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Charlie Hunnam is the latest star of the next installment of Ryan Murphy’s Monster series. The ‘Sons of Anarchy’ actor, 44, is set to play the role of serial killer Ed Gein – often referred to as “the Butcher of Plainfield” – in the third season of the Netflix anthology series.  Netflix announced Hunnam’s casting on social media, as well as plans to start production next month. No other casting or premiere date have been announced yet.

Each season of the Monster franchise tackles a different true-crime story, with the first season debuting in 2022 regarding serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Season 2 just premiered last month, and focused on the infamous Menendez brothers, who were convicted of killing their parents in 1989, with the case becoming a media sensation in the 1990s when it went to trial.

According to Variety, Gein — who was from Wisconsin — became popular in the 1950s after he was found to have killed multiple people and dug up graves near his home. He then used the corpses to make household items and clothing. Convicted of murdering two women and suspected of killing seven others, Gein died in a psychiatric facility in 1984 at age 77.  He is also said to have inspired numerous horror movie villains including Norman Bates, Buffalo Bill and Leatherface.

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Apple TV+ will premiere the new limited series Disclaimer, featuring Cate Blanchett. The psychological thriller is based on the Renée Knight novel, with the seven-part television adaptation written and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Y tu mamá también, Gravity).

Blanchett stars as Catherine Ravenscroft, an acclaimed journalist “who built her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her deepest secrets and threatens to destroy her family.  As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys her life and her relationships with her husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen) and son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee).”

The streaming service dropped a trailer for Disclaimer, which shows Catherine (Blanchett) try to keep her “deadly secret” as flashbacks show glimpses of a romantic tryst from her past. Meanwhile, the author of the book appears to be a grieving father (Kevin Kline).  Louis Partridge, Lesley Manville, Leila George and Hoyeon also star.

Disclaimer will have a two-episode premiere Oct. 11, followed by new episodes every Friday. See the trailer: HERE.

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Paramount+ with Showtime is detailing the new series Dexter: Original Sin. The prequel series will premiere on Sunday, Dec. 15, and follows Dexter during his teenage years. Original Sin is a prequel to Dexter, the 2006-2013 Showtime series starring Michael C. Hall as a vigilante serial killer. Hall returns in Original Sin to narrate the inner monologue of Dexter.

Original Sin is set in 1991 Miami and is centered on the younger version of the serial-killer character as he transitions “from student to avenging serial killer.” Per an official description: “when his bloodthirsty urges can’t be ignored any longer, Dexter must learn to channel his inner darkness. With the guidance of his father, Harry (Christian Slater), he adopts a Code designed to help him find and kill people who deserved to be eliminated from society without getting on law enforcement’s radar. This is a particular challenge for young Dexter as he begins a forensics internship at the Miami Metro Police Department.”

Paramount had previously  dropped the first teaser for the series, featuring Patrick Gibson as a young Dexter Morgan and “Dexter” star Michael C. Hall narrating as he says, “I’m a killer, but I wasn’t born this way. I was made.” The cast of Original Sin also includes Molly Brown, James Martinez, Christina Milian, Alex Shimizu, Reno Wilson and guest star Sarah Michelle Gellar.

The full trailer for ‘Dexter: Original Sin’ can be seen – HERE.

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Taylor Swift has donated $5 million to the organization Feeding America, which is providing aid to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina as the hurricanes such as Helene and Milton continue to devastate those areas.

Feeding America posted Wednesday on Instagram: “Thank you @taylorswift for standing with us in the movement to end hunger and helping communities in need in the wake of #HurricaneHelene and #HurricaneMilton.

Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot said in a statement: “We’re incredibly grateful to Taylor Swift. This contribution will help communities rebuild and recover, providing essential food, clean water and supplies to people affected by these devastating storms. Together, we can make a real impact in supporting families as they navigate the challenges ahead. Thank you, Taylor, for standing with us in the movement to end hunger and for helping communities in need.”

Country music artists Dolly Parton and Morgan Wallen also recently made large donations to relief organizations last week.  Following Hurricane Helene, Parton donated $1 million to victims of the devastating storm, and announced that through her businesses — Dollywood Parks & Resorts, Dolly Parton’s Stampede and Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show, and the Dollywood Foundation — that another $1 million would be matched and made to the Mountain Ways Foundation nonprofit.  Wallen promoting a food drive in Knoxville, Tenn., in addition to donating $500,000 to the American Red Cross.

Fellow country stars Luke Combs and Eric Church announced earlier this week that they were organizing a star-studded ‘Concert for Carolina’ fundraiser for hurricane relief, alongside artists including Billy Strings, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow and Keith Urban.

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Variety reports that Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen are set to lead a limited series on the unsolved 1996 murder of JonBenét Ramsey at Paramount+.

The story will follows the Ramsey family “before and after” the tragic murder of six-year-old JonBenét, who had participated in numerous child pageants growing up in Boulder, Colorado. The mysterious circumstances of her death generated major media attention, putting her parents as well as her brother Burke in the center of controversy.

McCarthy will play JonBenet Ramsey’s mother Patsy Ramsey and Owen will play father John Bennett Ramsey in the eight-episode true crime project, tentatively titled JonBenét Ramsey. Deadline previously reported that the limited series was expected to land at Paramount+.

The series synopsis reads that the project “follows the Ramsey family, before and after the tragedy as they go through the painful loss of a child while facing intense public scrutiny caused by a media frenzy that caused this case to captivate an entire nation. At the heart of the series, it is the story of Patsy and John Ramsey – exploring the unbreakable partnership of these two complex people – as husband and wife, as mother and father – who had committed themselves and their children to building the narrative of a perfect, privileged life only to have it destroyed one Christmas night in 1996.”

Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO and President/CEO of Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement: “Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen are an extraordinary duo to delve into this tragic story that has cast a long, haunting shadow over American culture for nearly three decades,” said 

Jeff Grossman, Executive Vice President of Programming for Paramount+ adds: “JonBenét Ramsey continues to be one of the country’s most fascinating unsolved murders. The incredible talent of Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen and the creative team led by Richard LaGravenese will illuminate her story with the acuity and nuance it deserves.”

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Netflix shared a trailer for the new film Lonely Planet, featuring Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth.

The official synopsis states that the film “follows a novelist named Katherine (Dern), who in search of inspiration, books a trip to a writer’s retreat in Morocco. There, she meets a young man (Hemsworth) whose acquaintanceship evolves into an intoxicating, life-altering love affair.”

The romantic drama is written, directed and produced by ‘Erin Brockovich’ writer Susannah Grant., and also stars Diana Silvers, Ben Youcef, Bellina Logan, Gustav Dyekjær Giese and Dillon Lane.

Lonely Planet premieres Oct. 11 on Netflix. See the trailer: HERE.

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