News

“Landman” is here. Taylor Sheridan’s latest series, based on the Texas Monthly podcast “Boomtown,” has started streaming on Paramount+, and it’s already a sensation. It’s the biggest global series premiere on Paramount+ in two years, with more than 5.2 million views on the streaming service and the Paramount Network, where it aired following the second episode of “Yellowstone” 5B.

Set in the oil fields of Texas, “Landman” is full of colorful characters essayed by some of our very best actors. Let’s get into it, shall we? Can we get a yee-haw?

Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman” (Credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+) Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris

Tommy Norris is a crisis executive (basically a fixer) at a fictional oil company M-Tex Oil. In the opening scenes of the series, he is kidnapped by a Mexican cartel and forced to deal with a situation where an oil tanker...

Exclusive: Max Thieriot, star, co-creator and executive producer of Fire Country and co-creator/executive producer of spinoff Sheriff Country, has signed a first-look deal with the studio behind the CBS drama franchise, CBS Studios.

Thieriot has been in the CBS/CBS Studios fold since he was cast as a series regular on the 2017 military drama Seal Team, transitioning to Fire Country after the pilot was picked up to series that went on to become the most watched freshman of the 2022-23 season.

“I’ve been working now with CBS and CBS Studios for almost 10 years, and have come to love everybody over there,” Thieriot said. “At this point they really are like family, and that for me is one of the most important things in this business. From the beginning, they believed in me and supported me, helping me along the way of finding the best people to be involved with.

Kris Kristofferson, country music singer and A Star Is Born actor, has died. He was 88.

Kristofferson’s family announced his death on Instagram in a statement posted to the country icon’s official account. “We’re all so blessed for our time with him,” the family’s statement read. “Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”

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No cause of death has been reported.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is headed to unscripted to host NBC’s “Destination X.”

The “Walking Dead” star will embark on his first unscripted project as he hosts and executive produces the reality adventure competition series, which marks the second collaboration between NBCUniversal and the BBC following “The Traitors.”

Originating from a format in Belgium, “Destination X” drops contestants in an unknown location and challenges them to figure out their mystery location via clues on their blacked-out Destination X bus. The game also throws a couple misdirects in there to keep contestants guessing.

“At the end of each episode, contestants must guess where they are and the furthest from the actual location is sent packing,” according to the official logline. The first participant to reach Destination X is crowned the winner.

“‘Destination X’ captivated me with its blend of travel, mystery and gaming,” Morgan said in a Thursday statement. “I can...

Jeffrey Dean Morgan has been tapped to host NBC’s upcoming adventure reality competition series Destination X.

The show, based on a format created by Belgian company Geronimo and distributed by Be-Entertainment, asks contestants to figure out where they are in the world, with “tweaks” to the real world designed to throw them off. The hosting gig marks The Walking Dead and The Boys actor’s first foray into unscripted TV.

Morgan’s scripted TV credits also include Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural, Weeds, The Good Wife, Magic City and Texas Rising, while his film credits include P.S. I Love You, Watchmen and the upcoming movie Nowhere Men.

“Jeffrey Dean Morgan embodies the mischievous international man of mystery, making him the perfect host and puppet master for this new travel adventure series,” Corie Henson, executive vp of unscripted content, competition and game shows at NBCUniversal Entertainment, said in a statement. NBC is...

The late actor Bill Paxton was more than just a versatile actor, for he was a true Hollywood legend who carved a name for himself through his legendary portrayals in some of the biggest science fiction franchises of all time. Having passed away in 2017, the legend left behind a unique legacy and the rare distinction of being the only actor to be killed on-screen by the iconic trio: a Terminator, an Alien, and a Predator.

Bill Paxton in Titanic | Credit: 20th Century Studios

A unique trifecta that sets him apart from other actors in the industry, Paxton’s ability to seamlessly transition between different genres and characters not only made him a fan favorite star but also earned him his much-earned $40 million net worth!

Bill Paxton: A Hollywood Legend Like No Other

Bill Paxton in Aliens | Credit: 20th Century Studios

Bill Paxton‘s Hollywood career spanned over four decades with...

Exclusive: Sarah Jones and Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza are set for series regular roles in Prime Video’s comic book series with the working title El Gato. They join the previously announced leads Diego Boneta and Lorenza Izzo.

