Breaking News January 22, 2024: Gillian Anderson Beams Aboard ‘TRON: Ares,’ Andrew Scott Plays the Talented Mr. Ripley in New Netflix Series

Gillian Anderson has signed on to the cast of TRON: Ares, the third film in the TRON franchise following 1982's TRON and 2010's TRON: Legacy. Anderson joins confirmed TRON: Ares cast members Jared Leto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Cameron Monaghan, and Sarah Desjardins.

Deadline reports, “Details of Anderson’s character and [TRON: Ares‘] wider plot are currently under wraps, but Disney has confirmed the pic will follow Leto as Ares, a fictional character who crosses over from the world of video games to planet Earth.” Anderson is best known for her roles on The X-Files, Hannibal, The Fall, and The Crown. 

No word yet if Jeff Bridges or Bruce Boxleitner — the latter of whom plays the security program TRON — will reprise their roles in TRON: Ares. Joachim Rønning — the Norwegian director of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil — takes the helm of TRON: Ares with a script by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne.

Disney's TRON: Ares does not yet have a scheduled release date. Both TRON and TRON: Legacy — as well as the animated series TRON: Uprising — are available to stream on Disney+.

‘Ripley’ Teaser: Andrew Scott Plays the Talented Mr. Ripley in New Netflix Series

Andrew Scott plays Tom Ripley — the character played by Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley — on Netflix's Ripley series. Ripley also stars Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning.

The official description for Ripley reads: “Tom Ripley (Scott), a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy to try to convince his vagabond son Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder. Dakota Fanning plays Marge Sherwood, an American living in Italy who suspects darker motives underlie Tom’s affability.”

As reported by IndieWire, Steven Zaillian directs all eight episodes, with Scott — known for his roles on Sherlock and in SPECTRE — also producing. 

In a recent interview with GQ U.K., Scott talked about taking on darker roles such as Tom Ripley. “I did find that character lonely-making,” said Scott. “I worked really hard and got quite sick, physically and mentally. It took a big toll on me. So when that was over, it made me think, how do I want to spend my life? I love acting, but I don’t necessarily think you should do it too much.”

Ripley streams April 4 on Netflix. Watch the teaser trailer here.

‘Scream’ Star Melissa Barrera Joins Pro-Palestine Protest That Shuts Down Main Street at Sundance

Fired Scream star Melissa Barrera is not done protesting for Palestine. The actress joined nearly 100 pro-Palestine protestors at Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival and shut down Main Street. 

As reported by Deadline, “Slamming the Biden administration’s stance on Israel and strong allegiance with the Jewish State over the horrors of Hamas’ murderous attack on Israel on October 7, protestors recycled an old anti-Vietnam War chant. With signs in the crowd calling President Biden a ‘butcher,' demonstrators screamed: ‘Genocide Joe, what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?'”

Counter-protestors on the opposite side of Main Street reportedly waved Israeli flags and chanted “bring them home” in reference to Israeli hostages still held captive by Hamas. 

Barrera told Deadline she was “not doing any interviews, but you are welcome to take video of me.” Later, Barrera yelled with the crowd: “In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians!” 

Barrera is at Sundance to support her horror movie Your Monster, which will try to find a distributor while she continues to speak out about Palestine.

Oliver Stone Says Ryan Gosling Is ‘Wasting His Time’ Making Films Like ‘Barbie’

Platoon director Oliver Stone doesn't feel the “Kenergy” Ryan Gosling brought to Barbie. Stone says movies such as Greta Gerwig's Barbie contribute to the “infantilization of Hollywood.”

During an interview with City A.M., the reporter jokingly asked Stone if he'd like to direct Barbie 2. “Ridiculous,” scoffed Stone. “Ryan Gosling is wasting his time if he’s doing that s-t for money. He should be doing more serious films. He shouldn’t be a part of this infantilization of Hollywood. Now it’s all fantasy, fantasy, fantasy, including all the war pictures: fantasy, fantasy. Even the Fast and Furious movies, which I used to enjoy, have become like Marvel movies. I mean, how many crashes can you see?”

