Emmy Award-winning actor Murray Bartlett made a surprise appearance at the Deadline FYC House event on Friday to discuss his critically acclaimed guest performance on HBO’s record-breaking drama, The Last of Us.
12.04.2023 - 18:39 / variety.com
Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The thunder is hitting HBO Max. “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is arriving on the streamer, which will soon be renamed to Max, on May 23.
Although the DC Comics adaptation opened at No. 1 at the box office, it flew in lower than its predecessor, barely cracking a $30 million debut. Starring Zachary Levi, the film sees Billy Batson (Levi and Asher Angel) and his foster siblings using their transformative powers to take on the Daughters of Atlas, who threaten to destroy the world.
Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren round out the film’s cast, while David F. Sandberg returns as director. In addition to a disappointing debut (particularly notable considering its hefty $125 million production budget), critical responses are also a step down from the praise that met the original.
“Fury of the Gods” currently carries a 26% approval rating from top critics on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. The film also earned a “B+” rating through research firm Cinema Score, a decline from the first film’s “A” grade. “The villains are defeated, the mythology is fulfilled, but the real story here is that a superhero saga that seemed to hold out possibilities of lifesize quirkiness and delight winds up getting squashed into the shape of any other superhero franchise,” Variety film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote in his review.
Emmy Award-winning actor Murray Bartlett made a surprise appearance at the Deadline FYC House event on Friday to discuss his critically acclaimed guest performance on HBO’s record-breaking drama, The Last of Us.
Taylor Zakhar Perez has some exciting news for fans of the book “Red, White, & Royal Blue!”
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney+ subscribers will be able to jump into the Quantum Realm next month when “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” hits the streaming service. The film, starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly and Jonathan Majors, will come to Disney+ worldwide on May 17. That’s 89 days after “Quantuamania” opened wide in the U.S. on Feb. 17. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” has been one of the worst-reviewed Marvel movies to date. It hauled in $213 million at the domestic box office during its theatrical run and grossed $261.6 million worldwide; the movie had an estimated production budget of $200 million.
Ethan Shanfeld Brooke and Cary are back as television’s funniest forgotten siblings in Season 3 of “The Other Two,” returning to HBO Max with two new episodes on May 4. Drew Tarver, Heléne Yorke, Molly Shannon, Ken Marino and Case Walker star in the 10-episode season alongside recurring cast Josh Segarra, Wanda Sykes and Brandon Scott Jones. The Season 3 logline, per HBO Max, reads: “After comparing themselves for years to their much-younger pop star brother, ChaseDreams (Walker), who is now a full adult, and their talk show host mother (Shannon), who’s now more powerful than she could have ever imagined, Brooke and Cary (Yorke and Tarver) are finally standing on their own two feet — fully ‘successful’ in their own right! And yet, they somehow find themselves comparing themselves to new people once again???”
George Yang Activision, Arcane Wonders, Genuine Entertainment, and Evolution have announced that they will be producing “Call of Duty: The Board Game,” a strategic tabletop roleplaying game inspired by the popular video game series “Call of Duty.” It is set to release into retail worldwide in 2024 and preorders will open on Kickstarter in Fall 2023. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Activision to bring the ‘Call of Duty’ franchise to the tabletop,” says Arcane Wonders CEO and designer Bryan Pope. “As lifelong COD fans, we’ve worked hard to capture the scope, stakes, and sheer intensity of the video games in ways that COD fans and board gamers new and old will love. We’re looking forward to bringing the unforgettable fun and competitive frenzy of COD to game night for years to come.”
Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International The inside story behind the ascent of Finland’s outgoing prime minister, Sanna Marin, is the subject of a new three-part docuseries from HBO Max. The streamer has unveiled the Finnish original “First Five,” which is billed as an “intimate” portrait of Marin and her headline-grabbing female cabinet. The project comes just weeks after Marin and her centre-left Social Democratic Party was defeated by the conservative National Coalition Party. Marin was sworn in as prime minister in December 2019. At just 34 years old, she was the country’s youngest PM, and formed a cabinet with four other women — a number of whom were also under 35. Mere months later, the group was thrown into an unprecedented challenge when the COVID crisis hit Finland.
Selome Hailu Goodbye, Tanya — Belinda’s back! Natasha Rothwell will return to “The White Lotus” for Season 3, Variety has learned from multiple sources close to the production. Rothwell was a fan favorite in Season 1 as spa manager Belinda Lindsey, who was strung along by wealthy resort guest Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) with promises of an investment to open her own practice. Plot and character details remain under wraps for the new season, but creator Mike White teased after the Season 2 finale that he envisions “a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality” — potentially aligning with Belinda’s wellness background.