Based on the comic series El Gato Negro by Richard Dominguez, El Gato follows Frank Guerrero (Boneta), who returns home to Mexico after the death of his father and finds himself neck-deep in a nest of vipers – his estranged family – who are vying for control of his father’s business empire. But Frank’s grief is interrupted when he learns his only inheritance, a seemingly worthless parcel of land on the border, sits atop the lair of a famous costumed vigilante — his father, “El Gato.” Now, Frank is in the crosshairs. To survive, he’ll have to solve mysteries decades in the...

Halle Berry once worked alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgan on the short-lived sci-fi series Extant. With the two playing lovers on the show, Berry quipped that she didn’t want to share Morgan with any other television stars.

Halle Berry worked alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgan for ‘Extant’ season 2 Halle Berry and Jeffrey Dean Morgan | Robert Voets/CBS via Getty Images

Berry and Morgan collaborated for the first time in the sci-fi series Extant. The project saw Berry playing an astronaut returning to Earth after a year in space. And although Berry was used to being on the big screen, the show’s concept excited her too much to turn down.

In an interview with Collider, Berry asserted that her connection with her Extant character helped convince her to do the show.

“There were so many elements that drew me to it, but probably the first one was being a mother,” she said.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves is a Western drama series created by Chad Feehan, and it is executive produced by Yellowstone‘s creator Taylor Sheridan. The Paramount+ drama series tells the story of the legendary lawman Bass Reeves, who was one of the greatest frontier heroes, and also one of the first black deputy U.S. marshals west of the Mississippi River in American History. Lawmen: Bass Reeves stars David Oyelowo in the lead role of Bass Reeves, with June Christopher and Dennis Quaid starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the Paramount+ series here are some similar shows you could watch next.

Hell on Wheels (Prime Video & AMC+) Credit – AMC

Synopsis: The Civil War is in the past, but former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon can’t put it behind him. Fresh are the horrific memories of the death of his wife, killed at the hands of the Union soldiers setting...

Michelle Randolph and Jacob Lofland have joined Billy Bob Thornton in the upcoming Taylor Sheridan series “Land Man” at Paramount+, Variety has learned. In addition, Variety has learned exclusively that Ali Larter will star in the series as well.

Per the official logline, the series “is set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas and is a modern day tale of fortune seeking in the world of oil rigs. The series is an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.” It is based on the podcast “Boomtown.”

Randolph will star as Ainsley Norris, described as “the wild and strong-willed seventeen-year-old daughter of Tommy Norris (Thornton).” Lofland will play Cooper Norris, “Tommy’s son, who is new to the demanding work in the oil and gas fields of west Texas.” Larter will play Angela, Tommy’s ex-wife.

Ray Liotta‘s death last May came as a result of heart and respiratory failure, according to new documents obtained by TMZ.

It was reported on May 26 that the actor had passed away in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was filming the movie Dangerous Waters. Doctors have since cited “respiratory insufficiency” and fluid in the lungs (aka pulmonary edema), paired with acute heart failure, as the culprits. Liotta was 67 years old.

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Exclusive: Deadline hears that Jake Busey has boarded Joel Souza’s recently restored production of Rust in Montana at the Yellowstone Film Ranch.

In the film produced and starring Alec Baldwin, Busey will play the role of Drum Parker.

The logline for Rust, written by Souza, based on a story developed by the director and Baldwin: A 13-year-old boy, left to fend for himself and his younger brother following the death of their parents in 1880s Kansas, is taken on a violent, harrowing journey to old Mexico by his long estranged grandfather after he’s sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.

Patrick Scott McDermott (Chicago Med, South Side) is playing the role of Lucas Hollister in the film. Frances Fisher also stars.

The film restarted production last week following the October 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after a prop gun held by Baldwin discharged during...

Just as limited and anthology series based on real events have taken over the TV landscape, they have taken over the Emmys. But how well have programs of this particular genre actually gone over with the academy throughout the past few years?

Let’s take a look back at all nominations earned by limited and anthology series starting in 2015; that’s the year in which the rules were tweaked to require that a program can only compete as a limited series if it has a minimum of two episodes with a total running time of at least 150 minutes, tells a complete, non-recurring story, and doesn’t have an ongoing storyline and/or main characters in subsequent seasons.

This rule change came just a year after limited series (referred to as “miniseries” at the time) and TV movies were once again split up into separate program categories, undoing a three-year-old change that consolidated the two awards.

Exclusive: Actor and producer Jeffrey Dean Morgan, best known for his roles on AMC’s The Walking Dead, CW’s Supernatural, and ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, has signed with Anonymous Content.

Morgan can be seen in the recently concluded 11th and final season of the hit AMC series, The Walking Dead, portraying the infamous antagonist, “Negan.” He joined the series in Season 6.

