The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Searcher Clade, a former explorer that discovered the rare substance used to power the land of Avalonia. His father, the famous explorer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid) went missing years ago, and Searcher now lives a simple life as a farmer with his wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union) and his son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White), who desperately wants to be an explorer like his grandfather.
But when Searcher discovers that something is destroying the power source, he and his family join an expedition with Avalonia President Callisto Mai (Lucy Liu) to journey to the Strange World, where they eventually reunite with the missing Jaeger.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jake Gyllenhaal and Gabrielle Union about their work on ‘Strange World,’ the story, their characters, and why you should see it in a theater!
(L to R) Voices of Lucy Liu, Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jaboukie Young-White, and Gabrielle Union in Disney’s ‘Strange World.’
You can read the full interview below with Jake Gyllenhaal and Gabrielle Union or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Gyllenhaal, Union, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, co-writers and co-directors Don Hall and Qui Nguyen.
Moviefone: To begin with, what would you both say to moviegoers getting ready to sit down and watch ‘Strange World’ on the big screen?
Jake Gyllenhaal: How is the popcorn? What would I say? That feeling of being in a movie theater, there’s nothing like it. You finally got there, and this movie’s going to be so fun. That’s what I think.
Gabrielle Union: Oh, strap in. This is an action-adventure family movie that is fun for the whole family. It’s all about three different generations of the same family, giving themselves permission to take different paths through life, while at the same time each trying to center their own individual passions, hopes, and dreams, and coming to the realization that no matter what route you take, it’s perfect for you. We should all celebrate that.
But there is an amazing action adventure and a beautiful, wild, strange world that we are not going to tell you anything more about. Don’t forget to validate and get the extra butter.
MF: Jake, can you talk about the father/son themes of the movie and how Searcher comes to terms with both his relationship with his father Jaeger, and his son Ethan?
JG: Yeah, searcher is estranged from his father really, because his father is an adventurer, and he never wanted to be an adventurer, but his father was desperate for him to be that. He became a farmer instead. Searcher hopes that his son is a farmer too and discovers pretty early on that it’s not what his son wants to do.
(L to R) Voices of Lucy Liu, Jaboukie Young-White, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, and Gabrielle Union in Disney’s ‘Strange World.’
So, he’s left in the same position that he was with his father. He’s stuck between these two worlds. In a lot of ways, the movie’s not just about this strange world that they’re actually in, but also the strange world that each one of them separately is in.
They have to come together and join forces to be in the same world, to save the world that they’re in. I love that about the movie. That, to me, was also the thing that moved me so much about it. It gets me emotional when I think about it and did from the very first time I was pitched the story.
MF: Finally, Gabrielle, can you talk about how your character’s piloting skills help her husband and her son on their journey?
GU: Well, thank you for asking. A lot of who Meridian is, is how I live my life. How I love my family, how I fight for my family to live exactly as they would like to live, short of unwanted commentary. But I also had a life before I was a mother and a wife. I have skills, and I’ve got talents.
I don’t always get to show those and it’s similar with Meridian. She’s able to use all of the things that she learned and all of the things that she excelled at, before she was a wife and a mother, to perhaps aid/save her family and her community.
(L to R) Jake Gyllenhaal and Gabrielle Union star in Disney’s ‘Strange World.’
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(L to R) Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans in Prime Video’s ‘Red One.’
If you were awaiting news of Dwayne Johnson’s big Christmas action movie to arrive like a gift in your news stocking, then we’re happy to play Father Christmas. But in the movie, it’s J.K. Simmons who will be Santa.
Oddly, the trade site’s report claims that the movie, once called ‘Red One’, is now in search of a new title. Yet Johnson’s tweet about the news still refers to the ‘Red One’ title. So we’ll have to wait and see what it actually ends up being called.
Oh hey it’s @ChrisEvans and the fella famous for wearing a fanny pack. Christmas comes early as we kick off production for our Christmas franchise,“RED ONE” 🎅🏼🎄😈🎅🏾🧸❤️💀🌍 Directed by, Jake Kasdan (JUMANJI franchise) @SevenBucksProd@PrimeVideohttps://t.co/1BkcupSnvn
The idea sprang from the brain of Hiram Garcia, who is Johnson’s producing partner in his Seven Bucks production company. But the person who brought the script to life has also worked with Johnson in the past – Chris Morgan, who wrote many of the ‘Fast & Furious’ movies, including its 2019 spin-off, ‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.’
