Moviefone Editorial

Tag: Maya Erskine

  • Jake Gyllenhaal Returning for ‘Road House’ Sequel

    Jake Gyllenhaal attends as Amazon debuts Inaugural Upfront Presentation at Pier 36 on May 14, 2024 in New York City.
    Jake Gyllenhaal attends as Amazon debuts Inaugural Upfront Presentation at Pier 36 on May 14, 2024 in New York City. Photo by Slaven Vlasic-Getty Images for Amazon.

    Preview:

    • Jake Gyllenhaal will star in a ‘Road House’ sequel.
    • Amazon confirmed the news today.
    • The company also announced word on ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ and more.

    It was a big news day for Amazon’s film studio arm and streaming service Prime Video, as the companies used their shared first “Upfronts” (a presentation for ad buyers) to announce some new projects and follow-ups to recent successes.

    Prime –– pun entirely intended –– among the movie news was word of a sequel to this spring’s ‘Road House’, the updated take on the cult Patrick Swayze bar-brawling drama that starred Jake Gyllenhaal.

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    What’s happening with ‘Road House’?

    Jake Gyllenhaal stars in 'Roadhouse.'
    Jake Gyllenhaal stars in ‘Roadhouse.’ Photo: Laura Radford © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    Though the first film arrived on a wave of negative press –– producer Joel Silver was removed for aggressive behavior, director Doug Liman denounced the plan to release the movie direct to streaming (he’s since made peace with the idea) and a lawsuit from the writer of the original that claimed the new movie was simply a grab at keeping the IP –– ‘Road House’ has turned out to be a big success for Amazon/MGM, with 50 million views globally in its first two weekends.

    And there was more to come…

    This is what Amazon film boss Jennifer Salke said at the event:

    “As we saw this spring the world went crazy for a little movie called ‘Road House’. Nearly 80 million viewers globally have watched ‘Road House.’ We like to watch these results like a baby.”

    So, far from putting baby in a corner (a little cross-Swayze humor there), the studio has Gyllenhaal ready to return for a follow-up. No other details were confirmed, so we’ll have to wait to see if Liman is lured back to direct (highly unlikely) and what the story might be for the star’s main character Dalton, the MMA pugilist-turned-bar bouncer.

    Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Road House’

    And that was far from the only news…

    Mr. & Mrs. Smith returning for Season 2

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    The thriller series, which takes the Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt movie as its loose inspiration to tell a story of relationships and spy craft, was confirmed to be returning for a second season.

    But unlike ‘Road House’, there was no confirmed casting, so while Donald Glover (who also co-created the show with Francesca Sloane) and Maya Erskine starred in Season 1 as two strangers brought together by a mysterious agency, there is no word yet on whether they’ll be back (despite the first season ending in a seeming cliff-hanger).

    Sloane is back for Season 2 to run the show, but it remains to be seen whether the series continues the story of the established John (Glover) and Jane (Erskine) Smith or follows some other agents.

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge was originally aboard to develop and co-star in the show with Glover but left after creative differences. Still, she’s stuck around Amazon/Prime Video…

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s ‘Tomb Raider’ series

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge from 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
    Phoebe Waller-Bridge from ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ at Star Wars Celebration 2023.

    While we knew that ‘Fleabag’ creator has been developing a show based on the ‘Tomb Raider’ video game, Amazon has now handed down a series order.

    Waller-Bridge will write the series, but currently doesn’t plan to star.

    Here’s what she had to say about the news:

    “If I could tell my teenage self this was happening I think she’d explode. ‘Tomb Raider has been a huge part of my life and I feel incredibly privileged to be bringing it to television with such passionate collaborators. Lara Croft means a lot to me, as she does to many, and I can’t wait to go on this adventure. Bats ‘n all.”

    Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal stars in 'Roadhouse.'
    (L to R) Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal stars in ‘Roadhouse.’ Photo: Laura Radford © Amazon Content Services LLC.

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  • TV Review: ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Premiering on Prime Video this week, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ loosely –– very loosely –– adapts the 2005 Doug Liman movie that saw Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie playing married assassins unaware of each other’s secret job whose stale relationship is re-ignited when they’re assigned by their competing agencies to take each other out (and we don’t mean on a date).