Up next, Morgan will reprise the role in the upcoming spin-off series Dead City. Along with Lauren Cohan reprising her role as “Maggie,” Dead City will follow the pair through post-apocalyptic Manhattan. Morgan and Cohan also serve as Executive Producers on the series that is set to premiere in April 2023 on AMC.

Morgan will also be joining the cast of the highly anticipated upcoming fourth season of Amazon’s hit series The Boys.

On the film side, recent credits include Warner Brother’s Rampage directed by Brad Peyton,...

Brendan Fraser will receive the Spotlight Award, Actor for his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” at the Palm Springs International Film Awards.

Based on the play by Samuel D. Hunter, “The Whale” follows Charlie (Fraser), an obese and reclusive English teacher who tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink). So far, Fraser has scored the TIFF Tribute Award for performance, along with Golden Globe, Gotham and Critics Choice Awards nominations for his role in the A24 drama.

“Brendan Fraser demonstrates his impressive talent in Darren Aronofsky’s powerful adaptation of ‘The Whale,’” Palm Springs Film Festival chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement. “Fraser gives an extraordinary and haunting performance that paints a vivid portrait of our inability to escape our own sadness. For this award caliber performance, it is our honor to present the Spotlight Award, Actor to Brendan Fraser.”

Fraser is known for...

Exclusive: We can tell you first that Kevin Costner’s Territory Pictures will team with Morgan Freeman, Lori McCreary and their Revelations Entertainment to produce the Civil War spy drama The Gray House, a six-hour limited series for Paramount Global.

Both actors’ production shingles are partnering with Big Dreams Entertainment’s founder Leslie Greif, to tell the story of the three women General Ulysses S. Grant credited as helping the North win the Civil War. Costner is revisiting the Civil War era with his New Line ensemble western Horizon which he is currently shooting. Costner’s 7x Oscar winning movie, Dances With Wolves, was set during the Civil War frame, that pic earning the multihyphenate Best Picture and Best Director trophies.

Much like the women in the 2017 film Hidden Figures, in which Costner co-starred, The Gray House focuses on the unsung women who turned the tide of the American Civil...

Sad news out of the entertainment world today.

Ray Liotta, best known for his role in the Martin Scorsese classic Goodfellas, has died.

He was 67.

Deadline reports that the star died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he had been shooting the movie Dangerous Waters.

The star, who was born in 1954, made his first on-screen role in 1978 on Another World.

He played the role of Joey Perrini until 1981.

On the small screen, the actor also appeared on shows such as Frasier, Just Shoot Me, Texas Rising, and Modern Family.

More recently, the star had a series regular role opposite Jennifer Lopez on the NBC crime drama Shades of Blue, which wrapped its three-season run in 2018.

On the big screen, Liotta appeared in Goodfellas as Henry Hill in one of his most iconic roles.

The movie was released in 1990 and is still widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time.

Ray Liotta’s career took off like a rocket shot with Something Wild (1986), Field of Dreams (1989) and Goodfellas (1990) accounting for three of his first five films. He spent the next 35 years making movies with some of Hollywood’s biggest directors and stars.

On May 26, 2022, died in his sleep while filming Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic.

While probably still best know for his portrayal of Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams and Henry Hill in Goodfellas, Liotta had many other memorable roles in films such as Unlawful Entry (1992), Cop Land with Sylvester Stallone in 1997, Hannibal (2001), Blow opposite Johnny Depp in 2001. John Q directed by John Cassavetes in 2002, Identity (2003), Killing Them Softly with Brad Pitt in 2012, The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story in 2019, The Many Saints of Newark (2021) and Cocaine Bear (2023).

Liotta also had success on the small screen, He was posthumously nominated this year for...

Actor Ray Liotta, best known for his work in films such as Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, has died at the age of 67.

As Liotta’s publicist confirmed to our sister publication Variety, the actor passed away in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was filming the movie Dangerous Waters.

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Though Liotta got his start on NBC’s Another World, where he...

Ray Liotta, the acclaimed actor known for “Goodfellas,” “Field of Dreams” and many more roles, has died at 67, Variety has confirmed with his publicist. He died in his sleep while he was in the Dominican Republic shooting an upcoming film, “Dangerous Waters.”

Playing the real-life mobster Henry Hill, Liotta shot to stardom in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas,” which revolutionized the gangster genre and received heaps of critical and commercial success. It’s widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, and it received six Academy Award nominations and one win after releasing in 1990.

