Kim Murphy Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

J. Kim Murphy Dave Hollis, a former Disney executive who served as the company’s president of worldwide distribution until resigning in 2018, died Saturday night at his home in Austin, Texas. He was 47 years old. Hollis had been recently hospitalized for heart-related health issues, though no exact cause of death has been determined. Hollis’ became Disney’s theatrical distribution chief in 2011, taking the reins from a retiring Chuck Viane. Hollis’ tenure coincided with several of the largest box office successes in the studio’s history, shepherding titles from Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and Pixar, as well as live-action remakes of animated classics and new animated features. The resounding achievements that came with Hollis’ leadership made his 2018 resignation from the company all the more surprising. Well-liked within the industry and an affable ambassador for Disney, Hollis left Disney (and California) to become CEO of Chic Media, a production company founded by Hollis’ wife at the time, Rachel Hollis. The two divorced in more recent years.

J. Kim Murphy “The Penguin” continues to expand its ensemble, as the DC limited series has added Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Deirdre O’Connell to its cast. Character details for the three actors remain under wraps. Kelly is best known for his roles in Netflix’s “House of Cards” and Amazon’s “Jack Ryan.” Aghdashloo earned critical acclaim for her performance in 2003’s “House of Sand and Fog” and starred in the Syfy series “The Expanse.” O’Connell won a Tony award last year for her performance in “Dana H.” and has appeared in numerous films and series since her first credits in the 1980s. The eight-episode limited series stars Colin Farrell, reprising his role as the eponymous comic book villain after first appearing in last year’s DC Studios feature “The Batman.” Variety exclusively reported that Farrell had signed on to star in a Penguin series in December 2021, with HBO Max officially ordering it in March 2022. The cast also includes Cristin Milioti and Rhenzy Feliz.

J. Kim Murphy “Halloween Ends” may be the last we see of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, but the horror series still kills at the box office. Universal’s slasher finale is off to a strong start, projecting a $43.4 million opening from 3,901 theaters. Even with “Halloween Ends” receiving a simultaneous streaming debut on Peacock, the film has managed to draw an impressive figure. It will earn more than enough to top weekend charts, sparking some life into what has largely been a muted season for moviegoing. “Ends” is tracking below last year’s franchise entry, “Halloween Kills,” which earned a $49 million domestic opening with its own day-and-date release. 2018’s “Halloween,” the first entry in this new sequel trilogy to John Carpenter’s landmark 1978 original, released exclusively to theaters, at a time before Peacock was anything more than a developing project at NBCUniversal. The film garnered a staggering $76 million — still the third-highest domestic debut ever for a horror film, after the two “It” entries.

J. Kim Murphy Sydney Sweeney has found another film project to add to her slate, setting plans to star in a new “Barbarella” movie for Sony Pictures, a source close to the project confirmed. The film remains in early development, with no director, producer or writer currently attached. Sweeney seemed to confirm her involvement with the project through an Instagram post late Tuesday afternoon. The actress shared an image of original artwork from the original 1968 space opera, with a caption: “time to save the universe.”A post shared by Sydney Sweeney (@sydney_sweeney) Sweeney has become somewhat of a marquee talent at Sony Pictures, with the actress co-starring alongside Dakota Johnson in the Marvel Comics adaptation “Madame Web.” The studio also landed the rights to “The Registration,” an adaptation of Madison Lawson’s thriller of the same name. Brad Fuller is producing, while Sweeney is attached to star.

J. Kim Murphy Michelle Yeoh and Pete Davidson are rolling out for “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” with both actors cast in voice roles in the upcoming franchise entry from Paramount. “Rise of the Beasts” director Steven Caple Jr. shared the news of the pair joining the production through an Instagram post on Tuesday afternoon, featuring two different videos from recording sessions — the first with Davidson and the second with Yeoh.A post shared by Steven Caple Jr. (@stevencaplejr) Yeoh voices a character named Airazor, while Davidson voices Mirage. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian and Duncan Henderson. The film is set to hit theaters on June 9, 2023.

J. Kim Murphy Austin Stoker, a veteran actor who most notably starred in John Carpenter’s sophomore feature “Assault on Precinct 13” and co-starred with Pam Grier in the 1975 blaxploitation feature “Sheba, Baby,” died Friday of renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 92. Details regarding Stoker’s death were shared by his wife of 43 years, Robin Stoker, on her personal Facebook Monday evening. Robin called Austin “the love of my life” in her tribute. In another tribute, actor and director Bill Duke hailed Stoker as “one of Hollywood’s unsung actors” and shared his blessings to his family.

J. Kim Murphy Legendary Television president Chris Albrecht has been placed on a leave of absence by the company, a spokesperson for Legendary confirmed to Variety Monday. No official reason for the exec’s leave of absence was provided.

