Month: February 2022

“In the Heights” star Anthony Ramos will be entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe, joining the upcoming series “Ironheart” at Disney+.

Ramos joins previously announced series lead Dominique Thorne, who will star as Marvel character Riri Williams, a genius inventor and the creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man. In the comics, the character built her own version of the Iron Man suit in an MIT dorm.  Details on Ramos’ role are being kept under wraps.

Ramos broke out with his role in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton. In addition to In the Heights, his on-screen credits include HBO’s In Treatment, Netflix’s She’s Gotta Have It and A Star Is Born.  He next will appear in another franchise — Transformers: Rise of the Beasts — which wrapped principal photography ahead of a planned 2023 release.

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Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar brought hip-hop to the Super Bowl LVI halftime show, taking the stage as the Los Angeles Rams faced off against the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium.  Surprise guests included 50 Cent with his song “In Da Club,” and Anderson Paak on drums during Eminem’s performance.

Snoop Dogg and Dre kicked things off together with their song “The Next Episode” before segueing into Dre and Tupac Shakur’s “California Love.” 50 Cent, in a surprise appearance, started off literally upside down to perform “In Da Club”.  Next Blige entered, singing “Family Affair” and “No More Drama”, followed by Lamar, performing his hit “Alright” in front of the stage.  Finally, Eminem came to the stage to perform his Grammy and Oscar-winning song “Lose Yourself.” Heading into the finale, Dre played the iconic first notes of his hit “Still Dre,’ with all the performers gathered together on the top of the center building structure to close out the epic show.

The Los Angeles defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Rams victory made it the second straight year where a team playing in the Super Bowl at their home field were declared Super Bowl champions.

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“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is set to premiere on Disney+ this May.  The live-action “Star Wars” series, starring Ewan McGregor, will debut May 25.  May 25 is also the 45th anniversary of the release of “Star Wars: A New Hope.”

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is set 10 years after the dramatic events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith” where Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi saw the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader).

McGregor reprises his role as Obi-Wan alongside Hayden Christensen, who again portrays Anakin Skywalker. The series also stars Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell and Benny Safdie.

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Warner Bros. announced that The Batman will premiere early in IMAX theaters. DC will hold a fan event on March 1 in more than 350 IMAX theaters across the U.S. ahead of the film’s scheduled debut on March 4. The event, which is scheduled on the same date as the movie’s New York premiere, has already sold out at several locations.

Directed by Matt Reeves, the film stars Robert Pattinson in the titular role, along with Paul Dano as the Riddler, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Colin Farrell as the Penguin and many more.  The Batman will arrive as the longest film in the franchise, clocking in at two hours and 55 minutes.  Warners president of domestic distribution Jeff Goldstein said in a statement: “Matt has created a must-see big-screen experience with The Batman, and audiences around the country have proven they really can’t wait to see it on the biggest screen possible.”

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Disney/Pixar is sharing the official trailer for Lightyear, the origins story of Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story film franchise.

Chris Evans takes over the titular voice role from Tim Allen, who voiced Buzz Lightyear in all four Toy Story features, shorts and spinoffs. Set to David Bowie’s “Starman,” the Lightyear trailer follows our hero as he takes a first test flight “after a full year of being marooned on this planet.”  Young Buzz – joined by robot cat Sox (Peter Sohn) — encounters the expected turbulence on his intergalactic journey, which includes an encounter with “just a massive robot.”

The voice cast also includes Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi, Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Dale Soules, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Lightyear is directed by Angus MacLane, who also directed the 2013 short Toy Story of Terror!   Said MacLane: “Buzz’s world was always something I was excited about. In ‘Toy Story,’ there seemed to be this incredible backstory to him being a Space Ranger that’s only touched upon, and I always wanted to explore that world further. So my Lighytear pitch was, ‘What was the movie that Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear toy?’ I wanted to see that movie. And now I’m lucky enough to get to make it.”

Check out the trailer for Lightyear – here.  The film opens in theaters on June 17, 2022

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Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service released the first trailer for the critically acclaimed The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 4 ahead of its premiere next week. The first two episodes will be released on Friday, Feb. 18, with two episodes being released each following Friday.

The 90-second trailer shows Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) taking back to the stage, her confidence barely shaken by the traumatic cliffhanger at the end of Season 3.  Midge is ready to deliver her no-filter brand of comedy, even if it gives manager Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein) plenty of headaches.

The return of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel comes after a two-year wait due to the pandemic. Season 3 was released all at once on Dec. 6, 2019.  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel  has won 20 Primetime Emmys, including the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2018. Brosnahan, Borstein, Kirby, and Shalhoub have all won individual Emmys for their performances.

The first three seasons are now available to stream on Prime Video.

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