Read more: Ray Liotta’s Career in Photos

Critic Vincent Canby wrote in the New York Times, “More than any earlier Scorsese film, ”Goodfellas” is memorable for the ensemble nature of the performances. Mr. De Niro, Mr. Liotta, Mr. Pesci and Mr. Sorvino shine together, though Mr. Pesci’s material is the flashiest. The movie...

“Goodfellas” star Ray Liotta has died at the age of 67.

A representative for Liotta confirms to IndieWire that the actor passed away in his sleep while filming “Dangerous Waters” in the Dominican Republic. Liotta is survived by his daughter Karsen Liotta. The star was engaged to be married to Jacy Nittolo.

Liotta was best known for portraying the rise and fall of mob man Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 classic, but also made a name for himself thanks to his charming and often menacing contributions to crime cinema beyond “Goodfellas.” He had starring roles in cult classic “Blow” and the “Silence of the Lambs” sequel “Hannibal,” as well as “Killing Them Softly” and “Identity,” always elevating a genre assignment to grittier and often profound places.

The Newark, New Jersey native with the steely blue eyes was coming off a string of hits including “Marriage Story,” “Sopranos” prequel film “The Many Saints of Newark,...

Ray Liotta has died at the age of 67, according to Deadline. A cause of death has not yet been disclosed, and according to the report, he passed away in his sleep. He was filming the upcoming movie, Dangerous Waters, in the Dominican Republic. He is survived by his daughter. Liotta was most recognized for his role in the 1990 film Goodfellas. His other film credits include The Many Saints of Newark, No Sudden Move, and Marriage Story. Dangerous Waters was one of several upcoming projects of his, including El Tonto, Cocaine Bear, The Substance, and April 29, 1992. On the TV side, his credits include Hanna, Shades of Blue, The Simpsons, Young Sheldon, and Texas Rising. He has also completed filming on Black Bird, the Apple TV+ series set to premiere on July 8. Liotta won an Emmy in 2005 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series as Charlie Metcalf in ER‘s Season 11 episode,...

A shocker. Ray Liotta, the terrific actor whose career breakout came in the 1990 Martin Scorsese crime classic Goodfellas after co-starring in Field of Dreams, has died. He was 67.

Deadline hears that Liotta died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was shooting the film Dangerous Waters. We will have more details when they become available.

Liotta leaves behind a daughter, Karsen. He was engaged to be married to Jacy Nittolo.

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery

Liotta was on a big resurgence. Recent turns included The Many Saints of Newark, Marriage Story — for which he shared a 2020 ensemble Indie Spirit Award — and Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move. He finished the Elizabeth Banks-directed Cocaine Bear and was due to star in the Working Title film The Substance opposite Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

He also recently was set to executive produce the A&e docuseries Five Families,...

Exclusive: Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor, director, producer Rob Morrow has signed with More/Medavoy Management.

Morrow is best known for his portrayal of Dr. Joe Fleishman on the critically acclaimed, long-running series Northern Exposure, as well as his role as Don Eppes on Numb3rs.

Morrow is currently shooting a recurring role in Super Pumped for Showtime and can be seen in a continuation of his multi-season recurring role as Adam Dequillio opposite Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis in Billions. He also will recur in Starz’s series Shining Vale, starring Courtney Cox and Greg Kinnear, and appears in an upcoming episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Behind the camera, Morrow has served as Executive Producer and director of nine out of ten episodes of the second season of the BET series, Games People Play. His past directing credits include The Fosters, Necessary Roughness, NCIS: New Orleans, HBO’s Oz, and...

Exclusive: Brendan Fraser (No Sudden Move) has joined the casts of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Max Barbakow’s Brothers.

The former title from Apple TV + and Paramount Pictures is a crime drama, based on the bestselling book of the same name by David Grann. It’s set in 1920s Oklahoma and will examine the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation—a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.

Fraser will appear in Killers alongside Oscar winners Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, Emmy nominated Jesse Plemons, and more. We hear that he will play lawyer Ws Hamilton.

Eric Roth scripted the film, which Scorsese is also producing for Apple Studios and Imperative Entertainment. Additional producers include Imperative’s Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas, and Appian Way Productions.

The latter project adding Fraser to its cast...

Exclusive: Emile Hirsch (Into The Wild) and Liana Liberato (If I Stay) have joined Thomas Jane (The Expanse) and his daughter Harlow (Texas Rising) in thriller Dig, which is now in post-production.

Film Mode and Screen Media are handling international sales on the film going into the Cannes virtual market, which is slated for later this month. We can reveal a first look at the movie below.

