Welcome to The Rundown report (as gathered by Taryn Belle) with Nerd Union for April 30th, 2021.
MOVIES
Marvel’s The Eternals true lead has been confirmed by Kevin Feige! DigitalSpy recounted an interview Feige recently did with Variety, where he specifically says, “There were some characters that we change from male to female, there were some characters that we knew how we were altering them from the books. But then also it came down to casting. So for Sersi, for instance — and if there was a lead in this ensemble, it is Sersi, it is Gemma Chan — we looked at and read all sorts of women for that part. And ended up really believing that Gemma was best for it.”
Taika Waititi has been posting behind the scenes photos on his Twitter and The Direct points out that the latest set includes a galactic setting in the background. Waititi was recently reunited with his daughters after honoring COVID quarantine measures and the black-and-white photos he shared shows them affectionately spending time together as he directs the scenes.
Dropping today on Disney+ today, Pixar’s new animated short 22 vs. Earth as a prequel to Soul showing why 22 doesn’t want to come to earth. The Verge interviewed director Kevin Nothing, who said, “I didn’t want the short to be a mirror of what she was like in the feature … In looking at what the story would be, the interesting thing for me is what makes her who she is in the feature. This is one of those incidents. In the beginning she was one of those innocent souls; what was the process to make her the cynical soul she is when Joe Gardner shows up? This is just one step in that process.”
ET Canada has noted that photos have surfaced of Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem on set of the Being the Ricardos biopic: “In the Aaron Sorkin-written and -directed project, Kidman will star as Lucille Ball and Bardem as Desi Arnaz. Being The Ricardos takes place over one week of filming the beloved sitcom I Love Lucy where both their careers and their marriage faced a crisis … There was some controversy over casting Kidman, but Ball and Arnaz’s daughter Lucie Arnaz showed support for the choice. (saying) ‘Aaron has done a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life, and it’s just a little … slice of life in their journey …It’s not the whole story. It’s not a biopic from cradle to grave. It is a two-hour feature film about these two people and some of the remarkable things they lived through.’”
AV Club reports that Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah) will be co-starring with Anthony Ramos (Hamilton, In the Heights) in the new Transformers movies, though details beyond that are vague: “It’s one of two that are currently in the works, with this one being directed by Steven Caple Jr. from Creed 2 (the other is being made by Angel Manuel Soto, and we also know nothing about it). This one will be in theaters on June 24, 2022, so hopefully Paramount can figure out a plot and stuff before then … Deadline points out that Fishback and Ramos have been friends for years and that they were in a play together in college.” So fingers-crossed!
Deadline has also reported on Viola Davis’ upcoming TriStars Picture The Woman King gaining co-star Thuso Mbedu (who is in the upcoming The Underground Railroad) in the Gina Prince-Bythwood directed film. The statement released by Viola Davis and Julius Tennon (JuVee Productions) was glowing in esteem, “‘The depth and complexity of emotional life, her authentic beauty, and regalness is potent. We were mesmerized by Thuso Mbedu. We wanted Woman King / Nawi to be the vehicle to introduce her on the big screen.’ The Woman King is a historical epic inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. The story follows Nanisca, General of the all-female military unit, and Nawi, an ambitious recruit, who together fought enemies who violated their honor, enslaved their people, and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.”
Finally, Deadline announced that Jurnee Smollett will be joining Allison Janney in the upcoming Netflix movie Lou, with both starring and executive producing. Anna Foerster (known for Outlander, Westworld, Carnival Row, Underworld: Blood Wars) will be directing the film: “Written by Maggie Cohn, a massive storm rages in Lou. A young girl is kidnapped. Her mother, with no other option, teams up with the mysterious older woman next door to pursue the kidnapper – a journey into the wilderness that will test their limits and expose dark and shocking secrets from their pasts.”
SHOWS & SERIES
Hulu released episodes 1 through 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale fourth season on Hulu a day earlier than expected this past Tuesday. The other 7 episodes will be released weekly, according to SlashFilm: “In The Handmaid’s Tale season 4, ‘June (Elisabeth Moss) strikes back against Gilead as a fierce rebel leader, but the risks she takes bring unexpected and dangerous new challenges. Her quest for justice and revenge threatens to consume her and destroy her most cherished relationships.’ The fourth season picks up right after the events of season 3, which aired in 2019. The Emmy-winning show has already been renewed for a fifth season, which showrunner Bruce Miller is looking forward to exploring, with no end-game in sight for the series.”
There’s a lot of buzz around the new trailer for Netflix’s upcoming fantasy series Sweet Tooth, as reported by Yahoo!Entertainment: “Based on Jeff Lemire’s acclaimed DC comic series, the drama is set 10 years after a deadly virus (a.k.a. the Great Crumble) wreaked havoc on the world and somehow led to the creation of hybrid babies who were part human, part-animal. Sweet Tooth follows one of those hybrids: Gus (Christian Convery), who is part deer and lives in a secluded home in the forest because humans hunt hybrids. Eventually, Gus befriends a wandering loner named Jepperd (Nonso Anozie), and together they set off to explore what’s left of America and find answers about their origins and more.”
