Castium Revelio: Keep Calm and… What Do You Mean “The Dark Crystal” Is Canceled?!

The Bat-Signal will be shining over Chicago, Illinois, next month when The Batman fires its grappling hook across the pond for filming. The Chicago Film Office has announced that exterior scenes will be filmed in the Loop area of the city, though it's unclear whether any of the stars – which include Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory), Zoë Kravitz (Leta Lestrange, Fantastic Beasts), and Colin Farrell (Percival Graves, Fantastic Beasts) – will be on hand. Pattinson, meanwhile, spoke with Total Film this week and admitted that he's been reveling in the pressure that comes with stepping into the cape of such a high-profile character, going so far as to say he's embraced the idea that he "can mess it up."

There's a slightly different feeling when you know loads and loads of people are going to watch something you're working on. I weirdly enjoyed it during 'Twilight', the idea that you can mess it up. I guess I felt confident. I wanted to be on the big stage.

Elsewhere, The Devil All the Time, starring Pattinson and Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley), is now streaming on Netflix, and Melling sat down with Brief Take last week for a chat about the film.

Melling has been in deservedly high demand of late and was fortunate enough to have finished off more than one project prior to the pandemic shake-up of the entertainment industry. He spoke with Yahoo! Movies last week about his new religion-themed dark comedy, Say Your Prayers, which was released in the UK on Monday: "I think people may think they're in for an out-and-out comedy, but what it says is something quite bleak. It does make its point in quite a surprising way." He also admitted that he still hasn't quite come to terms with being a part of film history via Harry Potter.

It's a very strange thing knowing that people have effectively watched you grow up. I don't think it's a bad thing; I just think it's a strange thing. You've got these home videos of yourself as a 10-year-old kid playing this despicable character for the world to see. And what I can't get my head round is the fact that, generationally, it keeps going. Friends of mine have kids, and they're starting to get into 'Harry Potter', and suddenly, Uncle Harry has turned into a different Uncle Harry because they've seen me as Dudley. That's a lot to get your head round, and often, I try not to because it's too much.

You can view the movie poster for Say Your Prayers, along with a gallery of film stills featuring Melling, below.

Credit: Guinea Pig Productions

Harry Melling tussles with an elderly gentleman in a film still from “Say Your Prayers”.

Harry Melling and his woolly hat are pictured in a film still from “Say Your Prayers”.

Harry Melling peers out the window of a vehicle in a film still from “Say Your Prayers”.

Harry Melling is pictured in a film still from “Say Your Prayers”.

Harry Melling listens to Derek Jacobi in a film still from “Say Your Prayers”.

And we still have one final update on the Melling front! Netflix has dropped an official trailer for its October 23 limited series The Queen's Gambit, starring Melling and Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma).

Netflix is also gearing up for Season 2 of Fast & Furious: Spy Racers, featuring the vocal talents of Luke Youngblood (Lee Jordan). The new season will find the characters – including Youngblood's Frostee Benson – headed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they will adopt secret identities to find a missing friend. Season 2 is set for an October 9 release, and you can check out the trailer below.

With movie theaters around the country still struggling with reopening issues, it's no surprise that we're continuing to see release dates shuffled. In one instance, though, we can report that a film has actually had its premiere moved up rather than back: The King's Man, starring Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort), will now be released on February 12, 2021, rather than February 26, 2021. As for Death on the Nile, however, starring Sir Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart) and Dawn French (the Fat Lady, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), its debut has been bumped from October 23 to December 18.

We all remember Gary Oldman's (Sirius Black) Oscar-winning portrayal of Sir Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. Unfortunately, Deadline Hollywood reports, he and NBCUniversal are now being sued for it. History Channel writer Ben Kaplan is alleging that he sent several versions of a script for a film he penned titled Churchill to "members of the film industry" and that "numerous specific elements and ideas" from that script were used in Darkest Hour. It's unclear how Oldman would be culpable in the suit, but we'll keep an eye on any new developments.

