Role Call: The Beginning of the End

It has been a difficult week for Harry Potter fans all over the world as we mourned the loss of our beloved actor Alan Rickman. Join us in this week’s Casting News as we look ahead to Alan Rickman’s final upcoming appearances on the big screen, watch Ralph Fiennes turn into a comedic genius in Hail, Caesar!, and follow Emma Thompson in the UK as she raises awareness for tuberculosis. All that and more in MuggleNet’s Role Call!

Who knew that Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort) was secretly a comedic genius? A single scene from Fiennes’s newest movie, Hail, Caesar!, hit the web on Wednesday, showing off Fiennes’s apt ability to coin a phrase. Check out the laughable scene from Hail, Caesar! below and catch the movie in theaters starting February 5!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child composer Imogen Heap was recently invited to join the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC). FAC acts as a voice for featured artists in the changing music industry and includes members like Annie Lenox, Fran Healy, Sandie Shaw, Ed O’Brien, Nick Mason, and Kate Nash. Imogen Heap was delighted to have the chance to join the coalition and to continue to do great work for the music industry.

It’s fantastic to be invited in to help shape the bright future of our music industry with the FAC gang and hopefully add to their great work! It’s the first time in a long time I’ve been positive about the future of our industry and I completely and wholeheartedly believe a revolution is upon us.

We are excited to see what talents she brings to the future of the music industry and can’t wait to see her work come alive in the highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Cursed Child this summer.

A couple of months ago, we told you that the release date of Matthew Lewis‘s (Neville Longbottom) new film, Me Before You, had moved up three months. We regret to inform you that Warner Bros. has moved the date of release back to its original date on June 3. It was originally moved up to target the demographic of younger women during spring break, but Warner Bros. has decided to go after the same demographic during the summer instead. No reason was given as to why the release date was changed back to its original.

Emma Thompson (Sybill Trelawney) has begun to raise awareness for tuberculosis in the UK after her son returned home from a trip to Africa with a mild case. After doing her research, she found that London has the second-highest rate of TB in Western Europe and that several boroughs do not even have the means of offering vaccinations. Watch the video below to learn more about Emma’s work throughout the UK and to learn more about the fight against TB.

Several months ago, we told you about one of Timothy Spall‘s (Peter Pettigrew/Wormtail) recent undertakings in the West End; although, we knew very little about the production at that time. Spall will star as Davies in The Caretaker, a revival of Harold Pinter’s original work which follows a compelling and influential plot:

The darkly comic tale follows the story of a handyman named Aston. While staying in his brother’s London flat, Aston invites a bad-tempered tramp to stay with him. The controlling tramp begins to manipulate the weak-willed Aston, but when Aston’s brother Mick unexpectedly returns home, the dynamics of the play shift and the tone veers between downright sinister, moving and at times incredibly funny, as a power struggle ensues between the three men.

The production of The Caretaker will begin at the Old Vic starting on March 29.

As you may know, Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) passed away early Thursday morning after losing a battle with cancer. It was a terrible and devastating reality for all of us here at MuggleNet and all of his fans and admirers around the world.

Rickman has left his mark on tons of films throughout his career and will remain in the spotlight months after his death, with his final two projects playing on the big screen later this year, the first being Eye in the Sky. According to the Daily Mail, Rickman stars alongside Dame Helen Mirren in a nail-biting thriller that explores the ethics of drone warfare.

Rickman’s character helps to oversee a counter-terror mission which is complicated when a young girl is seen next to a group of terrorists being targeted by a bombing raid.

The film will be released in theaters on March 11, giving all Alan Rickman fans the chance to see him in his last non-animated role.

Rickman’s final role will be in Alice Through the Looking Glass, where he lends his voice to Absolem the Caterpillar. In his last film, it is only fitting that he stars alongside several other Potter stars, including Helena Bonham Carter, Toby Jones, Timothy Spall, Stephen Fry, and Rhys Ifans.

You can hear Alan Rickman’s voice in Alice Through the Looking Glass, which hits theaters on May 27. Until then, continue to honor his life by remembering the talent and spirit he has shown throughout his long and fruitful career.

That’s a wrap for today’s Casting News! Share your thoughts with us about Alan Rickman’s last films, Ralph Fiennes’s Hail, Caesar!, and your feelings going into the new year. We will see you next week!