Dianne Crittenden Dies: ‘Star Wars’ Casting Director Who Worked On ‘Pretty Woman’, ‘Spider-Man 2’ & Many Others Was 82

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Zendaya was already a big star when she was cast as MJ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” By that point in her career she had already amassed a huge following as the star of two Disney Channel hits, “Shake It Up” and “K.C. Undercover,” plus popped up in Beyonce’s “Lemonade” film and was a runner-up on “Dancing With the Stars.” None of that apparently registered for “Spider-Man” producer Amy Pascal. “To be honest with you, neither [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige nor I knew who she was,” Pascal admitted in Vogue magazine as part of its Zendaya cover story.

Naman Ramachandran British talents, writer-director Neil Biswas and actor-writer-director Manjinder Virk, have launched multi-platform, independent production company Riverbird Films. Virk’s breakthrough role as an actor was Peter Kosminsky’s BAFTA-winning Channel 4 drama “Britz,” alongside Riz Ahmed.

The final episode of the long-running, highly acclaimed American sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm" will air Sunday night on HBO. As the show draws to a close after 12 seasons, fans everywhere are looking back on the most and least favorable episodes, memorable lines and former guest stars. On Friday, Larry David gathered in front of fans to indulge in the history of "Curb" ahead of the show’s finale.

“Sixteen Candles,” “Pretty in Pink” and “The Breakfast Club.”But the budding actress was eager to transition to more mature roles after appearing in those coming-of-age flicks — and she came close to scoring parts in two iconic movies. In an interview with Variety, the new 56-year-old dished on the directors she met at the end of the 1980s, saying: “I got really close on a couple movies. I met with Mike Nichols for ‘Working Girl’ and Jonathan Demme for ‘The Silence of the Lambs,’ but ultimately I was too young.”For “Working Girl,” which was released in 1988, Ringwald was presumably in talks to play plucky young secretary Tess, with the role eventually going to Melanie Griffith.

After years of exile on planet Disney+, Lucasfilm’s plan to marshal “Star Wars” back to the big screen is about to take off. Just a few hours after “The Mandalorian & Grogu” landed a summer 2026 release date from Disney, another “Star Wars” film from director James Mangold is starting to take shape.

Beau Willimon (Andor) has been tapped to co-write Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi (working title) alongside the film’s director James Mangold, Deadline can confirm.

Katcy Stephan “House of Cards” creator Beau Willimon will co-write the script for “Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi.” He’ll pen the Lucasfilm project alongside James Mangold, who will also direct the film. It will trace the origins of the Force and will be set 25,000 years before any other “Star Wars” project previously seen.

Ozark star Julia Garner has been cast as Shalla-Bal, a version of the Silver Surfer, in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four.The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress will star alongside Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (aka the Thing).Matt Shakman, who helmed the Marvel series WandaVision for Disney+ and Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters for Apple TV+, is set to direct the upcoming Fantastic Four film.The Silver Surfer was previously portrayed by Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.Speaking on how The Fantastic Four will differ from previous Marvel films, Shakman said in October: “It’s different in so many ways.

It’s no secret that Lucasfilm, in recent years, hasn’t had an exceptional batting average regarding films announced and projects made. The list of “Star Wars” films and series announced in recent years that haven’t come to pass is too long to list but includes an unrealized new trilogy from Rian Johnson, a movie from Taika Waiti that may or may not get made, “Rangers Of The Republic,” a still-unmade “Lando” series, Patty Jenkins’ “Rogue Squadron” (which may have some life in it still) and an unproduced trilogy by the creators of “Game Of Thrones.” READ MORE: ‘Star Wars’: James Mangold His Dawn Of The Force Film Will Pre-Date The Existence Of Jedi & Jedi Order Shortly after “Game Of Thrones” ended, creators and writers David Benioff and D.B.

Good news for Star Trek fans – the fourth movie is still happening!

Eli Noyes, the pioneering stop-motion animator who scored an Oscar nom for his short film Clay, or The Origin of Species and worked on the MTV series Liquid Television and HBO’s Braingames among other credits, has died. He was 81.

Jack Dunn “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor” dominated the Game Audio Network Guild Awards, taking home seven wins including sound design of the year. On Thursday night, the Game Audio Network Guild bestowed 30 awards to the industry’s top professionals at their 22nd annual ceremony, honoring the dialogue, music, and sound design of the year’s most popular titles. The event was held at The Moscone Center in San Francisco and was co-hosted by former IGN vice president of video Fran Mirabella and voice actor Morla Gorrondona.

Christian Schwochow has signed up to direct , the upcoming Constantin Film and Big Light Productions scripted series based on events surrounding the Nuremberg trials that took place in the wake of World War Two.

The trailer has been unveiled for the latest Star Wars series The Acolyte!

Jack Dunn Disney has released the trailer for its newest “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte,” which is set to stream on Disney+ June 4. The series takes place 100 years before the franchise’s prequel trilogy during the High Republic era of the “Star Wars” universe, which is the furthest back in the timeline “Star Wars” has gone in a live-action production. An official logline for the series reveals, “An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg).

The next Star Wars project has an official premiere date!

Disney+ has revealed a spring premiere date for The Acolyte, the new Lucasfilm Star Wars series. Star Wars: The Acolyte will be released June 4 on the streaming service. The date was revealed Monday on Star Wars verified X account, which also teases more news to come tomorrow. (See below).

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte” has set its Disney+ premiere date. The series will debut on the streaming service on June 4. A poster for the series has also been revealed, which can be seen below.

Star Wars‘ Millennium Falcon.The special coin will be released this year, with the Royal Mint also unveiling three other vehicles from the franchise that will adorn coins this year – namely the TIE Fighter, X-Wing and Death Star II.The Millennium Falcon coin depicts the ship mid-flight, as well as the Rebel Alliance symbol that reveals itself when the coin is titled towards the light.“We are delighted to celebrate the Star Wars franchise’s numismatic return with a series of coins dedicated to its iconic vehicles,” said Royal Mint’s Rebecca Morgan.A new @StarWarsUK™ coin featuring one of the most iconic vehicles in the history of cinema has landed.The legendary Millennium Falcon is the first to appear on a UK 50p.Add to your collection here – https://t.co/7B0cvZ1XBs pic.twitter.com/mf8I6FvQCp— The Royal Mint (@RoyalMintUK) March 18, 2024“We are excited to enthuse new and existing coin collectors across the world and capture the imaginations of Star Wars’ thriving fan base.”The Royal Mint previously released a series of character coins to mark Return Of The Jedi‘s 40th anniversary last year, including Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.In other Star Wars news, a report released last week from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed just how much money Disney has made from the franchise since it bought Star Wars over a decade ago.According to the report, the company has made around $12billion from Star Wars, almost three times what it paid for the franchise ($4.05billion).However, it doesn’t stand as Disney’s most profitable franchise, with Frozen, Toy Story and the Avengers being the top three most valuable assets for the company.Meanwhile, star Ewan McGregor has given fans an update on season two of Obi-Wan

A new 50p coin that will excite Star Wars fans has been unveiled, commemorating one of the most notable aspects of the film franchise.