In more pleasant Oldman news, Rob Halford, lead singer of the metal band Judas Priest, told GQ last week that if a film about his life were ever made, he'd like Oldman to portray him.

He was mind-blowing as Winston Churchill, and he's just a national treasure, isn't he? He could do the job, I'm sure! All this wishful thinking is fun.

Sid Vicious, Dracula, Sirius Black... Considering his track record of badasses, why the heck not? We're on board.

Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy) will be joining the cast of Sex Education for Season 3 of Netflix's British teen dramedy, Deadline Hollywood reports. Isaacs will be portraying Peter Groff, the older, more successful, and immodest brother of Mr. Groff (Alistair Petrie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). Isaacs is listed as a guest star, so his turn will apparently be brief but undoubtedly entertaining. Production on the new season began earlier this month in Wales, and it's set to debut in 2021. Meanwhile, a new teaser was released last week for Occupation: Rainfall, which will make its world premiere on October 30 at Monster Fest 2020 in Australia. You can view that below.

We put this next news off as long as we could, but there's no avoiding it: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, featuring characters voiced by Isaacs, Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Toby Jones (voice of Dobby), Ralph Ineson (Amycus Carrow), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Skender, Fantastic Beasts), and Natalie Dormer (narrator, Harry Potter: A History of Magic audiobook), has been cancelled by Netflix after one season. And we have one thing to say to Netflix about this: Terrible. Decision.

The resurrection of Jim Henson's beloved fantasy adventure was met with massive enthusiasm from fans of the original film and wide acclaim from critics. To further illustrate how ridiculous its cancellation is, the first season of the series was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program just before its axing was announced. We just don't get it, and we hope to see Netflix reverse this decision in the future. Until then: Boo! Hiss!

Bonham Carter is at least having a better Netflix experience with Enola Holmes, the Millie Bobby Brown–starrer that was penned by Jack Thorne (playwright, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and also features Fiona Shaw (Petunia Dursley) and Frances de la Tour (Madame Maxime). The film is a feel-good hit, and Bonham Carter chatted with Entertainment Weekly about revamping the Holmes clan.

We don't have to be too reverential, otherwise we'll make no progress. I think [we can] take off a character that was invented in the 19th century by a man, about a man, and now go, 'Okay, we're now in a different century, and he can be seen through the eyes of a woman.' [...] The unknown sister - I just loved the idea of it. It's actually funny because Sherlock himself is quite misogynistic, the original Sherlock. So it's like a 'f*** you,' but you can't say 'f*** you' to Sherlock. [...] I've watched it, and I thought it was a real tonic. And it's a diversion from lockdown. It's really sweet and fun – and boy, do we need some fun now!

NBC's new streaming service, Peacock, is just two months old but has already been hard at work bolstering its original content. As part of that, the streaming service announced that it has acquired exclusive rights to the first two seasons of the Audience Network's Mr. Mercedes, starring Brendan Gleeson (Mad-Eye Moody), and will be launching them October 15. It has yet to set a date for the release of Season 3, however, which aired last year prior to the dismantling of Audience. We're happy to have access to the show once again, and Peacock has released a trailer in anticipation of the debut.

FX has announced that it will premiere all three episodes of the limited series Black Narcissus, starring Jim Broadbent (Horace Slughorn), on November 23 before making the series available the following day on Hulu. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the show presents the tale of the young nuns of St. Faith as they become aware of the haunting mysteries of their clifftop mission in the Himalayas. Broadbent plays Father Roberts, and you can catch him in the trailer below.

As we continue to await Zack Snyder's Justice League, the movie's various stars have been sharing their enthusiasm as well. Ciarán Hinds (Aberforth Dumbledore), who played Steppenwolf in Justice League, told NME last week that he thinks it's "fantastic" the Snyder Cut will finally see the light of day.