Details are still few and far between, and we don’t know, for example, what the actual story is. Prime Video, which snapped up the project in its early days, is hoping that it’ll turn into a new franchise for the streaming service and plans to sell merchandise through Amazon.
We can speculate from the first picture that Johnson might be some sort of agent or superhero given the suit, while Evans – who spent plenty of time playing Captain America in the Marvel movies –is in more civilian garb, layered up for the Holiday Season.
Oscar winner Simmons scored his award for ‘Whiplash’, though he has been nominated several times. He might be best known for playing J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ movies, reprising the role (albeit as a variant version) in the more recent ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’.
Hunt is known for her TV work, including an eponymous show and ‘The Building’. She’s also scored regular work voicing characters in Pixar movies.
‘Red One’ – or whatever the title changes to, doesn’t have a strict release date yet, but is likely to hit Prime Video around Christmas 2023.
(L to R) J.K. Simmons in Prime Video’s ‘Big Sky.’ Photo: Chuck Hodes. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
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As previewed at this year’s D23 Expo, the next movie from Disney’s Feature Animation division is ‘Strange World’ which finds the studio in adventurous mood.
Directed by Don Hall, who made ‘Big Hero 6,’ and most recently co-directed ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’, ‘Strange World’ also features the co-writing/co-directing talents of his ‘Raya’ colleague Qui Nguyen.
Jake Gyllenhaal voices Searcher Clade, the son of a steadfast explorer (Dennis Quaid’s Jaeger, who vanished on a quest). The black sheep of his family, Searcher chose a very different path from the others. Coming from a long lineage of brave and daring explorers, Searcher instead decided to get his hands dirty differently: by becoming a farmer.
But here, Searcher needs to team up with his family (wife Meridian, played by Gabrielle Union, and son Ethan, voiced by Jaboukie Young-White) to help them complete an incredibly dangerous mission. As he steps out of his comfort zone, Searcher is amazed and intrigued by the unknown alien world that surrounds him.
The action-adventure journeys deep into an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await them all, as their differences threaten to topple their latest — and by far — most crucial quest.
As revealed at D23 and now more widely by this trailer, Searcher is sent on the mission by President Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu), who knows that the mysterious world is the key to saving their own.
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that they encounter Jaeger, who has adapted to live in the odd environment.
Hall has admitted that he drew from classic books and magazines for the movie’s style. “I loved reading the old issues of pulps growing up,” he said in a statement when the first images for the movie came out. “They were big adventures in which a group of explorers might discover a hidden world or ancient creatures. They’ve been a huge inspiration for ‘Strange World’.”
For Gyllenhaal’s part, he was excited to get into a voice booth for the first time, though he discovered that having to record his part from home during the pandemic was… less fun.
“I think all you really have, as an actor, outside of technical skills, is your imagination, so that was one thing. I did find it interesting,” Gyllenhaal told The Scotsman. “We had a camera that had to shoot us doing the action so the animators could mimic our facial expressions, so I had a difficult time holding that screen up and talking to it at the same time and it was so, so hot. I played the entire role on my knees, in basically a prayer position by a bed, with two pillows over both sides of my head and a very heavy blanket over them.”
Aside from those already listed, we do know that Alan Tudyk, who has lent his voice to every Disney animated movie since ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ is also present here, though we don’t yet know who he’s playing.
‘Strange World’ journeys to theaters on November 23.
Walt Disney Studios kicked off the first day of D23 Expo 2022 in style today with tons of advance looks at what the House of Mouse has in store for fans in the coming days, months, and years. You can watch Moviefone‘s exclusive backstage interviews by clicking on the video player above.
The first D23 Expo in three years began with the president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, Sean Bailey, revealing the first-ever footage from ‘Hocus Pocus 2’.
Bailey was joined by the wacky Sanderson Sisters themselves – stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy – who appeared via video to show how their characters are back for the first time since 1993 for more soul-stealing Halloween action.
Battling them this time around are aspiring witch Becca (Whitney Peak) and magic shop owner Gilbert (Sam Richardson).
But the audience’s biggest applause went to the original film’s Billy Butcherson (‘The Shape of Water’s Doug Jones) upon his return from the grave. ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ hits Disney+ on September 30th. The trailer is in the video player above.