    But the new series shares really only the title and the most basic concept with the movie. Instead, here we have two strangers who apply for a job that sees them partnered up and moving through the various stages of relationships in their fake coupledom even as real feelings develop and the missions become more perilous.

    Related Article: Donald Glover and Maya Erskine are Faux Married Spies in the ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ Teaser

    Does ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ hit its target?

    Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ deployed monsters as metaphor for teenage angst, body changes, and concerns. ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ tries a similar trick (though hopefully without the problematic future Joss Whedon of it all), utilizing the central couple’s various experiences as a mirror for a developing relationship.

    It’s not a completely 1:1 situation, though some episodes play to that much more than others (episode 5, for example, sees the duo forced into a situation where their charge, played wonderfully by a superbly grumpy Ron Perlman is effectively a substitute child) but in general, the idea works.

    Sometimes the balance of character work to action can be off-kilter, and not everything about the main dynamic works (Donald Glover and Maya Erskine have decent chemistry, though it takes some time to find its groove). Which, we suppose is how all relationships start and end up working.

    But on the whole, it’s an entertaining peek into the various marker points of the relationship and the series format certainly offers more scope to explore the character levels than anything in the movie.

    ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Script and Direction

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Though Glover originally developed the show with ‘Fleabag’ creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creative differences saw Waller-Bridge depart and Glover instead create the show with his ‘Atlanta’ cohort Francesca Sloane (who runs the show here).

    The writing for the series carries some of the hallmarks of Glover and Sloane’s past work (though none of its experimental, random nature which probably wouldn’t have worked for this). This time around, their focus is on the burgeoning relationships and using the spy missions/job as a giant metaphor for an evolving connection between two people is one that largely works well, even if it does mean there tends to be a larger focus on interaction between the two main characters rather than the action side of things. Jane and John are written decently, though they may end up testing the patience of some audiences.

    As for the metaphors, they run the gamut from excellent to exhausting. One episode, where our main pair meet and spend time with another “John” and “Jane” is at times interminable (no fault of the actors involved). But the mission-of-the-week format means that if you don’t spark to one episode, you may well enjoy another.

    Directors Hiro Murai, Christian Sprenger and Karena Evans (the first two have ‘Atlanta’ experience on their busy resumes, the latter has focused more on music videos and other TV series) bring a fresh, dynamic look to the show, and if the action moments aren’t quite up there with the likes of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ or ‘Bond’ franchises, that’s because it isn’t the main point here. This is a relationship drama with a side of set-pieces.

    ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Performances

    Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    With the guest cast almost constantly changing (only one or two people beyond the leads appear in more than a single episode), the weight is very much on Glover and Erskine. As people who have both been the focus of TV series they co-created, they’re both more than able to carry the load of leading roles.

    Of the two, Erskine comes off better, getting to show more development than the slightly more disconnected Glover. She’s excited for the opportunity to begin with, but you can really see the weight settle upon her as the season moves on. Keeping the metaphor of the relationship going, she becomes more and more disenfranchised as she realizes she’s holding up more of her end in terms both missions and personal life.

    Which is not to say that Glover is bad –– his John Smith is a man who seems far less willing to leave his old life behind (a nod towards the usual commitment issues found more often in men than women) –– and he has some superb moments as the relationship develops and, at times, sours.

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Neither of the main pair are natural action stars, but they do their best, aided with a decent stunt team.

    Around them is an ever-changing roster of others: Paul Dano is a good-looking neighbor who Jane takes a shine to, while Wagner Moura and Parker Posey are the other John and Jane who share the double date that ends awkwardly (and dangerously). Again, as mentioned above, the actors are perfectly fine in their roles, they’re just let down a little by the episode’s script.

    Perlman, meanwhile, is wonderful in his role as the mysterious man that John and Jane are assigned to protect.

    ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Final Thoughts

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    If it sometimes stretches the concept a little thin, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ is an effective mix of spy thriller and marriage drama with the emphasis on the latter.

    Those seeking the next ‘Atlanta’ won’t find that here, but then, that wasn’t the point –– and as adaptations of movies go, this at least has the confidence to truly be its own thing.

    ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

    Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    What’s the story of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?

    Two lonely strangers land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan.

    The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone.

    Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: espionage or marriage?

    Who is in ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?

    The series cast also includes Paul Dano, Billy Campbell, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Sharon Horgan, Wagner Moura and Parker Posey.

