Role Call: One Fiennes Year

by · January 31, 2016

This week has been pretty busy in the world of Harry Potter alum, but none seem to be busier than Ralph Fiennes. Join us as we dive into his year of on-screen and on-stage productions, learn life lessons from Julie Walters, and get styling tips from none other than Luke Newberry. All that and more in MuggleNet’s weekly Role Call!

Just when you think you’ve seen all of the talents Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley) has to offer, he signs on to narrate BBC’s newest wildlife series, Earth’s Greatest Spectacles. The series will be composed of three different episodes, each showcasing the most seasonally changeable landscapes on earth: Svalbard, Okavango, and New England. If the sights and sounds of earth’s beautiful scenery don’t prove to be magical (no pun intended), Gleeson’s voice narrating the series definitely will. The first episode of Earth’s Greatest Spectacles airs February 5 at 9:00 p.m. on BBC Two.

Chris Rithin (one of Dudley’s gang members) began shooting last week for his new web comedy MidnightMiracle. The pilot was filmed four months ago, laying the groundwork for a hilarious comedy series. MidnightMiracle is shot from the perspective of a laptop webcam where an accidental viral vlogger reluctantly becomes a YouTube sensation. Follow Chris Rithin and Wolpack Productions on Daily Motion to watch behind-the-scenes clips as they film!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBE_Kawn468/

Sir Kenneth Branagh (Professor Lockhart) will be reprising his role as Ralph in Sean Foley’s stage adaptation of The Painkiller this spring. Having previously performed this role in Belfast’s Lyric Theatre production, Branagh will be joined by a talented cast in this dark and hilarious adaption.

Two men. Two lonely hotel rooms. An adjoining door…One of them is a killer… one of them wants to die… What could possibly go wrong?

The Painkiller will run from March 5 through April 30 with an official opening on March 17.

The new trailer for the upcoming stop-motion animated film Kubo and the Two Strings was recently released, giving viewers a split-second glimpse of Ralph Fiennes‘s (Lord Voldemort) character as the Moon King. Following in the same category as past films such as Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls, Kubo is listed as one of the most highly anticipated films of 2016. Featuring the voice talents of an all-celebrity cast, many of them Oscar winners, the plot of Kubo is highly original:

This film is an odyssey taking place in ancient Japan where a young boy named Kubo, equipped with his magical shamisen instrument, sets out on a quest to save his family from a nefarious spirit he accidentally summoned.

Watch the new trailer below and catch Kubo and the Two Strings in theaters August 19!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=97&v=p4-6qJzeb3A

Speaking of the eternally busy Ralph Fiennes, a clip from his upcoming film A Bigger Splash was released on Thursday, giving viewers a sneak peak into the relationship of Marianne Lane (played by Tilda Swinton) and her old friend, Harry (played by Ralph Fiennes).  A Bigger Splash will be released in the UK on February 12 and the US on May 13. Check out the clip below!

Pictures of Ralph Fiennes in the upcoming production of The Master Builder have surfaced this week, giving us a preview into his role as Halvard Solness, an architect in a small Norwegian town. The Master Builder will run at the Old Vic in London from February 3 to March 19. Check out the newest pictures of Ralph Fiennes in The Master Builder below! Man, this guy is busy!

The actress who gave life to Dobby, Diane Gibbins, will be making an appearance at the Chelmstord Library next month as part of Harry Potter Book Night. Gibbins is set to participate in a Q & A session, giving both kids and parents a chance to ask questions about the Harry Potter films and how the films were made. This special event will take place on Thursday, February 4 at the Chelmsford Library in Essex.

The stunning Julie Walters (Molly Weasley) recently did a photo shoot for the cover of the UK’s Woman and Home magazine. Dressed in a bold, yellow coat and black checkered pants, Julie’s confidence in herself and her age exudes from every orifice.

In the latest issue of Woman and Home, Julie talks about getting older, slowing down, and being confident in who she is as an older woman.

