Castium Revelio: Adaptations Abound!
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another edition of MuggleNet’s Casting News! This is your weekly update on all of the latest projects from our magical wizarding world alumni, so let’s get ready to find out what’s new! Castium Revelio!
Clémence Poésy (Fleur Delacour) appears in the latest season of the National Geographic series Genius, which focuses on the life of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. Poésy portrays Françoise Gilot, one of Picasso’s muses.
National Geographic released a clip to introduce Picasso’s muses – as well as the artist himself – and you can find it below!
Genius: Picasso premiered on Tuesday, April 24.
Paul Whitehouse (Sir Cadogan) plays a supporting role in the horror film Ghost Stories, which has now been released into theaters in the UK. A review of the film from the Guardian elaborates on the film:
Adapted with slippery agility by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman from their hit 2010 play, this collection of spooky tales expands from its stage origins to fill every corner of the screen with malevolent threats. Nyman stars as Professor Phillip Goodman, a professional sceptic whose job it is to debunk the mysteries of the paranormal. Eyebrow permanently raised, he drives a vintage Jaguar around the country, trailing exhaust fumes and a faint whiff of superiority. Then he is challenged to investigate three cases.
IFC Midnight has posted the film’s trailer on Facebook, and you can watch it below! Note that the trailer may not be appropriate for all audiences.
Jude Law (Albus Dumbledore, Fantastic Beasts) has a new project in the works, as well as an exciting opportunity for some fans to catch a past theater performance!
First, Law will star in Sean Durkin’s film The Nest, opposite actress Carrie Coon, according to a report from Variety:
The film is part psychological thriller, part family drama and follows Law’s character, Rory, an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic ’80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family. As the eerie isolation of the house pushes the family further apart, each person descends into a self[-]destructive cycle, leaving everyone unsure if their family will survive this life altering displacement.
Second, fans near Peterborough, New Hampshire, will have the chance to see Law’s performance in the stage play Obsession again, when the Peterborough Players host an encore screening of the National Theatre’s production on Sunday, May 6, at 1:00 p.m. Broadway World reported on the upcoming event, and you can find the synopsis of the play below:
Jude Law (‘The Young Pope’, ‘Closer’) stars in the stage production directed by Ivo van Hove (‘NT Live: A View from the Bridge’, ‘Hedda Gabler’). Gino is a drifter, down-at-heel and magnetically handsome. At a roadside restaurant he encounters husband and wife, Giuseppe and Giovanna. Irresistibly attracted to each other, Gino and Giovanna begin a fiery affair and plot to murder her husband. But, in this chilling tale of passion and destruction, the crime only serves to tear them apart.
Tickets to the screening are $20 each, and the screening will be approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes in length. For more information, visit the Peterborough Players at their website.
At CinemaCon on Tuesday, Disney gave a first look at its upcoming remake of Dumbo, as directed by Tim Burton! Along with concept art, writes the Hollywood Reporter, some footage was shown of the live-action cast, which includes Colin Farrell (Percival Graves). Costume designer Colleen Atwood, who has worked on both Fantastic Beasts films, is also the costume designer for Dumbo.
While it doesn’t look as though any footage of Farrell has leaked, the Hollywood Reporter notes that Dumbo is in post-production, with a slated release date of March 29, 2019.
Samantha Morton (Mary Lou Barebone) will be reprising her role as Margaret Wells in the Hulu series Harlot, which has been greenlit by the streaming platform for a second season. Den of Geek writes that the second season of Harlot is set to be released on July 11. (Reportedly, two episodes will drop on that date, followed by one episode per week.)
Gemma Chan (Madam Ya Zhou, Fantastic Beasts) will be appearing in the film adaptation of the novel Crazy Rich Asians, and the trailer has been released!
The story follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Yeoh) taking aim. And it soon becomes clear that while money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things.
Chan plays Astrid Leong, “Nick’s rebellious, stunning, and flighty favorite cousin who grapples with insecurities over her marriage.”
You can catch the trailer below!
Crazy Rich Asians will be released in the US on August 17.
Jack Thorne, the playwright of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has written the Broadway adaptation of King Kong, and the musical’s human leads have been cast! Deadline Hollywood writes that Christiani Pitts will star as Ann Darrow, while Eric William Morris will play Carl Denham.
Based on the 1932 novel, the stage production of ‘King Kong’ is described as ‘a contemporary take on the classic tale of beauty and the beast. The story follows a young actress, Ann Darrow, and a maverick filmmaker, Carl Denham, as they voyage from the bustling streets of 1930s New York to an uncharted island to capture the world’s greatest wonder. At the center of this 21st-century reimagining: a 20-foot high, 2,000-pound gorilla brought to life by a team of seamlessly integrated artists and technicians. “King Kong” is a larger-than-life encounter with a legend that’s always been too big to contain.’
The production will open at the Broadway Theatre on November 8. Preview performances will start from October 5.