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Next up on the panel was another eagerly anticipated sequel, ‘Disenchanted’. Returning stars Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Idina Menzel, and James Marsden took the stage, alongside Maya Rudolph, the film’s new villain. ‘Disenchanted’ finds Adams’ Giselle and hubby Dempsey moving to the suburbs with their infant and teenage children.
“I was a huge fan of the original,” said Rudolph. “I can’t believe I got to be part of this… It’s not easy being mean to Amy Adams.” The new teaser trailer for the sequel is in the video player above.
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As far as live-action remakes of Disney animated classics go, ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ was the first on deck today: with star Jude Law (Captain Hook) flanked by newcomers Alexander Molony (Peter Pan), Ever Gabo Anderson (Wendy), and Alyssa Wapanatâhk (Tiger Lily).
Expect more empowered female characters this time around, including at least one Lost Girl among Peter’s Lost Boys.
“Disney has worked very hard to give her more depth and a lot more character,” said Anderson of Wendy. “She and Peter are equals in this film.”
Law added that Hook and Pan’s prior relationship is also fleshed out. “We got to mine their back story a little bit more. You get to understand their past,” he said, hinting that the two were once friends.
“I got to make sure all the little details, all the Easter eggs are there. Because I’m a nerd,” confessed Simien. He then joined another of the film’s stars – scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis – in a Doom Buggy rolling across the D23 Expo stage.
Few Disney films are so beloved as 1994’s ‘The Lion King’. And fans will get more of the film’s animal kingdom in the 2024 prequel ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’.
Director Barry Jenkins appeared to explain how “Mufasa is the origin story of one of the greatest kings of the Pride Land… It’s the real story of how Mufasa found his place in the circle of life. What you learn is that Mufasa is great because of the family and the friends he has with him.”
Of course Disney Studios wouldn’t exist without its very first animated classic, 1937’s ‘Snow White’.
Director Marc Webb is tackling the live-action 2024 remake, featuring Gal Gadot as the Wicked Queen and Rachel Zegler as its eponymous heroine. The two were touched by the warm response they received as they presented a first look at their characters.
“Just your reaction means the world to us,” said Gadot.
A visibly moved Zegler explained that, “Snow White is the girl you remember, but she’s definitely made for the modern age,” stating the film redefines what it means to be the fairest of them all.
Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot at Disney D23 Expo 2022 Getty Images
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While ‘Snow White’ is Disney’s first animated feature, 1989’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ is responsible for the studio’s renaissance. As well as its renewed dedication to musicals, as Rob Marshall, director of May 2023’s live-action adaptation, reminded fans today.
“It was very important for us to honor the original. We went to Alan Menken, who was divine to work with, and also our dear friend Lin-Manuel Miranda. They had never worked together before… There are four new songs. We still retain the beauty of the original score, written by the late great Howard Ashman as well.”
Fans were treated to the film’s entire “Part of Your World” number, featuring a note-perfect Halle Bailey, who appeared on stage with Marshall.
“Three days of filming ‘Part of Your World,’” said Bailey, “that was the most beautiful experience of my life. Just getting to sing a song I’ve loved since I was a child was so exciting.”
“The camera loves you,” Marshall told Bailey. “But it’s more than that. [It] loves what’s inside. [It] loves what you bring.”
The two then unveiled a teaser that recalled ‘Finding Nemo’ in the color and detail of its underwater world. You can find a teaser version of the clip in the video player at the top of the page.
It was then time for Pixar Animation Studios’ turn in the spotlight, with chief creative officer Pete Docter introducing next summer’s ‘Elemental’.
Director Peter Sohn spoke of how the film’s Element City was inspired by the culturally mixed New York of his childhood. Footage shown depicted the star-crossed romance of its fire-based heroine Ember (Leah Lewis) and her watery boyfriend Wade (Mamoudou Athie).
Pixar also unveiled its first original long-form series in the form of ‘Win or Lose’, each episode of which follows the perspective of a different character connected to a co-ed softball team, the Pickles.
With this year’s ‘Lightyear’, Pixar returned to the science fiction of ‘Wall-E’. Expect more in this vein soon, starting with ‘Elio’.
Announced today at D23 with star America Ferrera on stage, the film’s title character is an 11-year-old boy who doesn’t feel like he fits in his world. His mom (Ferrera) runs a top-secret military project, which inadvertently results in Elio making first contact with alien life and becoming our planet’s ambassador to the rest of the universe. It’s due out in spring 2024.
