Castium Revelio: Thriller… Week?
Welcome back to another week of MuggleNet’s Casting News! As usual, we’re bringing you all of the latest updates on the projects that our magical alumni – from Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, and more – have in store for us!
Stephen Fry, the narrator of the UK editions of the Harry Potter audiobooks, has a new podcast, and it’s a documentary series! Radio Today writes that it will be called Stephen Fry’s Great Leap Years, and it will focus on the stories behind how inventors came to be.
The podcast will explore topics ranging from the rise of humankind as the inventor, to the combination of persistence, investment and inspiration it took to create the Gutenberg Press and the communication technologies that created our world. It tells the story of how our lives have been transformed by a fascinating and compelling mixture of human decision and vision, greed and need.
The podcast series will consist of six episodes of about fifty minutes in length, which will be released weekly on Apple Music, Google Play, and others. In addition to narrating the podcast, Fry reportedly researches for each episode himself. The first episode is set for release on April 9.
The original illustrator of the UK version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Thomas Taylor, has reportedly signed a six-figure deal with publisher Walker Books to work on a new trilogy, according to the Bookseller. The first title in the series – as well as the title of the trilogy itself – is Malamander, and it is “set in a seaside town.”
‘Malamander‘ is told from the perspective of Herbert Lemon, the Lost-and-Founder of the Grand Nautilus Hotel, who tries to unite objects that have been left at the hotel with their owners. Other characters in the story include Violet Palma, who is lost and needs to be found, and the eponymous Malamander, who controls people’s dreams.
Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge) has been honored by the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London, writes WhatsOnStage. Staunton, known for her roles on both stage and screen, has been made an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music. The full list of the Royal Academy of Music’s latest honorees can be found here.
There is now a US release date for the thriller film Hunter Killer, which stars Gary Oldman (Sirius Black). The film, which also stars actor Gerard Butler, will be released on October 26 by Summit Entertainment, according to Flickering Myth.
Directed by Donovan Marsh and based upon Don Keith and George Wallace’s novel ‘Firing Point’, the film sees Butler as Joe Glass, the untested captain of a U.S. submarine, who teams up with Navy SEALS to rescue the Russian president after he is kidnapped by a rogue general.
The trailer for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a historical drama directed by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell, has been released. SeenIt describes the film:
Directed by Mike Newell (‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’, ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’) and based on Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows’ best-selling novel, ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ stars Lily James as free-spirited journalist Juliet Ashton, who forms a life-changing bond with the titular society when she decides to write about the book club they formed during the occupation of Guernsey in WWII.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is set for a UK release on April 20. You can watch the trailer below!
The animated film Early Man, which stars actor Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander) now has a UK home release date! The Hollywood News writes that the film will be available for digital download beginning on May 21. It will then be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD on May 28.
Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures roamed the earth, EARLY MAN tells the story of courageous caveman hero Dug (Academy Award®-winner Eddie Redmayne) and his best friend Hognob as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston) and his Bronze Age City to save their home.
A number of Harry Potter alumni are joining the cast of the film The Voyage Of Dr. Dolittle, both in voice- and live-acting roles, according to Empire Online!
Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawney) will be voicing Polynesia the parrot; Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort) will be voicing Barry the tiger; Carmen Ejogo (Seraphina Picquery) will be voicing Regine the lioness, and Frances de la Tour (Madame Maxime) will be voicing Ginko-Who-Soars. Additionally, Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn) will be in the film in a live-action role.
The Voyage of Dr. Dolittle has a US release date of April 12, 2019.
Emma Thompson and Jim Broadbent will also be appearing in the BBC and Amazon co-produced adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear, writes Metro! Thompson will be playing the role of King Lear’s eldest daughter, Goneril, while Broadbent will be playing the Earl of Gloucester. The adaptation is set to premiere on BBC Two this spring.
Jim Broadbent will also be featured at this year’s Hay Festival! Ireland’s TV3 reported on the news:
The Welsh-based event sees novelists, actors and thinkers from around the world share their ideas and expertise on topics ranging from science and technology, to art and film and global affairs.
The Hay Festival will run over the course of eleven days, from May 24 to June 3, and tickets to the festival are available now.
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, which stars Dame Julie Walters (Molly Weasley), is expected to be released on both DVD and digital on April 24, reports Media Play News. The film is based on the true story of 1950s actress Gloria Grahame (played by Annette Bening) and her relationship with a young actor (Jamie Bell).
The DVD release includes the music video for ‘You Shouldn’t Look at Me That Way’ by Elvis Costello; film commentary with director Paul McGuigan, producer Barbara Broccoli and Turner; and four featurettes: ‘Elvis Costello Performance & Conversation,’ ‘Making of the Music Video: “You Shouldn’t Look At Me That Way,”’ ‘In Conversation with Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Paul McGuigan & Peter Turner,’ and ‘Annette Bening on Gloria Grahame.’
Dame Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall), Johnny Depp (Gellert Grindelwald, Fantastic Beasts), and Dame Julie Walters all lend their voices to the film Sherlock Gnomes. The sequel to 2011’s Gnomeo and Juliet, the animated family film was released on March 23. Variety recently reviewed the film, which was produced by Sir Elton John.
