Month: March 2025

Singer-songwriter Jelly Roll will make his acting debut in the CBS series Fire Country, with his guest-starring episode set to air April 11.

A new promo video for the episode features Jelly Roll and series star/creator Max Thieriot, with Jelly sharing: “From the stage to the fire line, it’s time to see if I can keep up,” later turning to Thieriot, and saying with a chuckle, “Man, this is tougher than the Grammys.”

Jelly Roll previously made a cameo as himself in Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa King; but the upcoming appearance on Fire Country marks his first-ever fictional role onscreen, where he will portray a hospital orderly named Noah.

Jelly Roll also isn’t the first country artist to portray a role on Fire Country; Kane Brown also made his acting debut on the program in 2023, playing a character named Robin, a train hopper who ends up aiding victims who were injured in a crash.

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Legendary television actor Richard Chamberlain, the star of TV’s ‘Dr. Kildare’ and perhaps best known for his roles in the miniseries “Shogun” and “The Thorn Birds,” has died at the age of 90. Chamberlain’s publicist Harlan Boll confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died Saturday, March 29, in Waimanalo, Hawai’i of complications following a stroke; just two days shy of his 91st birthday.

Chamberlain’s longtime partner, Martin Rabbett, said in a statement: “Our beloved Richard is with the angels now. He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us. How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul. Love never dies. And our love is under his wings lifting him to his next great adventure.”

Chamberlain rose to fame as the lead in the TV show “Dr. Kildare,” which earned him the first of three Golden Globes. He went on to star in notable films including “Petulia,” The Three Musketeers,” “The Music Lovers,” “The Last Wave,” “King Solomon’s Mines,” and “Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold.”

Chamberlain moved onto further popularity when he became known as “King of the Miniseries” first starring in James Michener’s 12-episode saga Centennial, which aired on NBC in 1978-79, as well as the hit miniseries “Shogun,” (based on James Clavell’s novel) in 1980, and “The Thorn Birds,” based on Colleen McCullough’s best-seller (1983). Chamberlain won Golden Globes for his work in “Shogun” and “The Thorn Birds.”

In 2003, Chamberlain came out as gay in his memoir, “Shattered Love,” saying “I can talk about it now because I’m not afraid anymore. When I grew up, being gay, being a sissy or anything like that, was verboten. I disliked myself intensely and feared this part of myself intensely and had to hide it.”

As of press time, funeral services had not been announced. Donations in Chamberlain’s name can be made to NPR or to the Hawaiian Humane Society.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Zendaya has joined the animated ‘Shrek’ film series as the daughter of Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz).  The sequel film is set to open in theaters on Dec. 23, 2026.

Universal Pictures released a teaser for Shrek 5 which revealed Zendaya as the voice of Shrek and Fiona’s daughter; see the cast announcement: HERE.

The Shrek franchise began with the Oscar-winning 2001 feature film that centered on an ogre named Shrek, who falls in love with Fiona, the princess of Far Far Away who has been cursed and trapped in the body of an ogre. In addition to the main Shrek films, the franchise also spawned two Puss in Boots spinoffs, starring Antonio Banderas,

In addition to Myers and Diaz, other returning cast members include Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Cody Cameron as Pinocchio (both whom voiced the characters in the first four Shrek movies).  In addition, Shrek veterans Walt Dohrn and Conrad Vernon direct, along with Minions: The Rise of Gru co-director Brad Ableson.

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Showtime announced that Krysten Ritter and Neil Patrick Harris have joined the cast of Dexter: Resurrection. Production for the “Dexter” sequel series started in January in New York, with the show expected to air this summer on Paramount+ with Showtime. Michael C. Hall returns as Dexter Morgan, the titular role he made famous when starring in the original Dexter, which launched on Showtime in 2006 and ran for eight seasons.

Ritter will guest-star as the character ‘Mia Lapierre,’ a famed sommelier whose alter ego is the “Lady Vengeance” serial killer. Harris will play the character ‘Lowell,’ but no other information was provided.   The series also stars Uma Thurman as Charley, described as ‘a former special ops officer who works security for a mysterious billionaire’.  That billionaire in question, Leon Prater, will be played by Game of Thrones alum Peter Dinklage.

“Resurrection” is one of many offshoots in the “Dexter” universe — a sequel series, “Dexter: New Blood,” aired in 2021 (which also saw Hall reprise the role of Dexter).  In addition, the Dexter prequel series “Dexter: Original Sin” launched last year and became the most streamed global original series for Showtime in 10 years, with its finale’s 2.68M global viewers.

Additional cast members include: David Zayas as Detective Angel Batista, Jack Alcott as Dexter’s son Harrison Morgan, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Blessing Kamara, Kadia Saraf as Detective Claudette Wallace, Dominic Fumusa as Detective Melvin Oliva, Emilia Suárez as Elsa Rivera, and James Remar as Dexter’s father, Harry Morgan.

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James Gunn took to his social media to share a first look image at his upcoming DC Universe project, HBO’s Lanterns starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre.

Gunn’s post on X read: “Excited that #Lanterns is now in production. DC Studios’ new show for @HBO and Max, from creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, & @TomKingTK, starring Kyle Chandler & Aaron Pierre, is something really special. @StreamOnMax @dcofficial”

The new photo shows Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler as the two Green Lanterns — John Stewart and Hal Jordan, respectively. The pair can be seen walking down a road, with Chandler’s Jordan wearing his Green Lantern Corps. ring on his finger. The duo investigate murders while on the road; per the official logline, the series will follow “new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”

The cast also features Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry, Garret Dillahunt as the modern cowboy William Macon, Poorna Jagannathan as John’s potential love interest Zoe and Ulrich Thomsen as Green Lantern villain Sinestro.

The photo comes as HBO and James Gunn announced that the series has officially entered production, after receiving an official straight-to-series order at HBO in June 2024 (more than a year since the 8-episode project was first announced back in January 2023). No official release date for Lanterns has been released just yet.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

During a nearly five-and-a-half hour livestream on its social media channels, Marvel Studios revealed its cast for Avengers: Doomsday, including a mix of Marvel Cinematic Universe mainstays as well as actors from 20th Century Fox’s now-defunct X-Men universe and the upcoming stars of Fantastic Four: First Steps.

The cast announcement included Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Sebastian Stan (The Winter Soldier), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Wyatt Russell (U.S. Agent), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Danny Ramirez (The Falcon) and Winston Duke (M’Baku).

The cast reveal also included actors Lewis Pullman (Sentry), Danny Ramirez (Joaquín Torres / Falcon), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm), David Harbour (Red Guardian), Winston Duke (M’Baku), Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost), Tom Hiddleton (Loki), Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier / Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), James Marsden (Cyclops), and Channing Tatum (Gambit).

Also set to appear in Doomsday include Tenoch Huerta (Namor), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Thing) and Kelsey Grammer (Beast).

Marvel first announced Avengers: Doomsday to fanfare at San Diego Comic-Con in July, with the surprise reveal that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU, after retiring the role of Iron Man in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in 2019. Marvel previously announced Downey, Jr. will appear in the film, but not as Tony Stark — the actor is now playing Dr. Doom.

Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, have signed on to direct Doomsday and the subsequent Avengers: Secret Wars.  ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ has a release date of May 1, 2026, while the follow-up film ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ is set to premiere May 7, 2027.

Check out the cast announcement for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ – HERE.

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