Castium Revelio: Chickens, Demogorgons, and “Slow Horses”

First up, though, we've got some magical news from Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley). She announced last week that she had given birth to her first son, Elio Ocean Wright Lococo! In her Instagram announcement, Bonnie shared her gratitude for her birth team and her husband for their support. The cutest part? Elio shares his birthday (September 19) with Hermione Granger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by BONNIE WRIGHT (@thisisbwright)

In terms of on-screen projects, our first of this month involves Katie Leung (Cho Chang). She is featured as Yasicca in the second season of The Wheel of Time, which premiered on September 1. Episodes have been released every Friday on Amazon Prime since then, meaning there is still time to catch up before the final episode drops on October 6.

Stephen Fry (who narrated the UK Harry Potter audiobooks) has a new project on the horizon. He's set to play Dr. Nell in Netflix's upcoming teen drama Everything Now, which will hit the platform on October 5. The show follows Mia, a teenager who is in recovery from an eating disorder and decides to complete her entire bucket list as quickly as she can. Check out the trailer below, but be aware it contains strong language and sensitive topics.

Bill Nighy (Rufus Scrimgeour) has been very busy recently. Do you remember the documentary series we told you he was set to narrate? Well, the show is titled Norfolk and Suffolk: Country & Coast and started streaming on September 6. Episodes are still being aired on Channel 5 every Wednesday.

Nighy is also currently on set for a new Netflix film. Joy is a biopic that will tell the story of the first baby born through IVF and is written by Jack Thorne (co-writer of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). Nighy is set to play Patrick Steptoe, the obstetrician and gynecologist who worked on the groundbreaking process. There's no release date yet for the film, but you can take a look at an image from the set below.

Source: Netflix

While Nighy is awaiting a release date, we finally have one for Kelly Macdonald's (the Grey Lady) latest film. Typist Artist Pirate King follows a mental health nurse (played by Macdonald) on a road trip with one of her patients, an artist called Audrey Amiss. The film is based on extracts from letters and diaries by the real-life Amiss, and it will land in UK theaters on October 27.

We've also got a release date for a multi-alum project. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, which stars Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, and David Bradley (Dolores Umbridge, Rita Skeeter, and Argus Filch, respectively), is a long-awaited sequel from Aardman Animations. All three alums are reprising their roles from the first film. Dawn of the Nugget will premiere at the London Film Festival next month before making its way to Netflix on December 15.

David Tennant (Barty Crouch Jr.) is also returning to a classic role. We're not talking about the recently released Doctor Who trailer this time; instead, we're talking about his reprisal of Luther Arkwright. The Adventures of Luther Arkwright: Heart of Empire is an audio adventure that sees Tennant return to the role he first took on 18 years ago.

The world of audio is also welcoming a new project featuring Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) this month. He's reprising his role as Alfred in a new audio series called The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark, a new collaboration between Spotify and DC. All eight episodes of the audio series will premiere on October 10.

We've got another trailer for you next. Geraldine Somerville (Lily Potter) is set to feature in an upcoming corporate drama from Netflix called Fair Play. The film will be added to Netflix on October 13 following a successful showing at this year's Sundance Film Festival. It centers around the ups and downs of a couple's relationship after a promotion. Check out the trailer below, but be aware that it does feature explicit content.

Somerville isn't the only Lily Potter who has been busy recently. Her younger counterpart, Ellie Darcey-Alden, has been cast in a new short film called The Devil's Stone. The horror film is based on a real-life legend that suggests running around a stone seven times will summon the devil. It will premiere on Friday, October 13 after a showing in Durham, England.

Signature Entertainment has gained the UK distribution rights to Ralph Ineson's (Amycus Carrow) latest film. Lord of Misrule is a folk horror film based around a young woman who takes over a village church and discovers the dark secrets that the village keeps hidden after her daughter goes missing. There's no news yet on when the film will be released, but it is currently in post-production.

It's time for our final trailer of this section this month, for a film featuring Nick Moran (Scabior). Boudica is based on history books, sharing the story of one of Scotland's most fearsome rulers, who fought against the Roman empire after her husband was killed and her community sabotaged. Check out the slightly gory trailer below. The film will be available on digital platforms on October 30.

Harry Melling and Ian Hart (Dudley Dursley and Professor Quirrell, respectively) have also been reading history books. They're teaming up in Shoshana, a film about Israelian society in the 1930s, centered around the life of journalist and activist Shoshana Borochov. The film is set for release on October 7, but until then, you can check out a picture of Melling in action.

Source: Toronto International Film Festival

Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) has also been busy recently. He's currently filming an Italian-language drama in Naples, Italy, where the film's director, Paolo Sorrentino, is from. Unfortunately, all other details, including a synopsis, title, and possible release date, are being kept under close wraps.

We do, however, have more details about Season 3 of Slow Horses, an Apple TV+ series about a dysfunctional branch of MI5. The first two episodes of the third season will premiere on the streaming service on December 1, with each subsequent episode being released every Friday after that. Before then, we've got a first-look image of Oldman in costume.

Source: Apple TV+

Oldman isn't our only Wizarding World alum involved in Slow Horses. Another part of the announcement was that Katherine Waterston (Tina Goldstein) has joined the cast. She'll play Alison Dunn, an MI5 agent who uncovers a dark secret at the heart of the organization. We can't wait to see Waterston in the new series.

And Slow Horses isn't Waterston's only new project this month. She and Hero Fiennes Tiffin (11-year-old Tom Riddle, Harry Potter) are set to star in a comedy film that parodies typical period dramas, which has been written by comedian Jimmy Carr, called Fackham Hall. Fiennes Tiffin will play a porter who forms a relationship with the family's youngest daughter, while Waterston takes on the role of Lady Davenport, a matriarch whose family is splitting into rivalry.

Waterston will also appear in The End We Start From, an apocalyptic drama that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month. The film has a US release date of December 8, but there's currently no news of an international release. Check out the short teaser trailer below.

Alison Sudol (Queenie Goldstein) is set to star in Bonus Track, a teen romcom focused on a high school band. The film has been chosen for showing at both the Toronto International Film Festival and London Film Festival. Check out a short clip from the film below.

We've got a new project for Cursed Child co-producer Colin Callender. He's set to executive produce a new Sky Original comedy-drama series called Small Town, Big Story. The show is set in a small Irish village that is thrown into the spotlight, alongside its darkest secret, after a Hollywood production takes over. Filming for the six-part series started this month, with the show presumably debuting in early 2024.

Last but definitely not least this week is an update on Jack Thorne (co-writer) and Sonia Friedman's (co-producer) Stranger Things stage production we told you about last year. The play is called Stranger Things: The First Shadow and will begin previews on November 17 at the Phoenix Theatre in London. The cast list gives us an insight into the characters we can expect to see in the play, which is a prequel to Netflix's hit show. There are familiar names, such as Jim Hopper and Dr. Brenner, as well as new characters with presumed ties to those we know, including Patty Newby and Allen Munson. Tickets for the West End show are still available.