Last but by no means least on the Pixar slate – ‘Inside Out’ star Amy Poehler made a surprise appearance alongside Docter to announce ‘Inside Out 2’.
“Joy and the emotions are back for an all new adventure inside Riley’s head,” said a fittingly ebullient Poehler. “Only this time she’s a teenager!”
New emotions will also appear in the film, as Kelsey Mann takes over the directing chores from Docter, with Meg LeFauve returning to write the summer 2024 release.
To cap off the panel, Disney Animation’s chief creative officer (and Oscar-winning ‘Frozen’ director) Jennifer Lee greeted the D23 Expo audience to show what’s in store for the studio’s 100th anniversary next year.
But first, Disney’s fan-favorite 2016 ‘Zootopia’ will get a spin-off series this November on Disney+. And attendees got an advance look at the aptly titled ‘Zootopia+’, consisting of six short ‘Zootopia’-style spoofs of everything from ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ to ‘The Godfather Part II’.
Perhaps Disney’s most unique offering at the Expo was ‘Iwaju’. Coming this year to Disney+, it finds the animation studio partnering for the first time in its long history with an overseas animation studio – Africa’s Kugali. Its three founders appeared today, describing their Afrofuturism fable and its characters as a love letter to their hometown of Lagos, Nigeria.
More sci-fi arrived with a new look at ‘Strange World’, described by Lee as “a film about family, legacy, and what we leave behind for the generations that follow.” Director Don Hall explained how the film chronicles three generations coming together on an alien planet in order to save their world.
Stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, and Lucy Liu introduced a rip-snorting clip of an exciting chase through ‘Strange World’s creature-packed planet.
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The Disney Animation segment, and indeed entire panel, concluded with the revelation of the studio’s 100th anniversary feature film – ‘Wish’. The tale of the star upon which so many Disney characters have wished throughout the past century, ‘Wish’ is co-directed by the attending team of Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn.
Buck, who co-wrote the film with Lee, explained how ‘Wish’ explores a kingdom of wishes, in which wishes can literally come true. Offering a lush, animated watercolor style coupled with CG animation, it stars newly minted Oscar winner Ariana DeBose as 17-year-old Asha, who pleas to the heavens for help, and gets an actual star from the sky, named Star, who communicates through pantomime.
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Disney “good luck charm,” actor Alan Tudyk appeared with footage of his character, a goat named Valentino who wishes to communicate with people. Finally, DeBose saw fans off with a sizzling live performance of “More for Us,” one of the film’s songs by Grammy winner Julia Michaels.
If there’s one thing we know about DreamWorks Animation, it’s that the company is not one to let a successful franchise venture off into the sunset.
We’re not surprised, then, to see that the ‘Kung Fu Panda’ movie series will be coming back – but not until 2024.
So far, all we really know about the movie is the fact that it’ll be out on March 8th, 2024 as Universal and DWA stick a pin in that release date, which right now only has ‘A Quiet Place: Day One,’ and the new ‘Panda’ could well serve as family-friendly counterprogramming to the expansion of Paramount’s creature feature franchise.
No director or even a confirmation of the voice cast has been revealed about the latest ‘Kung Fu Panda’, but since the studio was confident enough to announce a release date, we can reasonably assume that production is underway, even if it’s still at an early stage. These movies, after all, usually take between three to five years to make.
We can reasonably predict that Jack Black will be back as Po, and since these job only involve turning up to a recording booth (or, in this pandemic world, setting yourself up in a closet or room of your home) a few times, the rest of the star cast are likely to be back alongside him.
What will Po face this time? That’s still a mystery, but it’ll be something to test his bravery and skill as ever.
The franchise, in terms of movies alone, has earned more than $1.8 billion since its launch in 2008.
Jack Black in 2008’s ‘Kung Fu Panda.’
‘Kung Fu Panda’, which was directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, kicked off the story of Po (Black), a wide-eyed panda who is mostly known for being lazy and having a huge appetite. He’s also a massive fan of martial artists and dreams of fighting alongside the legendary Furious Five.
No-one is more surprised than he, then, when he’s selected as the hero who can defend the Valley of Peace.
He’ll need everything he’s learned and the help of those formidable warriors for help when the scheming snow leopard warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) escapes prison and wreaks havoc on the valley.
Since then, Po and the Five have been on various adventures across the three movies and their stories have also spread to TV.
