Month: August 2021

Netflix announced that it has renewed Cobra Kai for a fifth season; season 4 of the series will premiere on the streaming service this December.

Production on Season 5 will begin this fall in Atlanta, where all four previous seasons have filmed. Netflix previously announced that Season 4 of Cobra Kai will reintroduce Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver, the villain from ‘The Karate Kid Part III.’

Cobra Kai premiered on YouTube in 2018, and moved to Netflix after two seasons. William Zabka, Ralph Macchio and Martin Kove reprise their roles from the Karate Kid movies. Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) reopened the Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso (Macchio).  New students, including Johnny and Daniel’s teenaged kids, begin training and fighting over their love triangles and high school drama. Season 3 ended with Daniel and Johnny combining their dojos to challenge John.

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Universal Pictures “Candyman,” starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, earned more than $22.3 million at the box office this weekend, despite concerns over the delta variant. Co-written by Jordan Peele and directed by Nia DaCosta, “Candyman” delves into an urban legend that believes if someone repeats “Candyman” five times in front of a mirror, that person would summon the hook-handed killer. The sequel is a follow up to the original “Candyman” in 1992.

“Candyman” took over the No. 1 spot from “Free Guy,” which scored first place at the box office the previous two weekends. The action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a background character in a video game, earned more than $13.5 million. In third place, “PAW Patrol” earned $6.6 million. Based on the popular kids TV show, “PWE Patrol” has garnered more than $24 million since its debut. “Jungle Cruise” placed fourth with $5 million. whioe “Don’t Breathe 2” earned $2.8 million, “Respect” starring Jennifer Hudson brought in $2.2 million and “The Suicide Squad” tallied just over $2 million.

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Netflix announced on Twitter over the weekend that it has renewed the sci-fi drama Manifest for a fourth and final season.  NBCs had announced back in June that it would not be making more episodes of the show, which follows passengers of a plane who arrived more than five years after they took off, but in possession of mysterious super powers. The fourth season on Netflix will consist of 20 episodes.

Showrunner Jeff Rake said in a statement: “What started years ago as a flight of fancy deep in my imagination has evolved into the jet engine journey of a lifetime. Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned the worldwide outpouring of love and support for this story, its characters, and the team who work so hard to bring it all to life. That we will be able to reward the fans with the ending they deserve moves me to no end. On behalf of the cast, the crew, the writers, directors, and producers, thank you to Netflix, to Warner Bros., and of course to the fans. You did this.”

The cast of Manifest includes Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J.R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise and Jack Messina.

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Hollywood legend Ed Asner has passed away at age 91. Asner’s death was confirmed by his family on his Twitter account Sunday morning in a statement which read: “We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you.”

Asner, a seven-time Emmy-winner, is the most decorated male performer in Emmys history; he received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2001, and is also the winner of five Golden Globe Awards.

Asnwer was best known for playing Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show as well as the TV series Lou Grant. He was also the former president of the Screen Actors Guild. His other notable works include Roots, Elf, Up, CSI: NY, The Good Wife, and Rich Man, Poor Man; recently, the actor appeared in guest roles on hit shows like Modern Family, Grace and Frankie, Dead to Me, and Cobra Kai.

Asner is survived by his four children: twins Matthew and Liza, daughter Kate, and son Charles.

Ed Asner Dead: ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ ‘Elf,’ & ‘Up’ Star Passes Away At Age 91

Game of Thrones actor Jacob Anderson — who played Grey Worm — has been cast in a leading role in AMC’s adaptation of Anne Rice’s Gothic vampire novel Interview With the Vampire. Anderson will play Louis, a young man who is seduced into the world of the undead by the amoral vampire Lestat (played by Sam Reid). The casting will reunite Anderson with GoT director Alan Taylor, who is helming the show’s first two episodes.

Anderson has previously appeared in Showtime’s Episodes, The Mimic and Broadchurch, plus was recently announced for a recurring role in the upcoming season of Doctor Who.

Interview With the Vampire is expected to air on AMC in 2022, and will launch a franchise universe based on Rice’s novels.

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Focus Features announced on Twitter that the second ‘Downton Abbey’ movie will be called ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era.’  The film, set for theatrical release on March 18, 2022, will continue the saga of the wealthy Crawley family and those who serve them at their English country estate. Downton creator Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay and My Week with Marilyn director Simon Curtis is helmed it.

The Downton Abbey franchise began as an ITV/PBS drama series in 2010, and ended its six-season run in 2015. The show’s original stars Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle and Joanne Froggatt returned for a big-screen follow-up in 2019, and will return for the sequel. In addition, Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West have been added to the cast.

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