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Other Donald Glover Movies:

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  • First Teaser for ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’

    Preview:

    • Prime Video’s ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ has launched its first trailer.
    • The show stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.
    • The series launches on February 2nd.

    Once upon a time, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith‘ were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, playing married assassins whose relationship had begun to feel stale. But when they discover their shared, hidden sides, things spice back up –– even if neither might survive it.

    In taking that idea, ‘Atlanta’ creator and co-star Donald Glover has given it a slight twist (see below), recruiting Maya Erskine to play Mrs. Smith to his Mr.

    From the looks of the first teaser, the show certainly manages to bring both the funny and the action levels, so this is one we’re anticipating.

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    What’s the story of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?

    Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    While it has a similar basic concept to the 2005 Doug Liman movie (famously the project where Pitt met and ended up married to co-star Jolie), the new series puts a fresh spin on the story.

    Here, Glover and Erskine play two lonely strangers who land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan.

    The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: espionage or marriage?

    Who also appears in ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?

    Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’s cast is full of solid character actors and people known for blending comedy and drama. The ensemble includes Alexander Skarsgård, Eliza González, Sarah Paulson, Sharon Horgan, Ron Perlman, Billy Campbell, Úrsula Corberó, Paul Dano, Michaela Coel, John Turturro, Parker Posey and Wagner Moura.

    Related Article: Donald Glover To Write Lando Series With His Brother Stephen Glover

    Who has made ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?

    Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

    Glover co-created the series with Francesca Sloane, one of his ‘Atlanta’ colleagues. Christian Sprenger, a fallow ‘Atlanta’ veteran, is the main director.

    Originally, ‘Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge was aboard to co-write and co-star, but because of creative differences, she left the show in 2021.

    Here’s what she told The Hollywood Reporter about it:

    “I worked on that show for six months fully in heart and mind and really cared about it — still care about it. And I know it’s gonna be brilliant. But sometimes it’s about knowing when to leave the party. You don’t want to get in the way of a vision. Creative collaboration is like a marriage, and some marriages don’t work out.”

    When will ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ be on our screens?

    All eight episodes of the show will debut on Prime Video on February 2nd.

    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
    Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
    Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'
    (L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

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    Buy Donald Glover Movies On Amazon

  • ‘Blue Eye Samurai’ Interview: Amber Noizumi and Michael Green

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    Netflix’s latest adult animation series ‘Blue Eye Samurai’ arrives on the streaming service beginning November 3 and was created by Amber Noizumi and Michael Green (‘Logan’, ‘Blade Runner 2049’).

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with showrunners Amber Noizumi and Michael Green about the inspiration behind the upcoming animated series, casting Maya Erskine as the lead character Mizu, the influences from various samurai films and shows, and how the process of approaching their first animated project.

    'Blue Eye Samurai's Amber Noizumi and Michael Green.
    (L to R) ‘Blue Eye Samurai’s Amber Noizumi and Michael Green.

    You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview. 

    Moviefone: To begin with, how did this story come together, and what was it about the Eddo period that made you want to focus on it specifically?

    Amber Noizumi: So the Eddo period is heralded as Japan’s golden age. I mean, to this day, they call it the golden age of Japan. That was when their borders were closed, completely closed off to the outside world, where it was its most homogenous. The idea to have somebody who’s mixed race, as I am, and we have a daughter who was born with blue eyes, and we called her our Blue Eye Samurai, which was the start of our conversations about it. What would it have been like to be different, to look different, to be a different race during that time? So ultimately, that was the beginning of it, and it just, with our research, our ideas got richer from there.

    Maya Erskine as Mizu in 'Blue Eye Samurai.'
    Maya Erskine as Mizu in ‘Blue Eye Samurai.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2023.

    MF: Speaking of the blue eyes, the main character’s name is Mizu, which means water in Japanese. Was that the inspiration for naming the character,  based on the color and the meaning of water?

    AN: Yes, but also the idea of water, the idea of its various forms of steam, and ice, and sublimation, and then fire, when she’s sword making, and the fire that’s within her. We just used a lot of that element. Those elemental things to describe what’s going on in her and around her.

    MF: With a show focused on a samurai, were there any samurai films or shows that inspired certain scenes or fighting styles?