Nickelodeon has ‘Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness’, which features a different voice cast, while Netflix’s ‘Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight’ boasts the talents of Black, James Hong (as Po’s adoptive goose father, Mr. Ping) and Rita Ora.
And they were just the tip of the iceberg, as Po and co. have been plastered over toys, video games, books and theme park attractions.
If you have Dwayne Johnson in your film, you bring Dwayne Johnson.
At a Comic-Con that has seen several talent dial in via video link because of filming duties or Covid concerns, the artist formerly known as The Rock was not going to miss the chance to make a big entrance at Hall H of the San Diego Comic-Con.
“I missed you guys so dang much, I can’t even tell you,” said Levi to an energized Hall H, taking in the first panel of the day, after a ‘Shazam!’ sizzle reel showed.
The superhero sequel continues the story of Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who, when he says the phrase “Shazam!” transforms into a grown superhero (Levi) with Superman-like powers.
At the end of the first film, Billy’s foster family also gained powers, and since then, the family has been working on fighting crime – though not always together.
They’ll need to unite, though, when a new menace in the shape of the Sisters of Atlas (Helen Mirren’s Hespera and Lucy Liu’s Kalypso) arrive on Earth none too happy that some “children” have the powers of the gods. Fight! Fight! Fight!
“We got this really cool look into all of the kids getting their super powers at the end of the first movie… We’ve all been flying around doing various missions trying to help the city of Philadelphia and the world at large,” Levi explains. “We’re all just trying to figure it out.”
“It adds for a really great interesting bedrock of reality that you can connect to as a human being because we’re super heroes but we’re human beings,” Levi added.
With Levi, director David F. Sandberg, Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Lucy Liu on stage, there’s also time for a video message from Helen Mirren (who plays one of the big villains) and Rachel Zegler.
Mirren was in typically fun form, jokingly explaining that the reason she isn’t there in person was because of a fight she got into when she attended as a fan in 2019 and someone cut the line. Well, not a fight… “he went down instantly!” Dame Helen, never change.
And that wasn’t all. “I absolutely loved playing Hespera,” she said. “She’s such a baddie and a bad ass. And, Zach, I had such a lovely time kicking the shit out of you!…Yay, pussy power!”
The panel continued with a mixture of fan questions and the usual dodges about cameos or the future. But asked if there will be a third movie? “Okay, fine, we’ll do another one,” Levi said. “If you guys go and see this one and you like it then there’s a good chance the bosses will want it.”
Finally, what about a crossover with ‘Black Adam’, whose title character in the books has a deep connection to Shazam? They’re not saying. ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ lands in theaters on December 21st.
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Talking of the superhero – or super-anti-hero, as he’s a powerful figure who fights for justice his way – played by Dwayne Johnson, he was next up.
And it being Johnson, he couldn’t just walk on stage. Instead, fog and lightning (the latter on screen) filled Hall H, and Johnson arrived flying, in costume.
“The DC Universe will never be the same again,” he intoned.
He was gone just as quickly, before the cast and director filed on stage. ‘Black Adam’ comes from ‘Jungle Cruise’s Jaume Collet-Serra and will feature a team new to the DC films, The Justice Society of America. That includes Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) and Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan).
Johnson was soon back on stage, dressed this time in more regular attire, and talking up his journey with the movie.
“The journey for Black Adam, it has been a long journey, fueled with passion, with commitment, with grit, Johnson said. “It’s been easily over 10 years. I’ve been working with Jaume for about five years now and so that’s when he came on board for this. The journey has been an incredible one. I love coming to Comic-Con. To be here in Hall H, representing a DC anti-hero is a dream come true. The dream, having been in the business for years now, I’d bring movies here and hope you guys would like them but this is a dream come true.”
Johnson and co. introduced a sizzle reel (which did not go online, though a new sneak peek can be seen below). The con reel revealed one heretofore unknown wrinkle: ‘Suicide Squad’s Amanda Waller – in the shape of Viola Davis – appears in the movie.
The director finished work on the movie the night before the panel, and the cast has seen it. Of course, they seemed happy with it.
And there were some panel-standard answers, such as Hodge admitting he thought it was a prank when Johnson called to tell him he got the part. There was even time for a joke about Kevin Hart because what Dwayne Johnson appearance is complete without that?
One final stunt? Everyone in Hall H got an IMAX cinema ticket to see ‘Black Adam’.