Four-time Oscar winner Stone's latest film, Nuclear Now, is a documentary that argues nuclear power fights climate change. Despite Stone's opinions about Barbie‘s worth, Gosling has expressed interest in a spin-off movie as Ken.

After a Break, the Coen Brothers Are ‘Working on Writing Something’ Together

Ethan and Joel Coen — the brothers behind movies such as Raising Arizona, No Country for Old Men, and True Grit — have reportedly started working together on a new movie after taking time apart to work on solo projects.

In an interview with Empire reported by IndieWire, Ethan said that he and Joel are “working on writing something together.” Whether or not that “something” grows into the follow-up to their most recent movie together — 2018's The Ballad of Buster Scruggs — remains undetermined.

Ethan is currently working on his solo directorial debut with the comedy Drive-Away Dolls. Empire describes Drive-Away — a collaboration between Ethan and his wife and editor Tricia Cooke — as “a lesbian road movie, a crime caper with its foot on the gas, packed with colorful characters.”

Anthony Hopkins, 86, Has No Intention of Retiring

Younger and less talented actors than Anthony Hopkins have publicly announced their retirement from acting, but the man who played Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs has no intention of stopping anytime soon. The 86-year-old two-time Oscar winner currently stars in the drama Freud's Last Session.

In an interview with People, Hopkins said, “I’m aware of my mortality. To be realistic, I know that if I have a few more years of work in me, I can do it. So work keeps me alive. I love working. I love being an actor. I love activity. I love the process of preparing a role. That keeps my brain neurologically active. I love that.” Hopkins continued, “I’m so lucky to be working at my age. They still seem to send me scripts, and I think, Well, good.”

Hopkins — who lends his voice to the upcoming Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver — says that he just had a medical checkup and is in “good shape.” He added, “I wasn't eating junk food, but I liked sweet things. And I've stopped. Enough. Don't even have honey anymore. But no, I feel healthier. I feel more awake.”

‘Anyone but You' Actor Glen Powell To Star in Thriller ‘Huntington'

Anyone but You actor Glen Powell will star in the thriller Huntington from writer-director John Patton Ford. Powell's rom-com Anyone but You just passed $100 million at the global box office.

As reported by Deadline, “The partners are aiming for an early summer shoot on [Huntington] which is described to us as ‘raucous revenge thriller' about Becket Redfellow (Powell), the heir to a multibillion-dollar fortune who will stop at nothing to get what he deserves… or what he thinks he deserves.” The 1949 caper movie Kind Hearts and Coronets starring Alec Guinness reportedly inspired Patton Ford's screenplay.

John Patton Ford said, “I feel tremendously privileged to make this film with Studiocanal, Blueprint Pictures and Participant. It speaks volumes about these companies that they have chosen to make an original and progressive movie such as this. And Glen Powell is the icing on the cake.”

In addition to Anyone but You, rising star Powell is known for his roles in Top Gun: Maverick, Hidden Figures, and on Scream Queens.

Razzie Nominations 2024: Superhero Flicks ‘Shazam 2' and ‘Ant-Man 3' Tie With 4 Noms Apiece

A day before the Oscar-nominations announcement, the Golden Raspberry Awards have released the nominees for the worst movies and performances of 2023.

The awkwardly titled Expend4bles leads the pack of dishonorable films with seven Razzie nominations, followed by five apiece for The Exorcist: Believer and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. The superhero stinkers Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also tied with four nominations each.

Variety reports, “Founded in 1981, Razzie nominations are now determined by a select committee before ballots are issued to the membership. Anybody can become a voting member of the Razzies by paying an annual fee of $40 or a lifetime membership of $500.”

Click here to read about all of the nominations for the 44th Annual Razzies.

