‘Orphan’ Star Isabelle Fuhrman Thinks Playing the Murderous Esther Made Her a Nicer Person

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-Jae has been cast as the male lead in Disney+’s “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte,” Variety has confirmed. “Russian Doll” co-creator Leslye Headland is showrunning the series, with Amandla Stenberg (“The Hate U Give”) set to star in the leading woman role. Going farther back in time than any live-action “Star Wars” title before it, “The Acolyte” is set a century before the events of “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.” The series promises to depict the galaxy at the peak of the era of the High Republic, when the Jedi were at their strongest and the Sith were believed to have been eradicated from the galaxy.

India’s Kajol To Star Disney+ Hotstar Remake Of ‘The Good Wife’

Star Wars series The Acolyte.The British actor, known for roles in Queen & Slim and 2021’s Without Remorse, is finalising a deal to star in the Disney+ series, according to Deadline.The only confirmed cast member is Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games, Dear Evan Hansen), whose involvement in the series was announced in July this year.This comes ahead of Disney’s annual D23 fan event, which features a Lucasfilm presentation this Saturday (September 10) alongside other announcements from Marvel and 20th Century Studios.Join us in welcoming Amandla Stenberg to the the Star Wars galaxy. #TheAcolyte https://t.co/PhriTUdZcv pic.twitter.com/LJp9LeZQik— Star Wars | Andor Premieres Sept 21 on Disney+ (@starwars) July 22, 2022The Acolyte, led by Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland, is described as a mystery-thriller set in the final days of the High Republic era – a period set roughly 200 years before events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.A synopsis reads: “The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take the audience into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.”The show is expected to begin production in London later this year.Turner-Smith’s next film is director Noah Baumbach’s White Noise, where she stars alongside Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, Raffey Cassidy and Don Cheadle.

Keeping the party going in Paris! Artem Chigvintsev and Nikki Bella are still celebrating with son Matteo after tying the knot earlier this month.

Mikhail Gorbachev has died at age 91, social media revived a Pizza Hut commercial from 1998 with the former Soviet Union leader dining out at the American chain in Moscow. But was it really him or a lookalike?Yes, that really was Gorbachev and his granddaughter Anastasia Virganskaya in the ad, which was filmed in December 1997 and aired internationally — but not in Russia — in January 1998.

Eurovision Song Contest has become the subject of an online smear campaign over her opposition to the war in Ukraine.Manizha Sangin — who placed ninth in the international music competition last year — has long been an outspoken critic of the invasion. In February, she shared an Instagram post calling the war a “fraternal conflict” that goes “against the will” of Russian people, and later released a song called ‘Soldier’ which contained the repeated lyric, “Stop the war”.Now, Sangin’s critics have launched a coordinated campaign to have the singer blacklisted in Russia.

Manori Ravindran International EditorSalma Hayek and Annie Murphy are in talks to star in the new season of “Black Mirror,” Variety can reveal.The dystopian Netflix series is slowly assembling a star-studded roster of talent for its long-awaited Season 6, with Hayek and Murphy the latest actors set to join the cast.Variety previously revealed that the new season has signed Zazie Beetz, Paapa Essiedu, Josh Hartnett, Aaron Paul, Kate Mara, Danny Ramirez, Clara Rugaard, Auden Thornton and Anjana Vasan. Elsewhere, Deadline reported that Rory Culkin, who was most recently seen in FX’s “Under the Banner of Heaven,” is also joining the show.Hayek recently wrapped on Angelina Jolie’s new movie “Without Blood,” which has been filming in Italy, and stars in Steven Soderbergh’s forthcoming “Magic Mike’s Last Dance.” She also starred in Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” and Marvel’s “Eternals.” A Hayek-produced series on the death of Argentina’s Eva Perón, titled “Santa Evita,” aired on Disney’s Star last month.

Naman Ramachandran At a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues and a politically fragile U.K. is dealing with daily crises, Peter Kosminsky’s “The Undeclared War” is timely and prescient. Set in a post-pandemic 2024 in the run up to a British general election, the series follows a team of analysts at GCHQ (the U.K.’s version of the NSA) secretly working to ward off a series of cyber attacks by Russia.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticEsther (Isabelle Fuhrman), the demon child of the 2009 horror thriller “Orphan,” was a 9-year-old psycho freak who dressed like a frumpy Victorian doll and spoke in a Russian accent, which upped the ante on her malevolence by making her seem not just a junior devil but a junior devil from the land of Putin. Movies about monster children go way back (the original one, “The Bad Seed,” was released in 1956), and after “The Omen” and “The Brood” and “Ringu” and so many others, there wasn’t a lot of room left for a pulp horror film like “Orphan” to surprise us.

Supporting his fellow surgeon! Kevin McKidd shared his thoughts about Ellen Pompeo scaling back her role on season 19 of Grey’s Anatomy — and he thinks change can be a good thing.

Gareth Gates has posted an emotional tribute to his “dear friend” Darius Danesh, who has died aged 41. Danesh was a Scottish singer and actor who rose to fame on Popstars and Pop Idol, where he competed against Gates in the latter in 2002.

Rylan Clark and Lorraine Kelly are among the first stars to pay tribute to Darius Danesh after the singer and actor who rose to fame on Popstars and Pop Idol died at the age of 41. The Scottish star’s family confirmed on Tuesday (16 August) that Danesh had died on 11 August.

Brittney Griner's legal team has appealed against the American basketball star's guilty verdict and nine-year prison sentence on drug smuggling charges in Russia, the lawyers said on Monday.Griner was arrested for carrying vape cartridges containing with marijuana in a Moscow airport in February amid soaring tension between Washington and Moscow, and just before Russian leader Vladimir Putin launched his ongoing assault on Ukraine.The athlete was on her way to Yekaterinburg, in western Russia, to play for a local team during the WNBA's off-season.Griner pleaded guilty to the charge but sought leniency, saying that she packed the cartridges inadvertently and marijuana was prescribed to her by a doctor in the U.S. to help her cope with pain from injuries sustained during her basketball career. In early August, a court in the Moscow region found her guilty.Before her trial began in July, the State Department designated her as being «wrongfully detained,» moving her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs — effectively the U.S.

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, MusicThe singer GAYLE, whose “abcdefu” is among the most-consumed songs of 2022, will join Israeli pop star Noa Kirel onstage at her Aug. 24 concert at Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park.Both singers are signed to Atlantic Records.