Warner Bros. had taken the reigns on a live-action “Barbie” movie from Sony as previous versions of the project, featuring variations of talent, including screenwriter Diablo Cody (“Juno“) and actresses Anne Hathaway and Amy Schumer, fell apart.
07.04.2022 - 22:17 / etcanada.com
British actress Talisa Garcia is breaking down barriers at Disney as the first known openly trans performer to be cast in one of the studio’s LucasFilm productions.
The actress stars in the highly-anticipated Disney+ “Willow” series, a spin-off of the 1988 Ron Howard fantasy movie of the same name. Currently in post-production, the series will follow a princess who assembles a group to join her on a quest to rescue her twin brother. Original star Warwick Davis will reprise his role as the titular Willow Ufgood.
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According to Deadline, Garcia will play a queen and mother to Tony Revolori’s character who is a participant in the quest. Garcia’s role is not a major one and she may ultimately only appear in one episode. However, her casting marks the first time a trans actor has portrayed a cis character in a Disney+ film or series. Deadline also reports that Garcia’s casting was met with “pride and support” on set from her colleagues.
The Chilean-born actress is best known for her work on BBC’s “Baptiste” and in “The Girlfriend Experience”.
Disney has come under fire in recent weeks over their lack of response to the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida which bans teachers from giving lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity to children under the age of nine. Garcia’s casting pre-dates the bill which has brought about a new wave of concerns over on-screen representation in Disney-backed productions.
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Disney has made small inroads when it comes to casting trans actors. Last year, “Raya And The Last Dragon”‘s Patti
Warner Bros. had taken the reigns on a live-action “Barbie” movie from Sony as previous versions of the project, featuring variations of talent, including screenwriter Diablo Cody (“Juno“) and actresses Anne Hathaway and Amy Schumer, fell apart.
Netflix film The Gray Man have just been released – take a look below.The forthcoming thriller comes from Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed several Avengers films. It will also star Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton and Bridgerton‘s Regé-Jean Page.The film is based on the novel of the same name by Mark Greaney, with a screenplay written by Joe Russo alongside Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.Take a look at some first-look images here:A plot synopsis shared by Netflix for the film reads: “The Gray Man is CIA operative Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), aka, Sierra Six.
Self care looks different for everyone… but Sharon Osbourne’s form of therapy sounds wild!
Batgirl star Leslie Grace has described Michael Keaton’s return as Batman in the forthcoming DC film as “surreal”.The actor said the first moment Keaton returned on set as Bruce Wayne/Batman, for the first time in 30 years, was “wild for everyone”.“Our directors were like two little kids. They’re legit Batman nerds openly,” Grace said of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah while in conversation with Variety.“He’s Batman, man! I couldn’t even believe that I was sharing space with Batman.”She added of working with Keaton: “It was insane, surreal, incredible.
A live-action movie based on the iconic doll line “Barbie” has been in the works for ages, but it finally started shooting in the United Kingdom with director Greta Gerwig (“Little Women“) behind the camera and star/producer Margot Robbie (“Wolf of Wall Street“) in front of it as the titular character. Gerwig co-wrote the film with husband/filmmaker Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story“) and there are certainly signs that the family-friendly picture is going to skew more humorous than we might have originally expected given the film’s exciting cast.
EXCLUSIVE: Rowan Atkinson’s Netflix comedy Man vs Bee has set cast, with Crazy Rich Asians star Jing Lusi joining the show that will launch on June 24.
Alfie co-star Jude Law, who in 2005 cheated on her with the nanny who looked after his kids with ex Sophie Frost. The whole thing played out on the front pages of the British tabloids (the nanny and even let the papers publish her diary entries), and Law issued a public apology, stating, “I just want to say I am deeply ashamed and upset that I’ve hurt Sienna and the people most close to us. I want to publicly apologize to Sienna and our respective families for the pain that I have caused.
Queer as Folk is back!
EXCLUSIVE: The BBC and Paramount+ have set cast for new drama, The Gold, which quietly began filming this month in London, we can reveal.
EXCLUSIVE: British actress Talisa Garcia (Baptiste) has been cast in anticipated Disney+ series Willow, marking the first known occasion an openly trans actor has been cast in a production from Disney-owned Lucasfilm, home to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.
Talisa Garcia is making history.
Easter is just around the corner, and Costa Coffee has released a whole range of new products just in time to mark the occasion. An array of delicious sweet treats and unique hot drinks have arrived in Costa stores across the UK, including a Hot Cross Bun Latte and a Double Chocolate Torte. Anyone that's a fan of a hot cross bun will be delighted with the retailer's Easter range this year, as well as those who love a tasty chocolate-based treat.
Manori Ravindran International Editor5Ringside Media, the investment arm of Newen-backed indie Ringside Studios, has taken a minority stake in Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor’s Joi Productions.Joi Productions was founded by Gharoro-Akpojotor (pictured, right), and in 2020 received a BFI Vision award. Gharoro-Akpojotor, a BAFTA Breakthrough nominee, has had breakout hits producing Rapman’s “Blue Story” and “Boxing Day.” She is currently producing the BBC’s “Champion,” written by “Queenie” author and screenwriter Candice Carty-Williams.
Coronation Street fans watched as Toyah Battersby found out the mother of all secrets this week - that her cheating partner Imran Habeeb is the father of Abi Webster's baby boy. The Underworld worker and councillor tore strips off the solicitor after finding out the news from Abi's husband Kevin. He found the birth certificate for baby Alfie at Abi's flat and quickly left before informing Toyah who was heading to an adoption meeting with Imran about Elsie, the little girl they have been fostering.
Ariana Grande is stepping in to protect trans youth, launching a new fund and matching donations raised from up to $1.5 million in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, following recent anti-trans policies that target the trans community.The superstar announced the creation of her Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund, partnering with fundraising organization Pledge and urging her fans and followers to donate to make a positive impact, collecting over $450,000 since going live.“Right now there are hundreds of disgraceful bills pending in state legislature that target trans youth and aim to curb their rights,” Ariana wrote, including states banning trans students from participating in school sports, such as Arizona, Oklahoma, Iowa, Utah and South Dakota.The singer stated that this new fund will provide “critical funds” and direct services to organizations “providing direct services and advocating for the rights of trans youth,” adding that this campaign will bring donations to 18 organizations across 12 different states, including the Black Trans Advocacy Coalition, Equality Florida, Jasmyn, Tennessee Equality Project, and more.A post shared by Pledge (@pledge.to)Ariana shared her appreciation for everyone taking the time to donate, as “the impact of fighting these anti-trans bills and policies is felt all year by trans people, their families and loved ones.”