‘Jurassic Park' Writer David Koepp To Write New ‘Jurassic World' Movie

David Koepp — the writer of Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park — will return to pen a new Jurassic World movie. Jurassic World Dominion — the sixth movie in the long-running franchise — premiered in 2022.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “There is no director on board, but Frank Marshall, the veteran and celebrated producer who oversaw the Jurassic World trilogy, is back producing, as is another Jurassic vet, Patrick Crowley. Spielberg will executive produce via his Amblin Entertainment banner.”

Although there are reportedly whispers of a 2025 release date, that seems ambitious for a Jurassic World movie that hasn't started filming yet — especially with all the CGI work involved. Hollywood Reporter sources say that Koepp's script launches “a new Jurassic era,” which seems to exclude Jurassic World actors such as Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as well as legacy Jurassic Park actors such as Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum — all of whom reunited on-screen for Jurassic World Dominion. If true, the next Jurassic World movie might represent the first without BD Wong, who also starred in the original Jurassic Park.

In addition to the first two Jurassic Park movies, Koepp also wrote Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

‘Fiddler on the Roof' and ‘Moonstruck' Director Norman Jewison Passes Away at 97

Fiddler on the Roof and Moonstruck director Norman Jewison passed away Saturday at age 97.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Jewison three times for Best Director, for Fiddler on the Roof, Moonstruck, and Best Picture Oscar winner In the Heat of the Night. According to Deadline, his films received a total of 46 Oscar nominations and 12 wins. Jewison also won three Emmys for his television work.

Directors Guild of America President Lesli Linka Glatter made the following statement about Jewison after his passing: “Today we mourn the loss of a legendary director. Known for his influential and impactful filmography over many decades, Norman was also one of our DGA heroes – a warrior and champion always ready to defend his fellow directors, their creative rights and the craft of directing.

“Norman’s cinematic range was truly remarkable—few filmmakers can so fluidly and eloquently move between romantic comedies, dramas, and musicals as he did. But his most powerful films, and those he said were his ‘dearest,’ tackled racism and injustice, including In the Heat of the Night and A Soldier’s Story, both of which brought DGA Awards nominations.”

Jewison is survived by his wife, Lynne St. David, three children, and four grandchildren.

Netflix Buys Sundance Horror Movie ‘It's What's Inside' for a Scary-Good $17 Million

Netflix purchased It's What's Inside — a horror movie that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival — for an impressive $17 million. The movie will skip theaters and debut on Netflix at some future date.

According to Variety, first-time filmmaker Greg Jardin directed the movie “set at a pre-wedding party that descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious suitcase.” The cast includes Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Devon Terrell, Reina Hardesty, Gavin Leatherwood, Nina Bloomgarden, and David Thompson.

Executive producer and Fear the Walking Dead actor Colman Domingo posted on Instagram before It's What's Inside‘s premiere at Sundance's Midnight section, “We are so very proud that this is another feather in our cap as a production company. You will never believe that this is [Jardin’s] debut!”

‘The Book of Eli' Prequel Series Stars John Boyega as Younger Version of Denzel Washington's Movie Character

John Boyega will play the younger version of the titular character Denzel Washington played in 2010's The Book of Eli for a prequel series. Boyega will headline and executive producer The Book of Eli TV series, which seeks a buyer.

Deadline reports that Gary Whitta — the writer of the 2010 movie — serves as creator, writer, and executive producer of The Book of Eli TV series produced by Alcon Entertainment. The series will take place roughly 30 years before the events in the movie, which featured the nomadic Eli (Washington) traveling across postapocalyptic America while in possession of a book that supposedly holds the secret to mankind's salvation.

In addition to his role as Finn in the Star Wars universe, Boyega is known for his roles in Attack the Block, They Cloned Tyrone, The Woman King, and on the series Small Axe. Up next for Boyega is the sci-fi romance The Freshening.