Not-So-Shocking Twist: HBO Renews ‘Westworld’
Surprising exactly no one, HBO announced yesterday that they were renewing Westworld for a second season. The new series, long touted as a potential replacement for Game of Thrones following its impending end, has garnered impressive ratings and reviews since its debut earlier this fall, with an average of 11.7 million viewers tuning in each week to travel deeper down the mindbending rabbit hole of the series. No word yet on when the second season is expected, though some speculation has stated not to expect season two until sometime in 2018. Given the lofty ambitions of the series, it would make sense that they would take their time to get things right; season one, after all, was delayed months in order to ensure all the proper threads were in place before the series made its premiere.
(HBO)
Marvel Announces ‘Inhumans’ on ABC
Speculation has been running rampant since Marvel not-so-discretely removed Inhumans from its roster of cinematic releases earlier this year. Some had blamed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which has featured the race of evolved humans heavily over the past few seasons, for poisoning the well for Inhumans, but now it seems that things are back in motion, though not as they were originally planned. Marvel announced that Inhumans would now be an ABC series beginning in 2017 which, quite honestly, makes sense. The series is set to follow noted Marvel Comics hero Black Bolt and the Inhuman royal family. No word yet on how, or even if, the series will tie into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw some sort of backdoor pilot or introduction sometime later this season. Inhumans is set to premiere its first two episodes during a limited IMAX engagement next summer prior to its premiere on ABC next fall.
(Marvel)
Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Cusack, and Bradley Whitford Join Brie Larson’s Directorial Debut
Brie Larson, star of last year’s Room, has added some big names to her directorial debut, Unicorn Store. Samuel L. Jackson, Joan Cusack, and Bradley Whitford have all signed on to co-star in the film, from a script by Samantha McIntyre (Married). Larson will star as a woman who moves back in with her parents and discovers the existence of a store beyond her wildest imagination. Early stages of production are currently underway, and Unicorn Store is expected sometime in 2017.
Disney Announces ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ Release Date in Delightful On Set Video
Ava DuVernay’s (13th) star studded adaptation of the children’s classic A Wrinkle in Time has an official release date. The director made the official announcement via Twitter, in a video that showcased the diversity of the crew. The crew stood still in various positions in a mannequin challenge before focusing on the young Storm Reid, who held a script with “April 6, 2018” written on it. The video captures all that is special about the production of A Wrinkle in Time, from its star to its crew. DuVernay’s spin the classic novel is certain to bring the story to a whole new audience and give children around the world new heroes to look up to.
Late entry! 102 crew members! 27 departments! Release date news! #WrinkleInTime #InclusiveCrew #MannequinChallenge pic.twitter.com/5GfmztP9fI
— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) November 14, 2016
(Twitter)
New ‘Jackie’ Trailer Hints at Awards Gold
Following an intriguing teaser released last month, Jackie has unveiled a full trailer, which shows just why Natalie Portman is earning so much awards buzz ahead of its December 2 limited release. Portman stars as Jackie Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s assassination, and even just from the two minutes offered by the trailer we get a sense of how deeply she captures the poise, grace, and complexity of the former First Lady. The trailer just confirms what we all expected: we’re going to be hearing a lot about both Portman and Jackie over the next few months in what will surely be one of the film’s to beat this Oscar season.
(Fox Searchlight)
