Role Call: Take a Trip Through Time and Space

by · February 21, 2016

His name may have been flubbed all throughout the current awards season by Leonardo DiCaprio and The Revenant director, Alejandro Iñárritu, but Domhnall Gleeson’s (Bill Weasley) star is still on the rise. Announced this week was his return to the Star Wars franchise amid a new teaser for the sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Gleeson will reprise his role as General Hux in Star Wars: Episode VIII, which began production last week at Pinewood Studios in London and is set to premiere in theaters on December 15, 2017. Check out the production announcement below:

A statement from LucasFilms confirmed Gleeson’s return, saying,

Star Wars: Episode VIII, which is written and directed by Rian Johnson and continues the storylines introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, welcomes back cast members Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis.

Gleeson also spoke with the Los Angeles Times about the challenges of playing a Star Wars villain, stating,

I liked him because he allowed me to explore the notion of authority — he’s someone who enjoys authority and holds onto it at all costs. The costume was brilliant and added a whole other layer for me. We talked about the idea that he’s an obsessive and probably doesn’t sleep much.

The actor still lives in Dublin, Ireland, and says the pull to move to the US in order to further his career has no affect on him.

I think it’s important to keep a place here. There’s an importance to not living out of a suitcase — at least in my head, there’s always a home somewhere. I think it’s good not to have boxes of stuff in your parents’ house…. My agents would never put any pressure on me to move. They want me to be happy as well as getting jobs. I’m comfortable in Dublin. I like it being my home.

Perhaps best known for his roles in both the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones series, David Bradley is tackling another epic role. The actor, who comically brought Argus Filch to life for the Potter films, will guest star in Esquire television’s re-imagining of Beowulf. Here’s a clip of Bradley as Thane Gorrick, along with a synopsis of the episode in which he will star:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_6fXYPtPL0&feature=youtu.be

Anticipating a warm welcome, our Herot heroes are shocked to be met with hostility by aging Thane Gorrik (David Bradley). Eventually however, as his icy demeanor slowly melts away, they are introduced to the tribe and Gorrik’s daughters Mara (Olivia Chenery) and Kela (Holly Earl).

Fans attending the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo in April may be a bit disappointed, as it was announced via Twitter that Sir Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore) would no longer be able to attend the convention due to production changes.

They’ll still get a good dose of Harry Potter, however, as Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) is slated to attend. For more information on the Calgary Expo guests, visit their website here.

Emma Thompson (Sybill Trelawney) and Brendan Gleeson (Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody) were present at the Berlinale Film Festival this week to support their film Alone in Berlin. Check out some photos from the event below:

Both actors discussed the film with the Hollywood Reporter ahead of the premiere at the festival, addressing why it was important that the story be told to audiences and how personal the film was to them. Thompson said,

It’s fascinating and horrifying and it’s terribly, terribly important that we know that in this country there were people who were appalled and who tried to resist. This was not a story I was told while growing up. I was, in a sense, brainwashed. Because we all watched the films where only the British people [were the heroes], and in France too, all those films about the French resistance. And Vincent [the director] had his commitment to the story, his family background, his deep connection to it. It never occurred to me to say anything but ‘We have to do it.’

Gleeson also shared his personal connection with the material, stating,

I remember being in Berlin when the wall was here. We hitched through East Berlin and stopped in a cafe and had the feeling, a very real feeling, that you better keep your head down. The notion of the lack of trust and the breakdown of the marriage [in the script]…it provided this superb dramatic challenge of having so much silence. I knew it was spectacular. So I was champing at the bit.

Freddie Stroma (Cormac McLaggen) has a new role for ABC as H.G. Wells in a pilot called Time After Time. The pilot is a reboot of a novel with the same name, which spawned a movie adaptation starring Malcolm McDowell and will follow H.G. Wells on his time-traveling adventures. According to Variety, the series will use the book as a starting point. No word yet on when the series will air.

Actress Katie Leung (Cho Chang) is currently filming with martial arts actor Jackie Chan in a new action film titled The Foreigner. Photos from the set show Katie driving in London with Chan as her passenger. According to the Daily Mail, Katie was leading the charge in a high-speed chase scene through the streets of London. The film is based on the novel The Chinaman about a restaurant owner who is “forced to track down a group of Irish terrorists” after members of the IRA took his family. We’re not sure of the character Katie is playing or when the film is slated for release, but we’ll bring you more about the film as details are revealed. For now, here are a few photos from the set:

Finally, as we remember the late Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) today on what would have been his 70th birthday, a new trailer for Alice Through the Looking Glass was released this week, which you can see below. Rickman’s recognizable voice can be heard in the trailer as he once more gives life to the Blue Caterpillar. The film also stars a bevy of Potter actors who will reprise their previous roles from the first Alice in Wonderland film, but also includes new additions to the franchise, Toby Jones (voice of Dobby) and Rhys Ifans (Xenophilius Lovegood).

Watch a special look featuring the iconic song “White Rabbit” performed by P!nk

Posted by Disney Alice on Monday, February 15, 2016

That wraps up this week’s Casting News! We’re excited to see the latest projects our favorite Potter stars are taking on and look forward to bringing you all the latest information on what the cast has been up to. If you have a story you think we should cover in our weekly Role Call, leave your suggestion in the comments below!