ComicBookMovie.com has breaking news on HBO Max’s Green Lantern live-action series: “Warner Bros. Television has announced this morning that 2x Primetime Emmy-nominee Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story; Ratched) has been cast in the lead role of Guy Gardner in HBO Max’s upcoming Green Lantern live-action series. He’ll be one of many Green Lanterns to appear in the series, with the streamer describing his character as ‘a hulking mass of masculinity, and, as rendered in the comics, an embodiment of 1980s hyper-patriotism. And yet, Guy is somehow likable.’”
HBO Max’s Doom Patrol has added 5 more to the cast, according to Deadline: “Micah Joe Parker, Wynn Everett, Miles Mussenden, Anita Kalathara and Gina Hiraizumi will join the cast of HBO Max’s Doom Patrol in recurring roles … In Doom Patrol, the ragtag group consists of superhero outcasts Cliff Steele aka Robotman (Brendan Fraser), Larry Trainor aka Negative Man (Matt Bomer), Jane aka Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero), Rita Farr aka Elasti-Woman (April Bowlby), and Victor Stone aka Cyborg (Joivan Wade). All of them have experienced trauma that gave them their special abilities, but with the guidance of The Chief (Timothy Dalton), they come together to help investigate phenomena as unique as them. When The Chief disappears, they spring into action when Cyborg presents them with a mission they can’t refuse.”
While filming for the upcoming HBO Max series Peacemaker, John Cena turned 44 last week … and photos celebrating his birthday show him in his Peacemaker outfit drenched in Blood! ComicBookMovie.com notes, “We don’t know a huge amount about Peacemaker, but it’s previously been reported that the events of the series will unfold prior to The Suicide Squad (making this a prequel to the upcoming movie).”
Apparently, Doogie Howser M.D. is getting a reboot over at Disney+! DisneyParksBlog recently shared a photo of Peyton Elizabeth Lee visiting Aulani Resort on a break from production on Doogie Kamealoha M.D. which is filming in Hawai’i: “Set in modern-day Hawai‘i, the 10-episode comedy follows Lahela “Doogie” Kamealoha, a 16-year-old prodigy juggling a budding medical career and life as a teenager. Guiding Lahela (and also complicating things) is her family, including her spit-fire mother who’s also her supervisor at the hospital, and her ‘Local Boy’ father struggling to accept that his daughter is no longer his little girl.”
TheDirect reports that a photo of Jeremy Renner and Alaqua Cox in their new Hawkeye and Echos suits for the series originally appeared on Cox’s Instagram, though they have since been deleted but not before they were captured by a fan who posted it on Twitter: “It isn’t surprising that this photo was taken down so quickly by Alaqua Cox from her Instagram account considering the massive repercussions that the photo teased about the plot of Hawkeye. The fact that Cox can be seen wearing a suit that is closely tied to her Marvel character could hint that Echo’s heroic transition will be shown in Hawkeye. It remains to be seen if Echo will serve as an ally or a villain to Jeremy Renner’s Marvel hero, but it’s possible that she will pursue the Avenger first which will eventually lead to an intense face-off.”
For FX’s finale season of Pose, TVLine notes that co-creater Steven Canals spoke in a press conference about the arc of the show: ““From the moment that [co-creator] Ryan Murphy and I first met to talk about what Pose could be, we had a very specific ending in mind. And if you watch this season, and more specifically the story we tell in the finale, that was what it was always intended to be. If you go back to the first season, everything was a set-up for this final chapter. Stories have a beginning, middle and an end, and this final season was the end of this three-act narrative that we’ve been telling.’”
GAMING
PCGamesN.com reports that Brie Larson took to Twitter to support AbleGamers and its creator Alanah Pearce in bringing awareness to the 1 million dollar fundraiser for AbleGAmers in partnership with the Spawn Together iniaitive: “‘Using the power of videogames to bring people and provide people with disabilities custom gaming setups, so they can enjoy video games too, is just absolutely incredible. If you don’t know about their work, please check out AbleGamers, support their work. I know I will be.’”
Polygon reveals that Pixar’s Onward now has a tabletop game Quests of Yore: Barley’s Edition! Apparently, “publisher The OP Games announced it was making a lavish new tabletop role-playing starter set based on the film … More than just a movie tie-in, it’s a family-friendly TTRPG with all the fixins and a meaty campaign. For those who enjoyed Onward or took comfort in its message of hope and inspiration, this is the perfect way to extend that experience at the table. Of course, this isn’t just any copy of Quests of Yore. It’s the very same copy that main characters Barley (Chris Pratt) and Ian (Tom Holland) grew up playing, complete with wear and tear, notes in the margin, and just a hint of Cheetos dust (or whatever Cheetos are called in the Onward universe).”
CONS
IGN reports that DC FanDome will be back October 16t! “The DC Comics event will once again feature news and guest stars related to Batman, Aquaman, and the rest of the gang when it kicks off … a short clip invited fans to save the date for what it’s calling a ‘global experience.’ It is unclear at this time whether it will be a live event or another virtual event … DC FanDome found success as a virtual event in August 2020, having been conceived in the wake of the cancellation of San Diego Comic-Con that same year.”
RESOURCE
ArsTechnica reports that the USA’s Federal Communications Commission just announced a broadband subsidy: “Enrollment for $50-per-month broadband subsidies for US residents with low incomes or those who lost income during the pandemic will begin on May 12 …The FCC also set up a new website at which people can sign up for the subsidies.” https://getemergencybroadband.org/
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