    Michael Green: We work with so many wonderful people, all of whom have encyclopedic knowledge. So it was so much fun, everyone bringing their favorite clips, and we would watch them. I’m going to say where I’m going to get to, is we ended up working with Sunny Sun, a fight choreographer who’s one of the greatest stunt choreographers in the world. So it’s really his movies that I want to talk about. He came at this with so much character focus. Jane Wu, our supervising director, also comes from with martial arts background. I mean, we talked about everything from ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ with the tension of scenes, or ‘Once Upon Time in the West,’ same thing. But in Eastern Films, we talked about the way Zatoichi moves and how he always moves differently from everyone around him. Of course, we looked at Kurosawa‘s compositions.

    AN: And then we have a song lifted directly from ‘Kill Bill’. There’s so much greatness to steal from.

    MG: We wear our homages on our sleeve and hope the originators notice and go, “Oh yeah.”

    Masi Oka as Ringo and Maya Erskine as Mizu in 'Blue Eye Samurai.'
    (L to R) Masi Oka as Ringo and Maya Erskine as Mizu in ‘Blue Eye Samurai.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2023.

    MF:  Mizu is voiced by Maya Erskine, who audiences know from ‘PEN15’. What has it been like to watch her bring the character of Mizu to life, and how did you know that you found the right actor in Maya?

    AN: Maya is such a talented, versatile actor, and you could see in ‘PEN15,’ even though it is a hilarious show, you could see how she brought that kind of raw pain of growing up mixed race and just growing up in general. I actually think that that’s how the character of Maya might envision herself. She might envision herself like Mizu. This might be who she aspires to be. But Maya really was able to bring a lot of that pain into the character of Mizu. I mean, she just did it beyond our expectations.

    Related Article: Director Marc Jobst Talks ‘One Piece’ and His Work On Netflix’s Marvel Projects

    Maya Erskine as Mizu in 'Blue Eye Samurai.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine as Mizu in ‘Blue Eye Samurai.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2023.

    MF: Finally, the series is the first major animated project you’ve worked on as showrunners, what was the process like? Has it been different than your past projects, and did you approach it differently?

    MG: We approached it the same, which might’ve been naive, but that’s good because it ended up working out.

    AN: We would’ve been scared away otherwise.

    MG: If we knew exactly how hard it was going to be. Some of the ways were very similar. We wrote the script as if it was a live-action piece. We ran our meetings, and mixed it and scored it, and worked with the type of people, with casting directors and costume designers from live action. Suttirat Larlarb did our costumes, worked with her on ‘American Gods’. She’s done everything from Star Wars to Bond, and on and on. Our casting directors work on ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Avatar’. We really just worked with as many live-action people, including Jane Wu, our supervising director and executive producer. But then we met the reality of animation, where we knew we had to learn a lot, where we had to work with people who knew it much better than we ever could, and could teach us and be patient with us, and also just lead us through it. So it was very different. The main difference is how slow animation is. It is for the patient. It’s just the dough needs to rise and you can’t rush it. But you can have anything you want if you’re patient. So it made the show everything we wanted and more.

    Maya Erskine as Mizu in 'Blue Eye Samurai.'
    (L to R) Maya Erskine as Mizu in ‘Blue Eye Samurai.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2023.

    What Is The Plot Of ‘Blue Eye Samurai?

    Set in 17th-century Edo-period Japan, Blue Eye Samurai follows Mizu (Maya Erskine), a mixed-race master of the sword who lives a life in disguise seeking to deliver revenge. In her search for vengeance, she meets Ringo, a soba maker born who longs to be a samurai, Taigen, a pompous samurai, and Princess Akemi, the daughter of Lord Daichi of the Tokunobu clan.

    Who Is In the Cast of ‘Blue Eye Samurai’?

    A scene from 'Blue Eye Samurai.'
    A scene from ‘Blue Eye Samurai.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2023.

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  • ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ TV Adaptation Adds Paul Dano, John Turturro and Michaela Coel

    Paul Dano at London Special Screening of 'The Batman.'
    Paul Dano at London Special Screening of ‘The Batman.’

    There is new intelligence to be found about ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’, the TV adaptation of Doug Liman’s spy caper thriller that has Donald Glover co-starring and co-creating.

    The cast is growing by three as Paul Dano, John Turturro and Michaela Coel are all joining as guest stars, according to Variety.