If there was a disappointment to be found in the panel, it’s that Warner Bros. and DC didn’t bring any other movies. No ‘Aquaman’ sequel, no ‘Flash’ (though given the issues the studio has been having with star Ezra Miller, perhaps that’s not really a surprise).
Even with the huge scale of this panel (and the obvious impact of the Rock), it’s hard not to think that Marvel might be along to top it later in the day.
‘Black Adam’ will fly into theaters on October 21st.
We’re getting our first look at the characters of “Why Women Kill,” the CBS All Access drama from “Desperate Housewives” creator Marc Cherry.
The 10-episode stars Ginnifer Goodwin (“Once Upon a Time”), Lucy Liu (“Elementary”) and Kirby Howell-Baptiste (“The Good Place,” “Downward Dog”) as three women who live in the same house in different decades — and who all contemplate murder.
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Ginnifer Goodwin will play Beth Ann, a woman aspiring to be the ideal housewife in 1963. Per CBS, “She is kind, cheerful and warm. But if you get too close, you start to see that she wears a mask to hide her pain. Beth Ann’s whole world revolves around her husband, and so she is understandably defensive and immediately in denial when told Rob is having an affair. Determined to learn the sordid details for herself, Beth Ann is in for a life-changing shift of perspective.”
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Liu is Simone, an elegant, stylish ’80s woman who’s the picture of urbane confidence. She’s seemingly happily married to her indulgent husband, Karl, But she’s devastated when she learns Karl is cheating on her.
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Howell-Baptiste’s character is Taylor, whose story takes place in 2018. She’s a fiercely intelligent lawyer whose husband is content to play beta to her alpha. She’s also upfront about being bisexual, and she and Eli have an open marriage, which, so far, seems to be working. Until, we guess, it doesn’t.
“Why Women Kill” is Cherry’s follow-up to “Devious Maids,” which ran for four seasons on Lifetime.
The actress is developing the anthology series “Unsung Heroes” at ABC Studios International.
The scripted show will tell the “untold stories of incredible women who overcame adversity to become pioneers of their time.”
The first episode will chronicle Asian-American film and theater actress Anna May Wong, whose films include “Shanghai Express” with Marlene Dietrich. Wong had hoped to play the lead of Chinese farmer’s wife O-lan in the 1937 production of “The Good Earth,” but that role went to Austrian actress Luise Rainer, who won her second Best Actress Oscar for the role.
Liu will executive produce the series through her Moonvision Entertainment production company.
She recently landed the leading role in the upcoming CBS All Access dramedy “Why Women Kill.”
And that’s the end of “Elementary,” my dear Watson.
CBS announced that the upcoming seventh season of the crime procedural is its last.
The series, which debuted in 2012, put a modern spin on the Sherlock Holmes stories. Jonny Lee Miller starred as the grouchy but brilliant sleuth, while Lucy Liu played the gender-flipped Joan Watson. Together, they helped the NYPD solve crimes in New York City.
“Elementary” has been a reliable performer, if not a ratings mega-hit for CBS. The decision to wrap up the show was made when Season 7 was ordered and production is already complete, so fans will get a planned-out ending.
In the Season 6 finale, Sherlock and Joan moved to Baker Street in London. The 13-episode final season will reportedly take them back to New York at some point.
Executive producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe tweeted about the end of the series, thanking his cast and crew:
Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska were announced last month as the newest crop of Angels in a reboot of the franchise, which previously starred Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu in the 2000 and 2003 films.
“We are not trying to do an impression of the last one,” Stewart told Entertainment Tonight of the movie, which will be directed by Elizabeth Banks.
And she’s got the backing of one of the last one’s Angels; Liu herself gave a thumbs up to the reboot.
“To me, I think it’s very exciting,” she told ET. “It is something that people keep coming back to and they’re drawn to. That’s something that needs to be explored and if it needs to be explored on all different levels, then it should be.”
Stewart said, “Oh, that is really cool that she said that. It is true I think, it is not maybe everyone’s immediate response that it would be, like, something we would have to see again because the one I grew up with was so much fun.”
Stewart — soon to be seen in “Lizzie” — also raved about director Elizabeth Banks, who is “genuinely naturally funny all the time.” Banks will play double duty as Bosley, the rep of the never-seen owner of the detective agency Charlie Townsend.
“The re-imagining is so grounded and well intentioned and really shows the way women can work together now,” Stewart said.
“It tries to be warm and funny, but it lacks a kitch element that we have seen before that works so well.”