Christian Coulson (Tom Riddle, Chamber of Secrets) will be taking on the role of King Richard II at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival! The Morning Call has provided more details on Coulson’s upcoming performances:
The play [‘Richard II’] will run on the main stage in repertory with ‘Shakespeare in Love,’ with the same cast alternating performances daily and often on the same day. ‘Shakespeare in Love’ is based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. Coulson will play the role of Wessex.
Coulson will be performing from July 19 to August 5 at the festival, which is held at DeSales University.
Oliver Phelps (George Weasley) has joined the UK touring cast of the murder mystery play The Case of the Frightened Lady, marking his stage debut! WhatsOnStage reported the news. More information on the show can be found here.
Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas) can next be seen on the Netflix series Troy: Fall of a City, which was co-produced by the BBC and shown on BBC One. The show, writes SYFY Wire, is based on the myths of the Trojan Wars; Enoch plays the role of Aeneas.
Watch the trailer for Troy: Fall of a City below!
The first season of Troy: Fall of a City will be released on Netflix on April 6.
The animated film Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, narrated by Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), will be released nationwide in the US on April 13. It is based on a true story of World War I soldier Robert Conroy and the dog that he brought with him as a member of Connecticut’s 102nd Infantry Regiment. The Hartford Courant writes that there will be a street fair in Stubby’s honor!
On April 8, from 3 to 6 p.m., a street fair will be held in Stubby’s honor on Temple Street between Crown and George streets in New Haven. The fair will feature a World War I-era ambulance, a 1916 Model T Ford, a 1914 French Renault tank, historical re-enactors, National Guard working dogs doing demonstrations and modern military equipment.
More details on the true story behind the film, as well as the legacy that Stubby and Conroy have left behind, can be found here.
Bonham Carter can also be seen on Sky Arts’ upcoming second season of Tate Britain’s Great Art Walks, reports Cable.co.uk.
Celebrities take a crack at art appreciation as Billy Connolly, Helena Bonham Carter and Jeremy Paxman, join art historian Gus Casely-Hayford for a second series of ‘Tate Britain’s Great Art Walks’. We’ll see the group explore the landscape and real-life scenery that inspired some of the most beloved paintings hanging in Tate Britain. They’ll take trips through the picturesque villages of the Lake District, Cotswolds, Southern Downs and the Scottish Highlands.
The show airs April 17 at 9:00 p.m. local time.
Georgina Leonidas (Katie Bell) can be seen in the Birmingham Stage Company’s touring stage play Awful Auntie, which was recently reviewed by the Wirral Globe. Leonidas plays the role of Stella Saxby in the comedy, based on the novel by David Walliams. More information on the play can be found here.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playwright Jack Thorne‘s adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol will be returning to the Old Vic this Christmas, reports LondonTheatre.co.uk. The production of the show that ran this past holiday season starred Rhys Ifans (Xenophilius Lovegood).
This year’s production will run from November 27, 2018, to January 19, 2019. Casting for this year’s production has yet to be announced.
The official trailer for Terminal, which features Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) among its cast members, has been released. (David Barron, who worked as a producer on a number of the Harry Potter films, is also one of Terminal‘s producers.)
This movie follows two assassins with a sinister mission, a fatally ill teacher, an enigmatic janitor, and a waitress with a double life. Murderous consequences unravel as their lives meet at the hands of a criminal mastermind wanting revenge.
Because the trailer contains some mature content, you can watch it here. Terminal is set to be released on May 11.
Bill Nighy (Rufus Scrimgeour) was recently interviewed by the Herald Scotland about his role as Leo Argyll in the three-part BBC One adaptation of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery Ordeal by Innocence, which premieres Easter Sunday. Anthony Boyle (Scorpius Malfoy, Cursed Child) also appears in the adaptation, playing the role of Jack Argyll.
Ordeal by Innocence begins on BBC One this Sunday, April 1 at 9:00 p.m. local time.
Nighy has also been cast in the upcoming film with the working title Secrets from the Russian Tea Room, as reported by Empire Online.
Set in New York (and due to head to the city for filming later), the new movie is a modern-day fairy tale that takes place in and around a Russian restaurant in the city. There, the lives of four charismatic and vulnerable characters intersect in different ways.
Nighy is set to play the restaurant’s owner in the film’s ensemble cast.
Sir Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore) has been cast in a starring role in the psychological thriller film Cordelia, writes Variety.
The titular Cordelia lives with her twin sister, Caroline, and Caroline’s new boyfriend, Matt, in a basement flat in one of the less salubrious parts of London. She is trying to cope with them, a stalker, and neighbors including a mysterious cellist and an eccentric old man, Mr. Moses (Gambon).
Actress Sally Hawkins will executive-produce the film, which begins filming in mid-April.
Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts producer David Heyman is behind a different thriller project. His, with NBCUniversal, is titled The Capture, and it has just been ordered by the BBC for BBC One! Variety reported the news.
The BBC is hoping to seize viewers with ‘The Capture’, a new conspiracy thriller set in London from ‘Harry Potter’ producer David Heyman and NBCUniversal International Studios. The six-parter follows an unjustly arrested man, and poses questions about surveillance and video fakery.
The Capture will be produced by Heyman under his Heyday Television banner.
That’s all for this week’s Casting News! We’ll be back again next week with more of the latest casting updates for you! Until then, be sure to let us know what you’re most interested in seeing in the comments below!