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“Let’s start today’s bulletin with news about Oscar winner Lady Gaga. She’s in early negotiations to play Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie a Deux, which is reportedly being billed as a “musical” sequel to director Todd Phillips’ 2019 blockbuster.
Last week, the filmmaker confirmed the Joker sequel in an Instagram post, which also revealed that Joaquin Phoenix, who played the title character in the Warner Bros/DC film, is expected to reprise his role. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the sequel is also a musical. Details on Gaga’s character are still being kept under wraps. It’s also unclear if Gaga would also contribute music to the project.”
Moving on to the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp libel verdict, Amber Heard says she doesn’t blame the jury, which awarded Johnny Depp more than $10 million in her first post-verdict interview after a controversial six-week libel trial. Heard said in an interview with Today: “I don’t blame them, I actually get it. He’s a popular character and people feel like they know him. He’s a fantastic actor.”
Today plans to air more of his interview with Heard this week. The interview airs nearly two weeks after the ruling, which also awarded Heard $2 million for her allegations that one of Depp’s attorneys defamed her.”
“Chris Evans, who turns 41, will always be synonymous with Captain America, a character he played on the big screen for nearly a decade. While he recently said that returning to the role would be “a big challenge” for him, he didn’t offer an outright rejection. It was also reported last year that Evans was circling some sort of deal that would bring him back into the MCU group in a supporting role, like the one Robert Downey took after he “retired” from the Iron Man series.
Starring in the Marvel films means having to turn down several other offers, as the series’ chronology for several years is largely set in stone. ”
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In other news, actor Kevin Spacey has been formally charged with sex offenses against three men in Britain and is expected to appear in a court in London this week, British police said on Monday. Spacey, 62, is accused of four counts of sexual assault and one count of inciting a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Spacey is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Thursday.
The alleged incidents occurred between March 2005 and August 2008 in London and one in April 2013 in western England. The victims are now between 30 and 40 years old.”
“In some tragic news, Philip Baker Hall, the prolific character actor of screen and theater who starred in Paul Thomas Anderson’s earliest films and who was memorably chasing a long overdue library book in Seinfeld, has died. He was 90.
Holly Wolfle Hall, the actor’s wife of nearly 40 years, said Hall died Sunday surrounded by loved ones in Glendale, California. She said Hall had been healthy until a few weeks ago and had spent his last few days in warm spirits, reflecting on his life.
“His voice was still just as powerful at the end,” said Wolfle Hall. Her husband, she added, has never retired from acting.”
“Meanwhile, Hollywood icon Uma Thurman and Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding will join the Netflix film The Old Guard 2, starring Charlize Theron.
The duo join previously announced recurring cast members Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Veronica Ngo and Chiwetel Ejiofor reprising their roles from the 2020 film. According to Variety, the streamer has yet to reveal Thurman and Golding’s character details and how they will be incorporated into the new sequel. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Old Guard follows a covert team of immortal mercenaries who must struggle to keep their identities a secret when they find themselves exposed and an unexpected new member is discovered.”
Also, Disney-Pixar’s upcoming film Lightyear has reportedly been banned in Saudi Arabia over a same-sex kissing scene, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film follows last year’s Eternals and more recently Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which were banned in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries like Qatar and Kuwait for similar reasons. The reason for the ban was a scene with the character Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba) and her partner. The kissing scene was apparently cut from the film by Disney, but reinstated after protests from Pixar employees who accused the studio of removing “apparent gay affection.” Lightyear will be released on June 17th.
Finally, after years in production, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be released in just a few months. There’s a lot of curiosity about the second film, especially since the tragic death of lead actor Chadwick Boseman in 2020, as viewers have wondered how Marvel would continue the legacy. While the trailer hasn’t arrived yet, the first two photos of the key characters appear to have arrived via packaging for a soft drink brand. The packaging gives a first look at Black Panther’s sister Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, and loyal guard Okoye (Danai Gurira). The film is expected to be released in November this year.
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