The film follows a widowed father (Jane) and his daughter who suffers from major hearing loss (Harlow Jane) whose house is up for demolition. After arriving at the construction site they are soon taken hostage by a dangerous couple (Hirsch and Liberato), who will stop at nothing to retrieve what lies beneath the property. The father and daughter must work together to outsmart their captors and survive the grueling night.

Pic is directed by K. Asher Levin. The script was penned by brothers Banipal Ablakhad and Benhur Ablakhad.

Thomas Jane is teaming with his daughter, Harlow Jane, to star in Dig, an indie thriller to be directed by K. Asher Levin.

It will be the first feature pairing for the two, having previously worked in the 2015 History Channel miniseries, Texas Rising, which also starred Bill Paxton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Written by Banipal and Benhur Ablakhad, Dig centers on widower (Jane) and his deaf teenage daughter (Harlow Jane), whose strained relationship reaches a breaking point when they are held hostage by two intruders and are forced to dig under a vacant house, revealing a dark secret from the past.

Principal ...

Thomas Jane is teaming with his daughter, Harlow Jane, to star in Dig, an indie thriller to be directed by K. Asher Levin.

It will be the first feature pairing for the two, having previously worked in the 2015 History Channel miniseries, Texas Rising, which also starred Bill Paxton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Written by Banipal and Benhur Ablakhad, Dig centers on widower (Jane) and his teenage daughter (Harlow Jane), whose strained relationship reaches a breaking point when they are held hostage by two intruders and are forced to dig under a vacant house, revealing a dark secret from the past.

Principal photography ...

Ray Liotta has signed on the upcoming Apple drama series “In With the Devil,” Variety has confirmed.

Liotta joins previously announced series leads Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser.

The six-episode series would be based on the 2010 novel “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption” by James Keene and Hillel Levin. The book tells the story of Keene’s real life when he was sentenced to prison but offered his freedom in exchange for coaxing a confession out of a fellow inmate, a suspected serial killer.

The series is described as being told through the lens of an intimate relationship between two prisoners, exploring the lengths that people will go to in order to seek redemption, if true absolution is ever really possible, and if so, at what costs. Egerton will star as Keene, with Hauser playing the serial killer. Liotta...

Last Halloween season, it was announced that Scott Derrickson will direct The Black Phone from a screenplay he wrote with C. Robert Cargill, and now it's been revealed that Jeremy Davies will star in the adaptation of Joe Hill's short story that was included in his collection 20th Century Ghosts.

We have the full announcement below for the new Blumhouse and Universal film, and in case you missed it, Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill’s Crooked Highway production company recently teamed up with Blumhouse for a two-year first-look television deal, with multiple projects already in development.

Jeremy Davies has been cast in Scott Derrickson’s upcoming film for Blumhouse and Universal, The Black Phone.

Derrickson and frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill adapted the script based on Joe Hill’s short story.

Derrickson, Cargill and Jason Blum, for Blumhouse, are producing the film. Universal and Blumhouse will present the Crooked Highway production.

Exclusive: We have learned that Jeremy Davies has been cast in Scott Derrickson’s upcoming film for Blumhouse and Universal, The Black Phone.

Derrickson and frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill adapted the script based on Joe Hill’s short story.

Derrickson, Cargill and Jason Blum, for Blumhouse, are producing the film. Universal and Blumhouse will present the Crooked Highway production. Joe Hill is an executive producer.

Davies recently won a BAFTA Games Award for his turn in Playstation’s God of War as Baldur. He made his film debut starring in David O. Russell’s acclaimed first film, Spanking the Monkey, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and earned Davies an Independent Spirit Award nomination. His portrayal of Tom Hanks’ interpreter, Cpl Upham, in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar winning film, Saving Private Ryan, garnered notable critical acclaim for Davies, including a co-nomination for a SAG award...

Amazon’s forthcoming “Lord of the Rings” series has added a whopping 20 new cast members, the streamer announced Thursday.

The new batch of stars joins an already sprawling ensemble for the eight-episode fantasy series, which is currently filming in New Zealand. According to Amazon, the actors hail from New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, the U.K. and the U.S.

The new cast members are: Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Simon Merrells,​ Geoff Morrell, Peter Mullan, Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker and Sara Zwangobani. Read full bios for each below.

They join previously announced stars Robert Aramayo, Morfydd Clark, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers and Daniel Weyman.

Amazon Studios has confirmed twenty additional cast members who have joined the streamer’s The Lord Of The Rings TV series, an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels. Production on the sprawling drama, which was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, is currently underway in New Zealand. It resumed in late September.

