Lupita Nyong’o has dropped out of the upcoming Apple TV+ series, “Lady in the Lake,” based on the New York Times-bestselling crime novel by Laura Lippman. Nyong’o was set to costar opposite Natalie Portman, who is also executive producing the series, which is currently in production. However, she has reportedly exited the project and the search is now underway for a new actress to serve as the co-lead.No reason was given for Nyong’o’s departure from “Lady in the Lake,” but Variety likens it to when she stepped down two years ago from another streaming adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Americanh.” An HBO Max series was on the way, but the production ultimately ran into trouble due to “scheduling issues caused by … [Read More...]

“Bass Reeves” was originally a standalone limited series that was coming to Paramount+ with Taylor Sheridan, but it’s morphed a bit. Now, according to the MTV Entertainment Studios upfront presentation (via Deadline), it’s going to be a new chapter in the “Yellowstone” prequel “1883.” It’s an interesting move and one that I think is very positive. The story of “1883” and why the Duttons settled exactly where they did had, for all intents and purposes, ended at a natural stopping place. Though there was originally chatter about a second season, Sheridan finally said the story was finished. Now it’s continuing as “1883: The Bass Reeves Story,” and this is not only going to get people familiar with a badass person from American history, but … [Read More...]

Season 3 of Netflix’s “Love, Death + Robots” doesn’t drop until this Friday, May 20, 2022, but it seems the folks at the massive streamer couldn’t help but drop an episode early.Surely, you know about “Love, Death + Robots” by now, but on the off chance you’ve missed out, it’s a series of animated shorts produced by Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) and David Fincher (“The Social Network,” “Zodiac,” “Mindhunter”… pretty much all great things, really). These shorts can be about anything. There have been episodes about werewolves fighting, aliens attacking, hard sci-fi noir, and battle monsters being piloted by human controllers.Then there are the “Three Robots” shorts, which are based on the story by John Scalzi, and feature (you guessed it) three robots as they go … [Read More...]

“Fatal Attraction” is having some sort of resurgence right now. Is it because we’re all craving a weird, sexy thriller? That’s got to be a yes because every time is the right time for a weird, sexy thriller, but what’s the real catalyst? If I’m being honest with myself, I’m probably just marveling at the coincidence that the New York Times podcast “Still Processing” just released an episode about “Fatal Attraction,” but that’s enough of synchronicity for me. Whether it’s true or not, it feels like “Fatal Attraction” is having a moment, and that erotic thrillers, in general, are about to come back to life.With all of my musing out of the way (sike! Get ready for more in a few sentences), it looks like … [Read More...]

Is there something we didn’t know about Pete Davidson’s life? If there is, that will be remedied soon, friends. At the NBC Universal Upfront presentation today, we learned from the Peacock segment that the role of Davidson’s mom has been cast for the upcoming autobiographical comedy “Bupkis.” What? You say you aren’t a writer, but you could probably pen a comedy about him because every third news story is about him and his personal life/tattoos/relationship? Samesies.I am 100% kidding, honestly. If someone is going to be in the news this much, it’s nice that it’s someone so likable. And the mom of this very likable person is going to be played by Edie Falco, she of “Nurse Jackie” and “The Sopranos.” The … [Read More...]

The makers of the original 2004 docuseries “The Staircase” — the basis for the current dramatized HBO Max miniseries starring Colin Firth and Toni Colette — are alleging that the miniseries undermines the credibility of their work. “The Staircase” won a Peabody Award in 2005, and reviews for the new miniseries, created by Antonio Campos, have been positive. Both the original docuseries and the miniseries currently hold a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, the director of the docuseries, and Sophie Brunet, one of the editors who worked on it, maintain that Campos abused their trust and presents inaccurate depictions in his series.In “The Staircase” miniseries, Firth stars as Michael Peterson, the real-life crime novelist accused of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson, played by … [Read More...]

Back in the day, you could get whoopee cushions or hand buzzers or fake vomit from mail-away ads in the back of comic books or your local novelty store. Now, you’re more likely to find that stuff in a dollar store or a hidden corner of the toy section of a big box store since many specialty shops have unfortunately gone the way of the dodo. Thanks, capitalism. But have you ever wondered where some of those classic joke shop gags really came from? Selena Gomez and “Saturday Night Live” recently took the time to shine the spotlight on the people that brought these comedic staples to life, in a fictional (and hilarious) documentary.While hosting the long-running late night sketch show alongside musical guest … [Read More...]