Month: June 2022

Zac Efron will star in “The Iron Claw” for A24, with Sean Durkin writing and directing. Based on a true story, “The Iron Claw” follows the rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day. The title of the film comes from a trademark wrestling hold that the family, headed by patriarch Fritz Von Erich, would apply to opponents in the ring.

It hasn’t been revealed who Efron will be playing in the film, though it seems likely he’d be playing one of the pro wrestlers of the Von Erich family. The Iron Claw follows the “rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day.”

Efron is set to appear in the upcoming war drama The Greatest Beer Run Ever which also stars Russell Crowe and Bill Murray. Netflix also just announced that Efron would be featured as part of the ensemble cast for an upcoming untitled Netflix rom-com also starring Nicole Kidman and Jeff King. ​​​​​​​

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The Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2023 has been revealed, and the list of inductees includes Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn, Mindy Kaling, Jonas Brothers, Lenny Kravitz and many more. A total of 24 entertainers will be recognized throughout the upcoming year.

The news was revealed in a statement (here) announcing the 2023 honorees. The selectees were chosen from among hundreds of nominations, and are then ratified by the Chamber’s Walk of Fame selection panel. Chairwoman and Walk of Fame star recipient Ellen K said in a statement: “The Selection Panel, made up of fellow Walk of Famers, hand-picks a group of honorees each year that represent various genres of the entertainment world. The panel thoughtfully selected these talented individuals, and we can’t wait to celebrate them as they become part of Hollywood’s history with the unveiling of their star on the world’s most famous walkway!”

The Motion Picture category will include Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn, Ludacris, Bill Pullman, and director John Waters. Paul Walker will also be honored posthumously.

The Recording (Music) category includes the Jonas Brothers, Lenny Kravitz, Marc Anthony, and Blake Shelton.

Then in the Television category, the honorees include director Jon Favreau, Mindy Kaling, Martin Lawrence, Ralph Macchio, and Ellen Pompeo.

As of press time, ceremony dates for the 2023 recipients have not been announced.  Star ceremonies are announced by the Walk of Fame committee 10 days before they occur.

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Netflix has released the trailer for the new film ‘Blonde,’ featuring Ana de Armas playing the late Hollywood film icon Marilyn Monroe, who died at age 36 in 1962.  Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel and Evan Williams also star.

Blonde is based on Joyce Carol Oates’ historical fiction novel of the same name. The film is written and directed by Andrew Dominik, and received an NC-17 rating for “some sexual content”.  An official synopsis for the film reads: “From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, ‘Blonde’ blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.”

Blonde premieres Sept. 23 on Netflix. Take a look at the trailer – here.’

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Netflix announced the reality competition series Squid Game: The Challenge, based on the original Squid Game series, which became Netflix’s most popular show of all time upon its release in late 2021.  The platform announced casting for the new series in a vague promo on Twitter.  Squid Game: The Challenge will enter 456 contestants for the grand prize of $4.56 million dollars. That’s the same number of contestants in the drama, but an American dollar adaptation of the show’s 45.6 billion won prize in Korean money.  The reality series is looking ‘for brave, self-punishing souls interested in competing in harrowing games’.  For information on casting for the show, head to www.squidgamecasting.com.

The original Squid Game series is about a competition of childhood games for a cash prize, such as Red Light Green Light, Honeycomb and Marbles.  Netflix promises some games inspired by the show on the reality version, plus new surprises.  On the drama, the losers are executed; and while Netflix hasn’t announced how they plan to adapt the game, the streaming service confirms contestants could be “going home empty-handed” (meaning- they will not die if they lose).

Netflix had also just announced last week that they have renewed Squid Game for Season 2.  The original series, created by South Korean director Hwang Dong-hyuk, primarily starred Korean actors who spoke Korean throughout the show; whereas Squid Game: The Challenge is seeking “English-language speakers from any part of the world.”

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Warner Bros Studio shared a photo from the new film Barbie, which stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. In the photo, Gosling appears in costume as the character Ken, sporting platinum blonde hair and wearing an open denim vest with matching jeans.  Ken is based on the doll from Mattel’s Barbie toy line.

Barbie is written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach and directed by Gerwig. The cast also features Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Simu Liu and Emma Mackey.

Barbie opens in theaters July 21, 2023.

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Amazon Prime Video has shared a teaser trailer for the romantic drama My Policeman, featuring singer and actor Harry Styles.

My Policeman is based on the Bethan Roberts novel of the same name. The story follows Tom Burgess (Styles), a closeted gay policeman living in Brighton, England, in 1957 when homosexuality was illegal. Tom starts publicly dating a schoolteacher, Marion (Emma Corrin), but embarks on a secret love affair with a museum curator, Patrick Hazelwood (David Dawson).

An official film description reads: “Based on the book by Bethan Roberts, director Michael Grandage carves a visually transporting, heart-stopping portrait of three people caught up in the shifting tides of history, liberty, and forgiveness.”

My Policeman opens in theaters Oct. 21 and will begin streaming Nov. 4 on Prime Video.

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