J. Kim Murphy “Star Trek” took over New York Comic Con on Saturday afternoon with a triple-series panel for Paramount+ series “Discovery,” “Prodigy” and “Picard,” which kicked off by revealing the teaser for Season 5 of “Star Trek: Discovery.” “Discovery” star Sonequa Martin-Green joined the NYCC panel to introduce the teaser for the Paramount+ series, which provides fans a first look at new characters played by Callum Keith Rennie, Eve Harlow and Elias Toufexis. Rennie plays Rayner, a weathered Starfleet captain who’s at home in the battle. Harlow portrays Moll, a cunning outlaw that faces off with the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery. L’ak, Moll’s partner, is played by Toufexis. The “Discovery” NYCC panel featured cast members Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz, as well as executive producers Michelle Paradise, Alex Kurtzman and Rod Roddenberry.

J. Kim Murphy “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler has opened up about his grieving for the film’s star Chadwick Boseman, who died in Aug. 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker shared that Boseman’s death led him to reconsider continuing his work in the entertainment industry. “I was at a point when I was like, ‘I’m walking away from this business,'” Coogler stated. “I didn’t know if I could make another movie period [or] another ‘Black Panther’ movie, because it hurt a lot. I was like, ‘Man, how could I open myself up to feeling like this again?'” Coogler went on to explain that he spent the following weeks revisiting footage of himself with Boseman, who he saw as a major creative collaborator and champion of “Black Panther.” Returning to memories of his own relationship with the actor, the filmmaker began to rediscover his passion for the kingdom of Wakanda and its narrative possibilities.

J. Kim Murphy “Smile” has something grin about this weekend. The creeper is projected to land a $19 million debut from 3,645 locations. It’s a fantastic start for the genre film, which carries a modest $17 million production budget. Compared to other original horror entries this year, Universal’s supernatural kidnap thriller “The Black Phone” kicked off with $23 million while 20th Century Studios’ “Barbarian” opened to $10 million. “Smile” landed a mildly positive “B-” grade through research firm Cinema Score, though such a figure is standard for a horror release. The film has drawn good buzz with solid reviews, scoring a 79% from top critics on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Variety‘s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised the film in his review, writing that it “sets up nearly everything — its highly effective creep factor, its well-executed if familiar shock tactics, its interlaced theme of trauma and suicide — before the opening credits.”

J. Kim Murphy Bassam Tariq has exited his role as director of Marvel Studios’ “Blade.” Tariq’s departure comes as a shock, as production was set to begin in November on Marvel’s new feature about the iconic comic book vampire slayer. The film is set to star Mahershala Ali in the title role, alongside a cast that includes Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre. Although he will no longer be helming “Blade,” sources close to the situation state that Tariq will remain attached to the project as an executive producer. The filmmaker was first confirmed as the director of “Blade” in the summer of 2021.

J. Kim Murphy “The Woman King” has found its throne at the box office. The Sony release is drumming up a projected $18 million opening from 3,765 locations, in line with most analysts’ estimates heading into the weekend. The epic also benefited from landing some premium format auditoriums, such as Imax, lending an additional boost to revenue. Though that doesn’t necessarily qualify as a grand opening, it’s a solid start for the action film, which carries a $50 million production budget and has no ties to existing franchises. What’s more, it’s more than enough for “The Woman King” to top box office charts on a slow weekend with few rival releases.

J. Kim Murphy “Trying” has been renewed for a fourth season at Apple TV+. The British comedy series will return for another new slate of episodes. The news of the renewal for the favorably reviewed series comes three days ahead of its upcoming Season 3 finale, which will debut on the streamer on Friday. When “Trying” premiered its first season on Apple TV+ in May 2020, all eight episodes became available to watch on the platform on the same day. Since then, the series has shifted to a weekly format, with a new episode becoming available on the platform each Friday this season. The Season 2 and Season 3 premiere dates are an exception, which both saw two episodes released at once to launch a new season.

J. Kim Murphy “Yellowstone” is back in the first teaser for the fifth season of Paramount Network’s hit Western series. Paramount Network premiered the first footage during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday evening. The fifth season of “Yellowstone” will premiere on the Paramount Network in a two-hour event on Nov. 13. “All will be revealed,” the promotion teases, between footage of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, firearms being reloaded and the Dutton family gearing up to defend their ranch land. The teaser reveal arrives just days before Paramount Network launches its “Yellowstone” series marathon for Labor Day weekend, beginning on Friday.

J. Kim Murphy Bob LuPone, a leader of the off-Broadway company MCC Theater and brother to actress Patti LuPone, died Saturday following a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 76 years old. LuPone’s death was confirmed by the MCC Theater in a statement released on Saturday to the Associated Press. “The MCC Theater community mourns the loss of our much loved and uniquely inspiring partner, colleague and dear friend, Bob LuPone, who lived fearlessly and with great curiosity, good humor, a boundless passion for connection and a whole lot of heart. We will miss him deeply and always,” the theater company said in a statement.

J. Kim Murphy Joanne Koch, the executive director emeritus at Film at Lincoln Center who served as the organization’s leader for over 32 years, died on Aug. 16 in New York City.

J. Kim Murphy Leon Vitali, an English actor who most notably played Lord Bullingdon in “Barry Lyndon” before becoming director Stanley Kubrick’s personal assistant, died Saturday.

J. Kim Murphy Gary Busey is facing four charges, including two counts of criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree, by the police department of Cherry Hill, N.J.