I don’t worry about what people think about me like I used to. I think that goes with getting older. I think when you’re older you do start to be more at one with yourself. I’ve let go of that self-consciousness.

Julie currently stars in Channel 4’s Indian Summers, which is about to air its second series, but she admits that even though she likes being busy, she has found that there is way more to her life than her work.

Now I’ll wait and see what comes along. That’s exciting. But there’s also more to my life. It’s not that I don’t want to work again. But I only want to do what I really want to do. I’m not someone who needs to be working all the time.

Julie Walters leaves behind some lessons for young people that she has learned throughout her 65 incredible years, which you can check out at the Woman and Home website. Pick up a copy of Woman and Home on newsstands now!

We discovered on Instagram this week that Emma Thompson (Sybill Trelawney) will guest star in the new BBC radio comedy series Talking to Strangers alongside a celebrity cast. The series is made up of several comic monologues, all of which involve talking to strangers, but played out in a funny, frank, absurd, or moving way. To learn more about the show, visit the Guardian and tune in on Thursday, February 4 at 11:00 p.m.

Raise your hand if you love BBC One’s Call The Midwife! *Shoots hand into the air*

Did you catch Jessie Cave‘s (Lavender Brown) cameo in the second episode on Sunday night? Hours before the show aired, Jessie took to Twitter and Instagram to show off her baby bump and to give fans the tiniest (see what I did there?) hint of what was to come.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BA6ti8CgjpP/

As a faithful watcher of Call the Midwife and an ecstatic Harry Potter fan, I was extremely excited to see both worlds collide. Much of Jessie’s role in the episode had her working exclusively with Pam Ferris (Marge Dursley) regarding a brilliant and thought-provoking plot. The day after the second episode aired, she posted another picture to Twitter, enticing her followers further to watch the show. If you have not yet entered the world of Call the Midwife, catch it on BBC One Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. or watch the previous four seasons on Netflix!

Stephen Fry (voice of UK Harry Potter audio books) will be joining the cast of Sky 1’s Yonderland in its upcoming third season. Fry will be portraying a character nicknamed Cuddly Dick, a mysterious yet charming man recently released from prison. For those of you who don’t know, the cast of Yonderland is mostly made up of puppets, apart from the main protagonist and her elf sidekick. Adam MacDonald, director of Sky 1, had this to say about Fry’s debut on the show:

After two successful series, it’s extremely exciting to be bringing back Yonderland to Sky 1 for a third adventure. The creative team and cast are exceptionally talented and this weirdly wonderful show is well-loved by our audience. With the brilliant addition of Stephen Fry, this is a comedic treat for the whole family.

Filming for the third season of Yonderland will begin later this spring in the hopes of airing later this year.

Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy) has accepted a leading role as Hester Collyer in the upcoming production of The Deep Blue Sea at the National Theatre. McCrory is completely taken by the role of Hester, the play’s tortured heroine who cheats on her husband with a psychologically damaged war pilot.

Hester’s just drowning in it, from the beginning, but whether it’s from ecstasy or misery I don’t know… it’s what happens to you when you’re overwhelmed by love.

McCrory is looking forward to being back at the National Theatre, where she made her professional London debut in Trelawney of the Wells. The Deep Blue Sea will run at the Lyttelton in June, but you can also catch Helen McCrory in the third series of BBC’s Peaky Blinders in April in the meantime.

Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) wrapped on Medusa’s Ankles this week, her most recent directorial undertaking based on the short story Medusa’s Ankles by A.S. Byatt. Also involved in the film were fellow Harry Potter cast members Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) and Anna Shaffer (Romilda Vane). Showing their support for Bonnie’s recent project, they all flocked to social media to announce their wrap on her short film.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BA-f5vOxKyA/

We don’t know when the film will be completed or where it will be available to view, but we are so excited for Bonnie and her work on this film and we can’t wait to see how Anna Shaffer and Jason Isaacs tie into her vision.