    Originally released in 2005 and written by Simon Kinberg, the movie of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ starred Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as John and Jane Smith, a married couple whose relationship has succumbed to ennui. They’re a little surprised, then, to learn that they’re both assassins and that they’ve just been hired by competing agencies to take each other out – and not in a date night sense of the word.

    Exact story details of the TV version – which will show up on Prime Video – are still being kept largely confidential, though it sounds like the series will follow the characters from a younger age to their movie counterparts, tracking as they’re hired by a spy agency and figuring out both married life and espionage.

    Maya Erskine, one of the creators and stars of Hulu’s ‘Pen15’ is co-starring as Jane Smith, but the character assignments for the new recruits have yet to be revealed.

    John Turturro at New York premiere of 'The Batman.'
    John Turturro at New York premiere of ‘The Batman.’ Photo Credit: Dave Allocca/Starpix.

    Turturro needs little introduction, having carved a successful career as a character for years, appearing in a wide swathe of movies and directing some. Though he’s primarily been known for his big screen work, he’s recently been receiving praise for his performance on the Apple TV+ series ‘Severance’.

    Dano, meanwhile, was most recently seen playing the Riddler in ‘The Batman’, facing off against Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader (the film also featured Turturro, though they didn’t share a scene). He’ll next show up in Steven Spielberg’s much-anticipated, semi-autobiographical drama ‘The Fabelmans’, playing a character loosely based on the director’s father.

    He’s also appeared in movies including ‘There Will be Blood’, ‘Swiss Army Man’, ’12 Years a Slave’, ‘Ruby Sparks’ and ‘Looper’

    Coel, who is a rising star, might be best known for creating and starring in the limited series ‘I May Destroy You’. She pulled double duty on TV series ‘Chewing Gum’. Movie-wise, she has a role in Marvel’s upcoming ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, in theaters on November 11th.

    Though it originally intended to reunite Glover with his ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and she jumped aboard to co-write with him, creative differences led to an amicable split and Waller-Bridge departing the series.

    Francesca Sloane is aboard to run the show, having worked on the scripts with Glover, but there’s no word on who might be directing it just yet. And given that ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ is still in pre-production, Amazon is yet to assign it a premiere date.

    Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
    (L to R) Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2005’s ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith.’
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  • TV Casting: Tom Hiddleston, Whoopi Goldberg, Angela Bassett and More

    Tom Hiddleston as Loki
    Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in Marvel Studios’ ‘Loki,’ exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

    Someone apparently decided that today was TV casting news day!

    Still, there is a lot of TV casting to report, so let’s kick off with Loki’s return to the small screen. Well, actually, it’s Tom Hiddleston, who is now attached to his second Apple TV+ series following upcoming drama ‘The Essex Serpent’.

    ‘The White Darkness’ comes from another Apple veteran, ‘Pachinko’ creator Soo Hugh, who will run the show alongside ‘Strange Angel’s Mark Heyman.

    The series is inspired by the true-life account of Henry Worsley, played by Hiddleston, a devoted husband and father, a former soldier, a man of deep honor and sacrifice, but also a man deeply obsessed with adventure, manifesting in an epic journey crossing Antarctica on foot.

    Deadline’s report offers no details on when the show will start shooting, but there’s a fair chance that it’ll have to wait until after the next season of ‘Loki’ is filmed.

    Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
    (L to R) Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2005’s ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith.’

    Next up, there’s a development on the TV version of movie spy thriller ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’, which had been moving ahead with Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, at least until the latter left over creative differences.

    Now, though the actress and writer has been replaced by someone who similarly broke big by writing and starring in a show: ‘Pen15’s Maya Erskine will star opposite Glover in the story of married agents whose marriage is strained because they’re both so busy. That gets even more complicated when they discover that they’ve been contracted to eliminate each other.

    Glover announced Erskine’s casting as part of an Interview magazine article where he interviews himself. He also let slip that he’s busy writing the season finale of the Prime Video show.

    Continuing with streaming services owned by Amazon, Neil Gaiman’s adaptation of his 2005 novel ‘Anansi Boys’ is adding a wealth of cast led by Whoopi Goldberg.

    The Oscar winner, who has recently been seen reprising one of her iconic small screen characters, Guinan, on ‘Star Trek: Picard’, has signed on to play the villainous Bird Woman in the fantasy series.