Harry Potter book series by is being adapted for television. about an HP series since January 2021, but it looks like it's finally happening.
A new generation of wizards! HBO announced that a new Harry Potter series was officially in the works.
Despite author J.K. Rowling coming under fire during the pandemic over her comments on transgender issues, Warner Bros has boldly stood by the Harry Potter and Wizarding World architect, in particular this morning, when it was made official that Warner Bros Discovery has greenlit a Harry Potter Max streaming series.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter A “Harry Potter” TV series is officially moving forward at HBO Max. The announcement was made during Warner Bros. Discovery’s presentation to press and investors on April 12, during which it was announced that HBO Max and Discovery+ are officially being combined into a new service dubbed simply Max. News of a show based on the megahit J.K. Rowling book series first leaked on April 3, but details have now been confirmed. Each season of the show will be based on one of the books in the franchise, with Warner Bros. Discovery describing the show as a “decade-long series.” It will feature an entirely new cast from the films.
Max has set the premiere date for Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, the animated prequel series to the iconic film franchise, for Tuesday, May 23. The date was revealed today during Warner Bros. Discovery’s unveiling of the Max streaming servie in Los Angeles. You can watch a teaser below.
BreAnna Bell The horror of “The Conjuring” is getting the TV treatment. HBO Max is developing a TV series based on New Line Cinema’s “The Conjuring” universe. The news was announced on Wednesday exclusively during Warner Bros. Discovery’s unveiling of the Max streaming service on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles. According to Warner Bros., “The Conjuring” television series will continue the story established in the feature films. Producer Peter Safran is attached to executive produce the series via his Safran Company banner. James Wan, who also produced and directed several films within the franchise, is in talks to also executive produce. Wan’s Atomic Monster Productions is backing the project alongside Warner Bros. Television.
Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament took a hiatus during the pandemic as movie theaters closed for the majority of 2020-2021 and theatrical day-and-date titles on both the big screen and studios’ respective streaming platforms became more prevalent. Coming back from that brink, the studios have largely returned to their theatrical release models and the downstream monies they can bring. Not to mention their power in launching IPs around the world with big global marketing campaigns. When it comes to evaluating the financial performance of top movies, it isn’t about what a film grosses at the box office. The true tale is told when production budgets, P&A, talent participations and other costs collide with box office grosses, and ancillary revenues from VOD to DVD and TV. To get close to that mysterious end of the equation, Deadline is repeating our Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament for 2022, using data culled by seasoned and trusted sources.
No time for romance. Reese Witherspoon is putting her love life on pause after she and her estranged husband, Jim Toth, announced their split last month.
Taylour Paige, an Independent Spirit Award winner for “Zola,” is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360 and Granderson Rochers. She appears opposite Jonathan Majors in Sundance hit “Magazine Dreams.” Jovan Adepo of “Babylon,” who was Emmy-nominated for the HBO series Watchmen, is represented by Powerline Entertainment, WME and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.Chris Chalk, who plays Paul Drake on HBO’s “Perry Mason,” is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Paradigm Talent Agency and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.James Remar of “Sex and the City” and “The Warriors” fame, is among the all-star casts of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Francis Ford Coppola “Megalopolis.” Hei represented by Gersh Agency and Lighthouse Entertainment.Logline: Set in the world of Stephen King’s “IT” universe, “Welcome to Derry” (wt) is based on King’s “IT” novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films “IT” and “IT Chapter Two.”The series is produced by HBO Max and Warner Bros.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter The “It” prequel series at HBO Max has added its first four cast members, Variety has learned. Taylour Paige (“Zola,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Jovan Adepo (“Babylon,” “Watchmen”), Chris Chalk (“Perry Mason,” “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt”), and James Remar (“Oppenheimer,” “Megalopolis”) will all star in the series, which is currently titled “Welcome to Derry.” Exact plot and character details are being kept under wraps, but the official logline for the series states, “Set in the world of Stephen King’s ‘It’ universe, ‘Welcome to Derry’ is based on King’s ‘It’ novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films ‘It’ and ‘It Chapter Two.'”
Stephen King’s It lives on in the Max Original prequel series Welcome to Derry (working title) from the franchise filmmakers Andy and Barbara Muschietti as well as It Chapter Two co-producer Jason Fuchs, with Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, and James Remar set to star.
Weeks after Reese Witherspoon announced her divorce from estranged husband Jim Toth, speculation swirled that she started seeing Tom Brady.
Apparently, it’s time to “get high on science.”