Castium Revelio: There Is Nothing Like a Dame
by Brienne Green · May 23, 2019
We all know the Harry Potter films were a who’s who of some of the United Kingdom’s acting elite. Sirs and dames aplenty grace the cast lists, and this week in Casting News, we’ve got plenty of big updates from two of those dames in particular: Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Emma Thompson. Smith, along with Imelda Staunton, is featured in full snark mode in the much-anticipated trailer for the new Downton Abbey movie, while Thompson has, as usual, a laundry list of irons in the fire. You can read about all of that plus the marriage of yet another Fantastic Beasts star, two more wizarding world alumni signing on to Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic, a deleted scene from Captain Marvel, a sequel for Hero Fiennes-Tiffin‘s After, and the first trailer for Jack Thorne‘s His Dark Materials. Try to compose yourself before we begin, please… Castium Revelio!
The queen is coming! The queen is coming! We're referring, of course, to the Dowager Countess herself, Dame Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall), but to be fair, the plot of the wildly anticipated new Downton Abbey movie - which also features Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge) as Lady Bagshaw and her husband, Jim Carter, returning to the beloved role of Carson - centers around a visit from the actual King and Queen of the time period in which the movie is set, George V and Mary.
A new trailer and poster for the film were released Tuesday to appropriate fanfare and hands fluttering to chests, and you can view both below. Let us rephrase that: You MUST view both below. Smith's Lady Grantham is in all her snarky glory, and be on the lookout as well for the Countess and Lady Bagshaw sniping at each other. It'll take you right back to Umbridge and McGonagall's war of words on the stairs of Hogwarts. Downton Abbey is scheduled for a September 13 international release and a September 20 debut in North America.
We also gave you a look last week at the green thumbs of Staunton and Carter, and the two celebrated their love of all things flora this week at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London.
Speaking of queens, the Scotsman says renowned Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin has donated around 50 boxes of manuscripts and personal letters spanning five decades, featuring correspondence from J.K. Rowling. The National Library of Scotland says it will be hiring a dedicated curator to help catalog and promote the archive, which is expected to be showcased in a future exhibition.
If you're a Dame Emma Thompson (Sybill Trelawney) fan (and who isn't?), you're loving life these days because the lively and radiant actress is literally everywhere. This week, Thompson was in London for a screening of Late Night, spotted by the Daily Mail enjoying herself on the red carpet with husband Greg Wise and others. Just Jared reports she also took time out for a photocall with costar Mindy Kaling, with whom she additionally shared a touching and hilarious daily affirmation of reading nice tweets to each other in a video released this week by Amazon Studios. You can view that and a new clip from the movie below.
Moving on to Thompson's ongoing series Years and Years, which also features Jessica Hynes (voice of Mafalda Hopkirk) and Rory Kinnear (Barry Fairbrother, The Casual Vacancy), the actress will soon be seen, Digital Spy says, performing the "Tragedy" dance routine, as taught to her by Lee Latchford-Evans of Steps.
Doing the dance with Lee from Steps was my finest moment. I do have to confirm that was the moment I thought, 'Hmm, yeah, I might have another career going here.' That was such good fun, hilarious, of course, because everyone in the studio was just pointing and laughing.
Thompson also spoke in-depth in an interview released today by the New York Times about her life and career after experiencing an identity crisis of sorts last month upon celebrating her 60th birthday. Thompson told the newspaper she did a lot of soul searching about her roles as a daughter, wife, mother, and performer, and you can read the full interview here.
There's lots of these roles that are, in fact, imposed on you by society, for years and years and years, then you suddenly go - am I any of those things? And if I'm not, who am I? The eternal question, which I never thought I'd ask, is who am I? I was always so sure. As it turns out, I have no idea.
Last but not least, Thompson has also signed on to sponsor an art award for upcoming woman painters, according to etcetera. The Holly Bush Emerging Woman Painter Prize will come, thanks to Thompson's support, with a hanging spot at Burgh House in Hampstead, London, and nearly $2,000. Entry is open to women over 18 living and working in the United Kingdom or European Union, and the deadline to enter is August 3.
