Castium Revelio: Hardly “Futile”!

by · December 28, 2017

Welcome back to another week of Casting News! We hope you’ve had a restful holiday season, but we all know that the work never stops for our magical alumni! Let’s take a look at what projects they’ve been working on lately!

First, the initial casting has been announced for Disney’s film adaptation of the Artemis Fowl series of novels by Irish author Eoin Colfer. The film will be directed and produced by Sir Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart). The title role of Artemis Fowl – “a 12-year-old genius who finds himself in a battle of strength and cunning against a powerful, hidden race of fairies who may be behind his father’s disappearance” – will be played by newcomer Ferdia Shaw. Other roles include Josh Gad as Mulch Diggums, Dame Judi Dench as Commander Root, Lara McDonnell as Captain Holly Short, and Nonso Anozie as Butler. According to the announcement from Disney, the film will have its theatrical release in the US on August 9, 2019.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, the sequel to the 2008 film Mamma Mia!, has wrapped production and released its first trailer! Dame Julie Walters (Mrs. Weasley) will be returning as Rosie and previously spoke about how filming for the sequel was going. You can watch the trailer below!

 

 

Actress and comedian Dawn French (Fat Lady, Prisoner of Azkaban) and her comedy partner Jennifer Saunders celebrated “300 years” in show business with a Christmas special, 300 Years of French and Saunders,  which aired on BBC One on Christmas Day. The duo teased the special in a video posted to the BBC One Facebook page last week.

 

 

A trailer for the Daniel Radcliffe–produced film Circus Kid was shared by Fox News, which also interviewed him about the film. Fox News writes that the actor-turned-producer “met Pisoni during his Broadway debut on [sic] ‘Equus’ in 2008 and was immediately captivated by his fellow performer’s journey.” Radcliffe elaborated on his captivation to Fox News.

We became very good friends. I started learning about his life… and then I became the most annoying [person]… Like, ‘Oh, you were in the circus?! Can you juggle?’ It was annoying I’m sure, but he was very sweet and humored me.

Circus Kid is now available on the Sundance Now streaming platform. Watch the trailer below!

 

 

Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) can be seen in the new poster and trailer for the upcoming film Ocean’s 8. The film, a reboot of Ocean’s Eleven, has an all-female ensemble cast, including actress Mindy Kaling, who tweeted the film’s poster.

 

 

CBS News, which reported on the poster’s reveal, described the film.

The ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ reboot stars Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean, and the all-star cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna and rapper Awkwafina.

‘Ocean’s 8’ follows Debbie, who is Danny Ocean’s estranged sister, as she attempts to pull off a major heist at New York’s annual Met Gala. She pulls together a crew of cunning women to help her.

Watch the trailer below!

 

 

The trailer for A Futile and Stupid Gesture, which stars Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley) and Will Forte, has been released ahead of the film’s debut at the Sundance Film Festival next month! A Futile and Stupid Gesture follows the story of Doug Kenney (Forte) and Henry Beard (Gleeson), the creators of the National Lampoon, and will be released on Netflix on January 26. Because the trailer contains a significant amount of adult content and language that may not be appropriate for all environments, you can click here to watch it.

TBS has released a brief teaser trailer for its new animated series Final Space, which is set to premiere this January and stars David Tennant (Barty Crouch, Jr.) alongside Gina Torres and Tom Kenny. David-Tennant.com provides more information about the show.

An astronaut named Gary and his planet-destroying sidekick called Mooncake (both voiced by Olan Rogers) embark on serialized journeys through space in order to unlock the mystery of where the universe actually ends and if it actually does exist. Rogers and David Sacks are writers and executive producers for the TBS original, which is being produced by Conan O’Brien’s Conaco, New Form and in association with Turner’s Studio T.

David Tennant voices Gary’s nemesis, the evil Lord Commander, who seeks control of Mooncake’s awesome powers for his own nefarious ends.

Watch the teaser below!

 

 

Alexandre Desplat, the composer for both Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, is featured in a piece from the Hollywood Reporter about how composers work to evoke the eras in which period films are set. Regarding Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, for which he composed, Desplat explains that he focused on the theme of water rather than on the Cold War era in which the film is set.

I’m a flutist, so I know what they can deliver in terms of texture and sound and blurriness and softness. There’s no trumpet playing or anything banging. It’s all very soft, like if you were underwater.

For more on different composers’ methods, you can read the full piece here.

Bill Nighy‘s (Rufus Scrimgeour) The Limehouse Golem has been a frequent feature in our Casting News for some time now. We are happy to report that the film is now available on Blu-ray, as reviewed by Flickering Myth.

If you need to be refreshed, the film is a thriller about a serial killer that terrorizes Victorian London, and you can watch the trailer below.

 

 

That’s all for this week’s Casting News! We’ll see you again in 2018 with all the latest updates! Until then, be sure to comment below and tell us what you’re most looking forward to seeing!