Top British comedian Lenny Henry, Ozark and Westworld‘s Peter Mullan, Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew (CBS’s Pure Genius), The Lotr movie franchise’s Peter Tait, Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Simon Merrells (Spartacus: War of the Damned) are among the new additions, along with Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Geoff Morrell, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham and Sara Zwangobani.

No information is provided about the characters the actors are playing; Owen is believed to play Loda,...

Exclusive: Harold Torres has signed with ICM Partners for representation in all areas. Torres is currently receiving rave reviews for his chillingly brilliant turn as a Narco enforcer in Amazon’s limited series ZeroZeroZero. The series was created by Stefano Sollima, Leonardo Fasoli, and Mauricio Katz; Andrea Riseborough and Dane DeHaan also star.

While the show features incredible performances across the board, Torres stole every scene he was in. Following the show’s premiere in April, Torres quickly was on every agencies radar and seemed like only a matter of time before he was signed by one of the majors.

The three-time Ariel Award nominated Torres has appeared in more than 30 films in his native Mexico, including Rudo Y Cursi alongside Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, as well as Cary Joji Fukunaga’s debut feature Sin Nombre. In 2013 he won the actor prize at the 2013 Morelia Film Festival for...

Exclusive: Tyler Posey (MTV’s Teen Wolf) has signed on to star opposite Lelia Symington (Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash) in Brut Force, the first feature from writer-director Eve Symington.

Slated to go before cameras this fall in California, the film follows Sloane (Lelia Symington), a reporter who returns to her rural California hometown to investigate harassment of local vineyard workers, uncorking a tangled web of crime, corruption and murder behind wine country’s shiny façade.

Posey, who was recently seen in the Blumhouse thriller Truth or Dare, will play the love interest and “homme fatale.” Vico Escorcia (History’s Texas Rising) will also co-star as the missing girl and catalyst to the neo-noir tale.

The production has used the multi-union white paper “The Safe Way Forward” to create a risk assessment and production prevention plan, which will continue to be a collaborative work-in-progress,...

“Barkskins” is the first novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Proulx since the Oscar-winning adaptation of her source material for “Brokeback Mountain.” National Geographic actually optioned the rights to the epic in 2016, months before its publication and it is arriving on our screens four years later, just in time to qualify for the 2020 Emmys. Set in New France toward the end of the 17th century, Nat Geo has invested in the craft of this period drama as it eyes nominations below the line in Creative Arts categories. The network hosted the press privately at a virtual premiere event this past Sunday, featuring webcam panels that included not only the cast, but also costume designer Anna Terrazas and production designer Isabelle Guay, affirming a comprehensive push for the show as Emmy voting approaches.

Terrazas contends in the Best Period Costumes category, in which Nat Geo has been nominated twice in recent years,...

Exclusive: UTA has signed Mexican actor Armando Espitia in all areas. Espitia most recently starred in Heidi Ewing’s drama I Carry You With Me, which premiered at Sundance and won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Award in the Next! categories.

Espitia first came to prominence with his leading role in Amat Escalante’s Cannes title Heli and also starred as the lead in Nuestras Madres which opened at Cannes in Critics’ Week where it picked up the Caméra d’Or.

Additionally, he has appeared in several features including Ayúdame A Pasar La Noche, and Open Cage. On the TV side, his credits include Amazon’s Diablo Guardián, Telemundo’s El Recluso as well as History Channel’s Texas Rising. He also founded the theater company Conejo Con Prisa.

He continues to be represented by Grandview.

Exclusive: Leslie Greif’s new company, Big Dreams Entertainment, has signed a deal with Lifetime to produce a slate of 10 TV movies over the next 18 months.

This is one of the largest TV movie orders for Lifetime, which has been ramping up film production as part of a scripted original programming strategy shift away from scripted series toward TV movies where the network has long traditions and a proven ratings track record.

It also marks the biggest order to date for Big Dreams Entertainment, the production company Greif launched in January after exiting his post as CEO of ITV-owned Thinkfactory Media, the company he had founded in 2011.

Additionally, the deal extends Greif’s long relationship with A+E Networks where he previously produced History’s miniseries Hatfields & McCoys and Texas Rising, and Lifetime’s Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le, Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer and Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta.

Adam Reed is taking the reins of Thinkfactory Media as founder and CEO Leslie Greif departs for a new entertainment venture.

Reed has been with the production banner since 2004 and was upped to president in 2016. ITV America bought a majority stake in Thinkfactory for $30 million in 2013 and has now completed its buyout of the entire company. Greif is believed to have come to the end of his contract and earn-out period for the transaction. Like so many indie producers who sold their shops to larger production groups in recent years, Greif has set his sights on building a new company.