The wizarding world–star-studded prequel to The Dark Crystal finally has a release date, Deadline Hollywood says, and while we know it's just about to begin, the end of summer can't get here soon enough.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, starring Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Toby Jones (voice of Dobby), Ralph Ineson (Amycus Carrow), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Skender, Fantastic Beasts), and Natalie Dormer (narrator of the Harry Potter: A History of Magic audiobook), will debut as a ten-episode series August 30 on Netflix. The series takes us to the world of Thra many years before the events of Jim Henson's beloved 1982 film, where three Gelfling set off on a journey to spark rebellion after learning the Skeksis' horrible secret.
Isaacs will also be appearing today on Sky One and Now TV's There's Something About Movies, where he'll be sharing an amusing anecdote about inadvertently puncturing Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) with his serpent-headed walking stick during filming for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Ever the pro, a wounded Felton reckoned it was "good for the scene," Isaacs recalled. "He's still my friend 15 years later, and he still doesn't believe I didn't do it on purpose."
Isaacs will additionally speak on the show about his stint in the National Theatre production of Angels in America with James Bond star Daniel Craig. That one's a bit racier, so you can find it on the Daily Express site if you like.
Lastly in Isaacs news, the actor was spotted this week by the Daily Mail at a press night for the play The Lehman Trilogy at Piccadilly Theatre in London, as was the actress who portrayed his wife, Narcissa Malfoy, in the Potter films, Helen McCrory, along with Imelda Staunton and Victoria Yeates (Bunty, Fantastic Beasts). You can view a few photos of the event below.
Bees for Development, a charity promoting beekeeping as a means of sustainable income for families in the developing world, is holding an online auction of bee drawings by a wide variety of celebrities to help raise funds for its mission, the Irish Independent reports. Among those celebrities is Sir Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart), and his darling doodle centers around what else but a Shakespearean pun. You can view it below and bid in the auction, which is ongoing through June 12.
Meanwhile, Branagh's name has been added to the list of stars set to feature in Christopher Nolan's new epic, which Deadline Hollywood revealed Wednesday is now titled Tenet.
We let you know in March about Robert Pattinson's (Cedric Diggory) involvement in the then-unnamed project, and in addition to Branagh, Clémence Poésy (Fleur Delacour) will be among the cast as well. No character names have been revealed, but the film is being described as "an action epic revolving around the world of international espionage" and is scheduled for a July 17, 2020, release.
While we still don't know for certain whether Pattinson will be taking up the utility belt of Batman, as was rumored last week, the actor was spotted by the Daily Mail enjoying himself Bruce Wayne–style at the Cannes Film Festival, and you can see a few photos of him mingling with fellow stars below.
We speculated last week that it felt as if an unscrupulous Bond villain were sabotaging the production of Bond 25, featuring Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort) in a return to his role as M, and now, we're pretty sure that's what's happening. What the heck, Rami Malek?! As we also informed you Friday, Daniel Craig was injured while filming a scene for the film, and the showrunners say the actor will now have to undergo minor ankle surgery. The incident is not, however, expected to affect the movie's April 8, 2020, release date.
BOND 25 update: Daniel Craig will be undergoing minor ankle surgery resulting from an injury sustained during filming in Jamaica. Production will continue whilst Craig is rehabilitating for two weeks post-surgery. The film remains on track for the same release date in April 2020. pic.twitter.com/qJN0Sn4gEx
— James Bond (@007) May 22, 2019
UK residents who enjoy insight into everyday life at one of the world's most famous airports will surely recognize the voice of the narrator of Britain's Busiest Airport: Heathrow: Dame Julie Walters (Molly Weasley). A fifth season of the show premiered this week on ITV, and episodes will continue through June 11 with a focus, TTG Media says, on "drones, airside antics, and tension in the terminal."
Screen Daily reports that Timothy Spall's (Peter Pettigrew) new picture with Vanessa Redgrave, Mrs Lowry & Son, which will make its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival June 30, has had its UK and Ireland distribution rights picked up by Vertigo. The movie is expected to arrive in theaters sometime this summer. No word yet on a release in the United States.