Jason Isaacs was also interviewed on BBC Radio this past week where he talked about the DVD release of Rio, I Love You, an anthology of short films set on the backdrop of Rio de Janeiro. Isaacs plays the role of O Gringo in one of the segments. To learn more about the film and Jason Isaacs’s role, tune into the live studio chat on BBC Radio where it will be available to listen to for the next month.

The recent animated film Norm of the North will be heading overseas in April to capture audiences in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The film, which features the voice of Bill Nighy (Rufus Scrimgeour) as Socrates, is already set to play in 70 countries following its North American debut on January 15. Check out Norm of the North currently in theaters!

Sir Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore) walked the red carpet last Tuesday night in London for the premiere of Dad’s Army, a big-screen adaptation of the 70s BBC sitcom. Joining Gambon on the red carpet were several big names in entertainment including the all-too-familiar Toby Jones, who gave Dobby a voice in the Harry Potter films. Gambon, who plays Private Charles Godfrey in the film, looked positively dapper in his pink tie and tweed suit. Jones, who was seen flirting with Catherine Zeta-Jones throughout the evening, stars as Captain Mainwaring in the film.

The film also features Bill Nighy as Sergeant Wilson; however, he was unable to make it to the red carpet. Dad’s Army is set near the end of World War II and follows the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon as they face the qualms of a female journalist sent to report on the platoon’s exploits. This upcoming British war-comedy film will be released on February 5.

We told you a while ago that Gambon had been cast in one of four H.G. Wells stories being recreated for television, a series they are calling The Nightmare Worlds of HG Wells. Gambon will star in the first of this four-part series where he will play an illustrious philosopher who makes a fateful agreement with a young man. As the series is highly anticipated, Radio Times released a picture of Gambon from his role in the first part.

HG Wells

This eerie four-part series will mark the 150th anniversary of H.G. Wells’s birth and airs on Sky Arts tonight (January 31) at 10:00 p.m. Sky Arts will also be airing it once again on Wednesday at the same time.

David Tennant‘s (Barty Crouch Jr.) fan blog announced last Sunday that he will begin shooting for Mad to be Normal on February 1 in preparation for a release date later this year. The film, which also stars Sir Michael Gambon, will shoot on location in London and the North of England. Mad to be Normal follows the story of controversial Scottish psychiatrist R.D. Laing and his infamous anti-psychiatry experiment he ran at Kingsley Hall, later making him a celebrity in the field. Tennant can’t wait to begin working on this project, as he has a special interest in this particular subject.

I have long been fascinated by the life and work of R.D. Laing. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and discover this important man and I am honoured and thrilled to be involved in telling this story.

Remember those epilogue scenes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2? Originally cast as Teddy Lupin, Luke Newberry shot a few scenes for the movie’s epilogue, but they were, to the dismay of millions of fans, cut from the final cut and the deleted scenes of the DVD. Although this gutted Newberry, being a big Harry Potter fan himself, his career has taken off in recent years.

Recently recognized in the Grooming Guide for his transforming style throughout his acting career, Luke Newberry talked about the process of bouncing from a domesticated zombie in BBC’s In the Flesh to a bronzed Greek ruler in Anna Karenina. Newberry has also done his fair share of stage productions, mentioning the difference between having your hair and makeup done for you versus doing it yourself. The full interview with the Grooming Guide acknowledges Newberry’s favorite fragrances, his daily routine, and his most-used hair products. If you are interested in smelling like Luke Newberry (come on, who wouldn’t be?) or are looking for a new grooming regimen, check out his favorite shower gels, moisturizers, and cleansers mentioned in the article!

Well, that’s a wrap on this week’s Casting News! There are so many projects in the works and we are excited for them all! Tell us what you think about what’s in store for all our beloved stars by commenting below or dropping us a tweet here! We love all of our MuggleNet readers and want to hear from each one!