“Thinkfactory Media is one of the most unique and successful shops in our business – the legacy of Leslie Greif is undisputed and we know his next endeavor will be an immensely successful one,” said ITV Studios America David George. “We could not be more confident in Adam’s creative and business acumen,...

Michael J. Ferguson, who has recurred since Season 2 in Power, has been promoted to series regular for Season 6 of the hit Starz drama series. In addition, Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Shooter) has joined the cast as a new series regular for the sixth season.

Ferguson plays opportunistic and deadly gangster 2-Bit. He has appeared in 18 episodes.

Robinson will portray new character Ramona Garrity, a beltway insider with some secrets of her own.

On a show where the body count has always been pretty high, the September 9 Season 5 finale of Power saw surprises and superstars take a hit. It was a well watched cycle that primarily dealt with the death of the daughter of Omari Hardwick’s James “Ghost” St. Patrick and his Naturi Naughton-portrayed estranged spouse Tasha and their Michael Rainey Jr.-played son’s descent into a life of crime. However, the death by cop of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s...

It’s time for Brendan Fraser to cue up “Mr. Roboto”: The actor has been cast in DC Universe’s forthcoming series Doom Patrol as Robotman, aka Cliff Steele, our sister site Deadline reports.

The Titans spinoff — written by Jeremy Carver (Frequency, Supernatural) — is described as “a reimagining of one of DC’s strangest group of outcasts,” which includes Robotman, Negative Man (played by The Strain‘s Dwain Murphy), Elasti-Girl (Two and a Half Men‘s April Bowlby) and Crazy Jane (Orange Is the New Black‘s Diane Guerrero). “Led by the mysterious Dr. Niles Caulder, they’re called...

It’s time for Brendan Fraser to cue up “Mr. Roboto”: The actor has been cast in DC Universe’s forthcoming series Doom Patrol as Robotman, aka Cliff Steele, our sister site Deadline reports.

The Titans spinoff — written by Jeremy Carver (Frequency, Supernatural) — is described as “a reimagining of one of DC’s strangest group of outcasts,” which includes Robotman, Negative Man (played by The Strain‘s Dwain Murphy), Elasti-Girl (Two and a Half Men‘s April Bowlby) and Crazy Jane (Orange Is the New Black‘s Diane Guerrero). “Led by the mysterious Dr. Niles Caulder, they’re called...

New titles available on Amazon Prime next month include Amazon original series like “Six Dreams” Season 1, the second half of “Wishenproof” Season 2, “Pete the Cat” Season 1, “Forever” Season 1 and “King Lear” Season 1.

Some classic comedies will also become available in September, like the original “Ghostbusters,” “Jerry Maguire,” and “Smokey and the Bandit.” In more of a dramatic mood as the weather shifts? Dramas like “Sleepless in Seattle” starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan should do the trick.

Other movies arriving include newer flicks “Future World,” “Beirut,” “Strangers Prey at Night,” “Pistorius,” “Stronger,” “On Chesil Beach,” “My Little Pony,” “Hot Summer Night,” “Escape Plan 2,” “Jigsaw” and “Suburbicon.”

Also Read: Amazon Explores Acquisition of Landmark Theatres (Report)

See below for the complete list.

September Tbd

*King Lear, Season 1 (Prime Original series)

Sept. 1

Series

Asylum, Season 1

The Blue Rose, Season 1

The Broker’s Man, Seasons 1-2

The Field of Blood, Seasons 1-2

Golden,...

Ron Moore’s upcoming Apple series is filling out its main cast.

Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, and Sarah Jones have all been cast in the series, which takes place in a world where global space race never ended. Kinnaman will play Edward Baldwin, one of the top Nasa astronauts. Dorman and Jones have been cast as Gordo and Tracy Stevens, a prominent Nasa couple.

The role keeps Kinnaman in the TV sci-fi space, with the actor recently starring in the first season of the Netflix series “Altered Carbon.” He is also attached to the Amazon series adaptation of the film “Hanna” in a lead role. He is also known for his roles on the shows “House of Cards” and “The Killing.” On the film side, he starred in “Suicide Squad,” “Child 44,” and the “RoboCop” reboot. He is repped by Wme and Magnolia Entertainment.

Dorman currently stars in the Amazon series “Patriot,...

