination Wedding,” which arrives on Prime Video starting on October 1.
You’re a Romanoff, I’m a Romanoff, everyone’s a Romanoff in the first trailer for Amazon’s “The Romanoffs.”
The anthology drama comes from Matthew Weiner, his first series since the award-winning “Mad Men.” It was shot on location in seven countries across three continents and features a star-studded cast including “Mad Men” alums John Slattery and Christina Hendricks.
Each episode tells a separate story (starring different cast members) about people who believe they are descendants of the Russian royal family. Weiner wrote, directed, and executive-produced the entire series, which will stream weekly.
The first installment stars Marthe Keller, Aaron Eckhart, Ines Melab and Louise Bourgoin. The second features Corey Stoll, Kerry Bishe, Janet Montgomery and Noah Wyle.
Other episodes will include Isabelle Huppert, Diane Lane, Amanda Peet, Jack Huston, Andrew Rannells, Paul Reiser, Kathryn Hahn, Jay R. Ferguson, Mary Kay Place, Ron Livingston, Jon Tenney, and Clea DuVall.
It’s time to head back to 1950s New York. Amazon released a trailer for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Thursday, and there are more adventures ahead for our favorite housewife-turned-comedian.
Starring Rachel Brosnahan as the titular character, the comedy-drama series centers on a betrayed wife who starts performing stand-up after her marriage falls apart. Season 2 will see her continue her comedy career, and as shown in the teaser, she heads off to the Catskills. That means a road trip with her manager, Susie (Alex Borstein), dancing, bowling, and maybe even ice skating.
Watch the preview below.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (“Gilmore Girls”), won the 2018 Golden Globe for best musical or comedy television series. On top of that, Brosnahan took home an individual Golden Globe with her win for best actress in a musical or comedy television series. The show has already been renewed for a third season.
So far, Amazon hasn’t revealed the Season 2 premiere date, but it’s said to be coming soon. You can make it, fans.