Star Wars fans were abuzz this week after Vanity Fair released exclusive images from the set of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz. Among the photos are two - which you can see below - featuring Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley) as General Armitage Hux and Richard E. Grant (Allegiant General Pryde) on the bridge of Kylo Ren's destroyer, and composer John Williams (composer of the first three Harry Potter film scores) leading his orchestra through the new Star Wars music. Said Williams, "I didn't think there would ever be a second film." You can check out the rest of the incredible photos, along with Vanity Fair's two Star Wars covers, here.
The countdown is on to the May 31 premiere of Amazon Prime Video's Good Omens, starring David Tennant (Barty Crouch Jr.) and Miranda Richardson (Rita Skeeter), and Tennant told Virgin Media last week that he's felt the pressure of adapting the book by Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett for the small screen.
When you bump into people for whom this book has meant everything, of course you feel a weight of expectation, and it feels like, since this has been announced, I keep doing that. This is hugely important to people, this book. Of course, once you realise that you hold something that's so precious to people in your hands, you don't want to disappoint them and yet bring it to a wider audience, people who don't know the story. [...] I'm sure it won't mirror what everyone sees in their head, but maybe it will be better for some people. I'm sure some people will be furious, I'm sure other people will be utterly delighted, and all you can do is do your best.
All we can say is, no worries, David. Every trailer, photo, and other form of marketing that's been released surrounding the series looks equal parts incredible and hilarious, and we're left with little doubt this show is going to be a hit.
Nat Tena (Nymphadora Tonks) has been tabbed to star in a new psychological thriller from Spanish director Juanma Bajo Ulloa. Variety says Baby is expected to begin shooting in August, and you can read a brief description below.
'Baby' follows a young upper-class woman junkie who, unable to care for the newly born baby, sells it to a midwife/child trafficker. Overcome with remorse, she will try to recover it.
The Game of Thrones has come to an end. And whether you loved, hated, or were ambivalent about the way it happened, we can hopefully all agree on one thing: It's not too soon to start laughing at it. Funny or Die is here to help, releasing this hilarious mashup video last week featuring Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister attempting to negotiate with John Cleese (Nearly Headless Nick) as the Taunting French Guard from the classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. "You're not a monster," says Tyrion. "Of course not! I'm French!" responds the guard. You can see where this is going.
Fiennes-Tiffin is, of course, still fresh off the release of After, which, to date, is the most successful independent film of 2019. The movie is scheduled for a June 25 release on digital download and a July 9 transition to Blu-ray and DVD, and you can preorder your copy here. But if you were just starting to cool down from the actor's steamy performance as Hardin Scott, mind your blood pressure - Variety says a sequel is on its way. And it's rated R.
After We Collided is also on the market at Cannes and will see Fiennes-Tiffin and Josephine Langford reprise their roles as Hardin and Tessa. According to Anna Scott, the author of the fan fiction–inspired novel series that spawned the films, the script is, in fact, complete. No word yet on when filming will begin, but we'll definitely keep you posted!
After We Collided era is here 😝 we’re getting a sequel guys 😭🙌🏼 #AfterMovie pic.twitter.com/G8LJf3nQwY
— Anna Todd (@annatodd) May 19, 2019
Back in March we gave you a look at the trailer for the upcoming comedy Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans, featuring Warwick Davis (Griphook/Filius Flitwick), and Chortle reports the film now has a world premiere date. Horrible Histories will screen for the first time July 11 at the LOCO London Comedy Festival before hitting UK screens nationwide July 26.
Gentleman Jack, starring Gemma Jones (Poppy Pomfrey) and Derek Riddell (Torquil Travers, Fantastic Beasts), has been casting its spell on HBO and the BBC, and Deadline Hollywood reports the series is officially the BBC's biggest new drama launch of 2019 to date. Affectionately termed "Regency 'Fleabag'" by the Guardian, the show has been described as a romp with heart, and Season 1 continues through June 10 on HBO.
Peter Mullan (Corban Yaxley) will be joining Scottish composer Craig Armstrong for a conversation titled "The Magic of Collaborations" next month at the 73rd annual Edinburgh International Film Festival. The festival will also feature a showing of the new film Boyz in the Wood, featuring Kevin Guthrie (Abernathy, Fantastic Beasts) and a screening of all six episodes of Good Omens. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on May 31.
Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sophie Thompson (Mafalda Hopkirk) fans, SET YOUR ALARMS! Red Nose Day has arrived, and you'll want to be tuning in to NBC at 8:00 p.m. Eastern today to catch Thompson, Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, and the rest of their Four Weddings castmates for the special short One Red Nose Day and a Wedding. Writer Richard Curtis told Entertainment Weekly he wrote the sequel at the prompting of his partner and script editor, Emma Freud (thanks, Emma!), and prior to shooting, the couple invited the cast to their London home for dinner.
The most touching thing was the way that the people who had got married to each other in the film felt they ought to sit next to each other. That was very sweet. They fell back into their natural couples.
All together now: Awww! You can also take a quick trip behind the scenes of the short below.
Alfonso Cuarón (director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) introduced a newly restored version of classic horror flick The Shining last week at Cannes, paying tribute to filmmaker Stanley Kubrick alongside Kubrick's daughter, Katharina Kubrick, and longtime assistant Leon Vitali. The remastered The Shining will be released on home video October 1. The Associated Press says Cuarón took the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at the conspiracy theories surrounding the film that have developed over the years.
Actually, tonight, we're going to watch it backwards because backwards, we'll see it with the message Kubrick [intended]. [...] Kubrick would have really gotten a laugh out of all of these conspiracy theories. By all reports, he believed in films not to be explained but to be experienced. A little bit like music, he used to say.
The cast of Chris Columbus's (Harry Potter producer and director) new animated film, Scoob, is continuing to fill out, with Geek Tyrant reporting this week that Iain Armitage (Young Sheldon) and Mckenna Grace (Captain Marvel) have signed on to voice young Shaggy and Daphne. And just today, the Wrap broke the news that young Velma and Fred have also been cast: Ariana Greenblatt (Avengers: Infinity War) and Pierce Gagnon (Tomorrowland). In the film, the gang from Mystery Inc. will band together with other Hanna-Barbera heroes to take on Dick Dastardly - who, as we told you earlier this month, will be voiced by Jason Isaacs - and his evil scheming. Scoob will hit theaters May 15, 2020.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, produced by David Heyman (Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts producer) and directed by Quentin Tarantino, made a splash this week at the Cannes Film Festival, earning a seven-minute standing ovation, Deadline Hollywood says. Heyman hit the red carpet with Tarantino and the star-studded cast of the film - which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie - prior to the screening, and you can check out a few photos below. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is scheduled to arrive in theaters July 26.
Stephen Fry (narrator of the UK Harry Potter audiobooks) was honored last week at the 2019 British LGBT Awards with a Lifetime Achievement recognition. The Daily Mail says Fry was described as "a hero of the people, fighting inequality and discrimination all over the world" during the ceremony, which he attended with husband Elliott Spencer. Fry spoke with the Mirror after receiving the award, and you can read his full interview here.
I feel extraordinary and very touched, very honoured; it's a very moving thing, particularly because I've been given an award for something that would have actually taken me to prison when I was a teenager, and that's a remarkable thing.
Smooth Radio reports Fry and Spencer also made an appearance on the blue carpet this week at the UK premiere of the Elton John biopic Rocketman - which stars Gemma Jones - and you can view photos from both events below.
Additionally, according to Deadline Hollywood, the animated series Apple & Onion, for which Fry voices the character of Onion's dad, has been picked up by Cartoon Network and will premiere sometime this fall.
If you and your significant other have dreams of killing it in the coordinated style department this spring, GQ has a few tips for you, using stylish couple Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander) and Hannah Bagshawe as a shining example. The magazine highlights some of the duo's best looks and offers advice on how to emulate them, and you can read all about it here. Pictured below, the couple walk the red carpet at the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald premiere in Madrid, Spain.
The Hollywood Vampires - Johnny Depp (Gellert Grindelwald), Alice Cooper, and Joe Perry - are preparing for the June 21 release of their sophomore album, Rise, and released a new live video last week for one of its tracks, "The Boogieman Surprise."