Exclusive: Former The Killing and Altered Carbon star Joel Kinnaman, Patriot star Michael Dorman and Damnation co-star Sarah Jones have been tapped as the leads in Apple’s upcoming space drama series from Battlestar Galactica‘s and Outlander‘s Ronald D. Moore.

Dorman has played the lead on the Amazon Studios’ quirky genre-bending spy drama series Patriot whose second season was ordered 16 months ago but is yet to air. Because of the delay, Dorman was able to book a new series. I hear Amazon will likely not make a formal renewal decision on Patriot until Season 2 is released and should they opt to do another season, they will have to work around Dorman’s schedule on the Apple series.

Kinnamon, who played the lead, Takeshi Kovacs, on the first season of Netflix’s Altered Carbon, was recently tapped to star on the upcoming Amazon drama series Hanna in what is currently a one-year deal.

Nashville is making a major play for film and TV scoring work that, for economic and political reasons, has typically been going overseas. New legislation in Tennessee, which took effect July 1, is designed to attract that work, and some say it’s already having an impact.

When it comes to music for major studio films, most composers’ first choice is to record in Los Angeles and London. But independent films with smaller budgets and video-game producers tasked with creating many hours of gameplay music, two sectors that have been unable to strike a deal with American musicians’ union officials, have been taking their business elsewhere and making a show of it.

Tennessee state officials recently made a pilgrimage to L.A. to pitch the country-music capital as an American alternative. The state’s Visual Content Modernization Act, passed in May and signed by Gov. Bill Haslam, contains provisions for recording...

Who will win the Emmy for Best Drama Supporting Actor this year with John Lithgow (“The Crown”) out of the way? Lithgow won in 2017 for playing British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, but he only stayed with the show for one season, which opens the door for a new winner this year. Gold Derby has hosted exclusive web chats with 11 of this year’s candidates, many of them potential first-time nominees. Click the links below to be taken to their full interviews.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“Game of Thrones”): Coster-Waldau plays Jaime Lannister, the unscrupulous but loyal brother (and lover) of Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). He has competed six times at the SAG Awards with the show’s ensemble cast. He has yet to be nominated for an Emmy. (Click here to be taken to his full interview)

O-t Fagbenle (“The Handmaid’s Tale”): Fagbenle plays Luke, the husband of...

The Badlands can be a very dangerous place nowadays.

Rhys Coiro stars in this intense thriller Valley of Bones about a paleontologist discovering a T-rex bone in the Badlands of North Dakota. She enlists the help of a recovering meth addict, but eventually their shady pasts caught up with them.

The film also stars Autumn Reeser, Steven Molony, Mason Mahay, Alexandra Billings, Bill Smitrovich and Mark Margolis. It is directed by Dan Glaser.

Lrm got a chance to sit-down to speak with Rhys Coiro one-on-one in Los Angeles about his role in Valley of Bones. He plays the brother to Autumn Reeser’s character in the film. It was a refreshing role, in which he was known playing bad boys or bad guys for most of his career. He also discussed about North Dakota film production, which is a rarity for any films to be produced there due to distance,...

The manhunt for one of the most infamous criminals in history rages on when Narcos: Season 2 arrives on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD September 5 from Lionsgate. Unforeseen alliances form between Colombian authorities, rival cartels, and DEA agents to put an end to Pablo Escobar’s ruthless activities. Renewed for two more seasons, the Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh series continues to raise stakes and heart-pounding thrills. Loaded with never-before-seen deleted scenes, an audio commentary, and featurette, the Narcos: Season 2 Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $29.97 and $29.98, respectively.

After drug lord Pablo Escobar escapes from prison, the Colombian police, rival cartels, and DEA agents try to take him down in the explosive second season of the hit series.

Blu-ray/Digital HD/DVD Special Features

Audio Commentary with Director Andrés Baiz, Producer Eric Newman, and Actor Wagner Moura “Unredacted: Declassifying Narcos: Season Two...

Simon Brew Jun 15, 2017

Brendan Fraser seemed on the verge of being a major movie star in the late 1990s. But it never came to be. We look at why…

I remember going in to watch 1994’s Airheads at the cinema, at the time tempted to do so more by the name of Michael Lehmann on the end credits than Adam Sandler and Brendan Fraser above the title. Steve Buscemi’s presence helped too, of course. But Lehmann had, after all, come to the project off the back of the unfairly maligned Hudson Hawk, and also, this is the man who gave the world Heathers. Can’t grumble with that.

I’d not seen Brendan Fraser on the big screen before, although even by this stage, he’d earned some currency. Encino Man – California Man in the UK – had overcome savage reviews to prove a decent hit. School Ties, that I...