J. Kim Murphy Peacock has unveiled the first trailer for “Vampire Academy,” the streamer’s upcoming young adult fantasy series from Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre.The footage promises a story of romance and adventure, with the friendship between two young women — Rose Hathaway (Sisi Stringer), a vampire-human hybrid, and Lissa Dragomir (Daniela Nieves), a Royal Moroi vampire — tested as the pair prepare to enter vampire society, one as a powerful Royal and the other as a sworn protector.“I want to do my sworn duty.

J. Kim Murphy Jessica Klein, an award-winning television writer and producer who was a key contributor for six seasons on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” died of pancreatic cancer at her home in Beverly Hills on July 13.

J. Kim Murphy “Bullet Train” is maintaining the top slot at the box office this weekend, fending off the newcomers “Fall” and “Mack and Rita,” as well as the expanding slasher-comedy “Bodies Bodies Bodies.”Sony’s Brad Pitt action vehicle added $3.865 million on Friday. The film remains the widest release in the country with 4,357 locations.

J. Kim Murphy When Paramount got its first look at a cut of “Event Horizon” in 1997, some studio executives thought that director Paul W.S. Anderson had made a film so disturbing that it slandered outer space itself.“Someone actually said to me, ‘We’re the studio that makes Star Trek!’” Anderson recalled with a grin on his face.

J. Kim Murphy Clu Gulager, a veteran actor known for his roles in the NBC series “The Virginian” and the 1985 horror-comedy “The Return of the Living Dead,” has died of natural causes. He was 93 years old.Gulager’s son, John, shared a photo of his father on his Facebook as a tribute.

J. Kim Murphy “I think I can, I think I can… be the top movie at the box office,” says Sony’s original action movie that could.The Brad Pitt vehicle “Bullet Train” should take No. 1 on domestic charts.

J. Kim Murphy When audience members take their seats to watch “Bullet Train” in a 4DX auditorium this weekend, they will be greeted with a choice.

J. Kim Murphy Pat Carroll, a veteran actress known for her voice role as Ursula in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and whose career as an entertainer spanned seven decades, died Saturday in Cape Cod, Mass.

J. Kim Murphy George Takei and J.J. Abrams were among the major figures of the “Star Trek” franchise to pay tribute to Nichelle Nichols.

J. Kim Murphy Bill Russell, a Boston Celtics legend who won 11 championships over his career and served as the first Black head coach of any U.S.

J. Kim Murphy Sylvester Stallone has doubled down on his criticisms of the direction of the “Rocky” franchise, expressing his frustration regarding the newly announced spinoff film “Drago.”The actor shared his disappointment in a post on Instagram Saturday.

J. Kim Murphy President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again on Saturday afternoon.According to a letter from the president’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, Biden will not resume any treatment for COVID-19 as he has experienced “no reemergence of symptoms” and “continues to feel quite well.”However, the president will still enter “isolation procedures” as to prevent spreading the virus, with essential staff from the White House, Secret Service and other bodies performing duties from a socially distanced proximity.Biden first tested positive for COVID-19 on July 21, but since seemed to have recovered from the virus in the past week, testing negative on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

J. Kim Murphy Kevin Rooney, a stand-up comedian who won two Emmy awards for his work as a writer on “Dennis Miller Live,” died at his home on July 19 after a battle with diabetes and end-stage renal failure. He was 71 years old.Rooney’s death was confirmed by his colleague, Jay Mandyam.“He was a sophisticated raconteur and was a modern-day H.L.

J. Kim Murphy “Thor: Love and Thunder” looks to rule the box office again in its second weekend, fending off more modest openers “Where the Crawdads Sing” and “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank.”While Marvel’s Thor fourquel has an easy path to remaining the weekend’s top release, the superhero film is taking a sizable tumble from its opening.

J. Kim Murphy William Shatner has offered his stamp of approval on a new documentary about his life from Legion M and Exhibit A Pictures. The pair of production companies announced the documentary Thursday.“For years I’ve had people approaching me to do a documentary about my life, but I turned them all down because it didn’t feel like the right fit,” Shatner said in a statement.

J. Kim Murphy “Full House” star Jodie Sweetin was shoved by a Los Angeles Police Department officer Saturday while attending a rally protesting the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which has effectively ended federal protections of abortion rights.A video of the incident began to make the rounds online after it occurred.

J. Kim Murphy “Jurassic World Dominion” is the new apex predator at the box office.Universal’s dino-sequel is expected to earn $142.6 million from 4,676 theaters across North America over the weekend, which would mark the highest domestic opening for a non-superhero film since COVID-19 lockdowns were first introduced.

J. Kim Murphy President Joe Biden will serve as a guest on Wednesday night’s broadcast of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC, appearing in-person on the late night talk show for an interview at the production’s studio at L.A.’s El Capitan Entertainment Centre on Hollywood Boulevard.The announcement was made on Sunday afternoon by Kimmel during the broadcast of “Jimmy Kimmel Live: NBA Finals Game Night” on ABC, which is part of the network’s broadcast of Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors.President Biden’s conversation with Jimmy Kimmel will mark his first in-studio appearance on a late night talk show since being inaugurated in January 2021.