Captain Marvel is scheduled for release on digital download May 28 and Blu-ray June 11 and will include six deleted scenes, including the recently released "Star Force Recruits," which you can check out below. In it, Jude Law (Albus Dumbledore) as Yon-Rogg explains the Skrulls to a group of Kree students. You can preorder your copy of Captain Marvel on Amazon.
We've actually got three videos for you this week featuring Law, and the second comes in the form of a trailer, released by director Woody Allen, for the film A Rainy Day in New York, which was passed on by Amazon and has recently been released in certain international markets. Variety reports Allen has obtained domestic release rights to the film back from Amazon, but it's unclear where or when it will be shown in theaters.
Finally, Law was among a host of other celebrities taking the time to record a special video message for students of Paradise High School in Paradise, California. The school's prom took place last week after a large portion of the community was destroyed in November 2018 by fire, and Law and the other stars passed along messages of encouragement to the students.
Earlier this month, we gave you the good news that The Current Wars, a previously shelved film featuring Katherine Waterston (Tina Goldstein) and Benedict Cumberbatch, was finally preparing for release, and this week, we have US dates! The Current Wars is slated for a limited release October 4, followed by a wide release October 11.
We know a little bit more this week about Zoë Kravitz's (Leta Lestrange) upcoming Hulu series adaptation of High Fidelity. Bleeding Cool reports Kingsley Ben-Adir (The OA) has signed on to play Russell "Mac" McCormack opposite Kravitz's Rob.
Rob is a music, pop culture, and top five list-loving record store owner trying to find herself amidst her makeshift "family." Mac, meanwhile, was Rob's most serious love interest, a charming man of the world whose sudden move to London left Rob reeling but who may not be out of her life for good. There's still no definitive release date for High Fidelity, but we'll continue to keep you posted!
And on a personal note, Kravitz was found to have quietly married actor Karl Glusman in a recent civil ceremony, Harpers Bazaar confirmed Wednesday. The couple, who announced their engagement in February 2018, is reportedly planning a larger ceremony for family and friends in the coming weeks. Said Kravitz last year to Rolling Stone, "I can be my weirdest self around him. It's so relaxing to be around someone where you can be a hundred percent how you feel." What more could any of us ask? Congrats to the happy couple!
MuggleNet let you know in April that Season 3 of Samantha Morton's (Mary Lou Barbone) popular Hulu series, Harlots, would begin July 10 and that Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy, Game of Thrones) had been added to the cast. We can now tell you that Allen will be portraying Isaac Pincher, the new pimp in town, as well as show you the third season's first teaser!
'The Doorman' tells the story of an officer in the Marines who encountered traumatic events while serving her country and returns home looking for an opportunity to heal. She seeks refuge as a doorman at a labyrinthine, historic New York apartment building - until she encounters mercenaries who are intent upon destroying everything in their way to retrieve precious art hidden in its walls.
Spongebob Squarepants fans will get serious Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy vibes from this final bit of Fantastic Beasts Casting News: Fiona Glascott (Minerva McGonagall) recently starred in an Irish-made film about a group of senior citizen superheroes riding out their retirements in an assisted-living facility. Said heroes aren't getting to enjoy their golden years very peacefully, however, as Glascott's antagonist, Alicia, winds up trying to drain them of their powers. Supervized also stars the likes of Beau Bridges, Tom Berenger, and Louis Gossett Jr. and is scheduled for release in select theaters and on digital download and video on demand July 19. You can check out the film's first trailer, released this week by Lionsgate, below.
About two years after we first announced that Jack Thorne (writer of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) was penning a new television adaptation of His Dark Materials, we were able to bring you the HBO series' first teaser in February. Now, we've got the first full trailer, and it looks absolutely fantastic! We can also tell you that Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley, Harry Potter) is part of the cast in the role of Syssellman. His Dark Materials is expected to debut later this year on BBC1 and HBO.
We hope you enjoyed this dame edition of MuggleNet’s Casting News! That was a lot of dame updates! Be sure to check back next week for more on your wizarding world faves, and let us know in the comments which actors and actresses you’re keeping an eye on so we can, too!