    ‘Anansi Boys’ is the story of Charlie Nancy (Malachi Kirby) — sometimes known as Fat Charlie (it was his father’s nickname for him; he’s not fat) — a young man who is used to being embarrassed by his estranged father (Delroy Lindo). But when his father dies, Charlie discovers that he was Anansi: Trickster God of stories. And he learns that he has a brother. Now that brother, Spider (also played by Kirby), is entering Charlie’s life, determined to make it more interesting — but making it a lot more dangerous instead.

    Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan
    Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan of the Paramount+ original series ‘Star Trek: Picard.’ Photo: Nicole Wilder/Paramount+ ©2022 ViacomCBS. All Rights Reserved.

    Goldberg’s Bird Woman is, as her name might suggest, the God of Birds. Bird Woman is the God of Birds and a key antagonist in the series. Anyone who’s had a close encounter with a seagull knows that some birds are more dangerous than others, and Bird Woman is the most dangerous of them all. Long ago Anansi did her wrong. Now may be her chance to turn the tables.

    “I have been a fan of this book for a very long time and when Neil Gaiman told me it was being brought to the screen, I did everything I could to be part of it to help make people aware of Anansi and all his magic,” Goldberg says in a statement.

    According to Gaiman, it was a fortuitous meeting that led to Goldberg’s casting. “When I first conceived ‘Anansi Boys,’ decades ago, I imagined Whoopi Goldberg as Bird Woman,” Gaiman said. “I wasn’t able to meet her until 2018, when she interviewed me with some of the ‘Good Omens’ team at New York Comic Con. At which point she mentioned that she had just finished listening to Sir Lenny Henry’s reading of ‘Anansi Boys,’ and that it was one of her favorite books. Sometimes things feel planned and inevitable, and we are incredibly lucky. She’s going to be scary.”

    And she’s not the only mythic creature the Nancy family will have to worry about. Alongside Goldberg, the cast now includes Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Tiger, Emmanuel Ighodaro as Lion, Cecilia Noble playing Elephant, Ayanna Witter-Johnson as Snake and Don Gilet playing Monkey.

    The various animal deities all have their own reasons for disliking Anansi – they mostly hate him for his trickster behavior, though Monkey is terrified of him.

    Gaiman and co-showrunner Douglas MacKinnon (who worked alongside him on ‘Good Omens’ and its sequel series) are busy making the show in Scotland now.

    Angela Bassett with phone
    Angela Bassett as Erika Sloane in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout,’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

    On to Netflix next, where the casting is movie related, but we’re keeping it here since it’ll debut on the streaming service. And it’s another fantasy title, this time with Angela Bassett joining ‘Damsel’.

    The movie will star Netflix stalwart Millie Bobby Brown, who plays a princess is shocked to discover that she’ll be sacrificed to the kingdom’s sacred cave dragon, after being married to her prince charming. She must survive long enough until someone comes to save her – only no one is coming.

    Bassett will play Lady Bayford, the stepmother to Brown’s Elodie, while Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is directing from a script by Dan Mazeau.

    Heading right back around to Apple, there’s word that Andre Holland will play Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton, who was able to escape a massive, nationwide manhunt to avoid prosecution for murder with the help of Bert Schneider, the Hollywood producer behind ‘Easy Rider’, as well as a few other celebrity radicals.

    Newton ended up in Cuba and his story was told in a Playboy article by Joshuah Bearman. Now ‘Claws’ showrunner Janine Sherman Barrois is working on a six-part limited series adaptation called ‘The Big Cigar’, which has Don Cheadle amongst its producers (and serving as director for the first two episodes).

    And finally, we head to Disney+, where Lucasfilm is making history by casting an openly trans actor in one of its productions.

    Warwick Davis as Willow
    Warwick Davis in 1988’s ‘Willow.’

    In this case, Britain’s Talisa Garcia has been cast in ‘Willow’ as a queen, the mother to Tony Revolori’s character.

    The ‘Willow’ series, which is set in the same universe as the 1988 fantasy movie, follows a princess who assembles a party to join her on a quest to rescue her twin brother. Warwick Davis is reprising his role as the title character.

    And before you think this is Disney looking to generate some positive press in the wake of the “Don’t Say Gay” controversy over Florida politics, Garcia’s casting happened months ago, and the show is now in post-production for a planned launch this year.

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