Dame Julie Walters (Molly Weasley) will star in a new film adaptation of The Secret Garden, adapted by Thorne and produced by Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts producer David Heyman. Walters will play the role of Mrs. Medlock, writes HeyUGuys. Notably, Thorne has moved the time period in which the film is set to 1947, “on the eve of Partition in India, and in the aftermath of WW2 in Britain.”
Based on the original book by novelist Frances Hodgson Burnett, the story is set in England, THE SECRET GARDEN tells the story of Mary Lennox played by Dixie Egerickx, a prickly and unloved 10-year-old girl, born in India to wealthy British parents who never wanted her. When her parents suddenly die, she is sent back to England to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven (Colin Firth) on his remote country estate deep in the Yorkshire Moors. There, she begins to uncover many family secrets, particularly when she meets her sickly cousin Colin (Edan Hayhurst), shut away in a wing of the house.
Filming is set to begin next week.
Johnny Depp (Gellert Grindelwald, Fantastic Beasts) is interviewed in the May issue of Modern Luxury magazine, as reported by CinemaBlend. In the interview, the actor discusses some acting advice:
The most important thing that an actor needs to do is not to act, but to react. That’s what it is all about, and you do one of the most difficult things in the world, which is to just be—to be in the state of being.
You can read the full interview with Depp in the May issue of Modern Luxury!
Deadline Hollywood has announced that the third and final season of the DreamWorks animated Netflix series Trollhunters is entering production, and David Bradley (Mr. Filch) will be reprising his role as Merlin!
In DreamWorks’s ‘Trollhunters Part 3’, the fate of troll and human civilizations hang in the balance. The Trollhunters are racing to stop Gunmar and the now resurrected Morgana from bringing about the Eternal Night and shrouding the world in darkness forever. To defeat them, the team must seek the help of the legendary wizard Merlin to unlock his ancient magic and unleash a powerful weapon that will alter the course of their lives forever.
Fans of Ezra Miller (Credence Barebone) can now see his costume as the Flash from Justice League for themselves, as Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood has unveiled a Justice League exhibit as part of the tour! Heroic Hollywood reported the news, including photos and details from the official Warner Bros. press release.
Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort) will be playing composer George Frederick Handel in a comedy-drama period piece titled Hallelujah!, writes Deadline Hollywood. Described by Deadline as “being in the vein of Shakespeare In Love,” the film will reportedly focus on Handel’s Messiah.
Set in a riotous 18th-century London and Dublin, the farce follows the drink-sodden and cantankerous Handel who is a forgotten man to all but his whip-smart valet. Worse still, he has lost his inspiration to compose. However, when he overhears the singing of famous actress Susannah Cibber, the composer is moved to write once again and King George II tasks him to create an oratorio to celebrate the new Irish Viceroy in Dublin. Yet, when Handel approaches Susannah with the news, he is shocked to learn that not only does she have a fear of singing in public, she’s also on the run from her vengeful husband. The motley crew travels to Dublin only to realize that London’s gin-soaked alleys are no match for the competing, sectarian politics of Dublin’s choirs, the stupidity of English overlords, and the hypocritical morals of the day. Confronted with these odds, Handel has no choice but to defy his critics and keep going. The shown must go on. [sic]
Natalia Tena (Nymphadora Tonks) and friend and Game of Thrones costar Oona Chaplin star in the surrogacy drama film Anchor and Hope, which has been given a UK theatrical release date: July 20! (We previously reported on the film when Visit Films gained worldwide distribution rights for it.)
The story follows the mid-30s pair of Eva (Chaplin) and Kat (Tena), whose carefree London life on a canal boat is disturbed by both the arrival of Roger (Verdaguer) and Kat’s realisation that she wants a child. The three then begin to explore the idea of having a baby together.
Production company Aardman is releasing a sequel to its film Chicken Run! As Collider writes, the voice cast of the 2000 film included Miranda Richardson (Rita Skeeter), Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge), and Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew). While it remains to be seen if any of the original voice cast will sign on for the sequel, we’ll keep you updated!
Dawn French (Fat Lady, Prisoner of Azkaban) will be making her debut in the pantomime genre with the role of the Wicked Queen in the London Palladium’s production of Snow White! Daily Mail writer Baz Bamigboye reported the news, providing some quotes from director Michael Harrison.
The pantomime production of Snow White will run at the London Palladium Theatre for five weeks, beginning on December 8. You can find out more information here.
Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown) can be seen in the new film Modern Life Is Rubbish, as reported by ScreenAnarchy. The film stars Freya Mavor and Josh Whitehouse.
Brought together by their shared love of music, ten years on Liam and Natalie are at breaking point. In their case, opposites attract but don’t necessarily work long-term. Making the difficult decision to separate, they must split their prized music library. But the sound track that defined their relationship keeps pulling them back together.
Check out the trailer below!
Modern Life Is Rubbish is in US theaters now; it will be released in the UK on May 4.
That’s all we have for this week’s Casting News! We’ll be back again next week with even more great updates, so don’t forget to tell us what you’re most looking forward to in the comments below!