It was his dream to realise it, and I think it's fantastic that he's got this opportunity to release what he wanted to do in the first place. He has the chance to recreate what he wanted to do, and I hope it stands up to the trial it's been given.

David Tennant's (Barty Crouch Jr.) Around the World in 80 Days is resuming production, Variety reports, after filming was halted in March by the pandemic. The movie will begin shooting in October in Romania and South Africa and is still set for a 2021 release. Tennant has also narrated a second season of The Children's Hospital, a documentary series that takes viewers inside the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital in Scotland, and that project will premiere October 7 on BBC Scotland.

With Halloween right around the corner – we can't believe it either – Duck Tales fans are also looking forward to the series's Halloween episode, "The Trickening." Joining Tennant and the regular voice cast will be guest stars Selma Blair (Hellboy), James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Clancy Brown (A Nightmare on Elm Street). The episode will premiere on October 5 on Disney XD, so get ready to get spooky as Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie take on the most haunted house in their neighborhood. And last but not least, a recent Radio Times poll of more than 50,000 Doctor Who fans has seen Tennant take a sonic screwdriver to the titular character's many other incarnations and emerge as the fandom's favorite Doctor. Coming in second was the current Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, followed by Peter Capaldi in third and Matt Smith in fourth.

Surrey Live spotted ITV filming its new drama, Finding Alice, last week in Epsom, England, in preparation for the series's 2021 release. The six-part drama will follow Alice (Keeley Hawes, The Casual Vacancy) as she uncovers shocking secrets about her late husband. Gemma Jones (Poppy Pomfrey) will portray Minnie in the series.

A new narrative adventure game from developer State of Play is on the horizon, and Adrian Rawlins (James Potter) will be lending his voice to the project. South of the Circle will follow Peter, a Cambridge academic, as he fights for survival in Antarctica during the Cold War in the 1960s. As he battles the harsh conditions, the lines between his past and present begin to blur. The game will be available on iOS, Mac OS, and tvOS, and we'll let you know when a release date is announced.

As we've previously let you know, Kelly Macdonald (Helena Ravenclaw) will be portraying DCI Joanne Davidson on Season 6 of the BBC One crime drama Line of Duty, and filming on the new season – which is set to air in 2021 – is back underway. While we wait, however, we have a first-look image of Macdonald in her new role. Is she sort of tiny and behind glass? Yes, but enjoy anyway!

Credit: BBC

BroadwayWorld has announced that a virtual revival of Steven Carl McCasland's dinner-party drama Little Wars will take place in November, with Sophie Thompson (Mafalda Hopkirk) among the cast. The production will be filmed and made available online, with proceeds to benefit Women for Refugee Women. Little Wars will be ready for streaming November 3–8, and tickets are available for purchase now.

The world premiere of What a Carve Up!, based on the Jonathan Coe novel of the same name, will be performed virtually by a star-studded cast that includes Stephen Fry (narrator, UK Harry Potter audiobooks). Fry will portray Patrick Mills in the satirical look at the British government of the 1980s. What a Carve Up! will be available for international streaming from October 31 through November 29, and you can learn more and purchase tickets on the play's official site.

And in final Fry news, the actor has shared his favorite recipe in the new cookbook Food and Kindness, the sales of which will benefit Sobell House hospice. If you'd like to donate to a worthy cause while also checking out Fry's recipe for hummus, you can preorder the book ahead of its October 15 release in the UK.

The Netflix premiere of The Trial of the Chicago 7 is coming up October 16, and a new trailer was released last week. It has the best opening of a trailer we've ever seen: Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander).

Variety has also reported that Redmayne will be among the presenters at this year's virtual Hollywood Foreign Press Association awards event: HFPA Philanthropy: Empowering the Next Generation. The ceremony will be streamed live at 5:00 p.m. PT on October 13 on the Golden Globes YouTube channel and website.

The Isle of Thanet News says filming on True Things About Me, directed by Jude Law (Albus Dumbledore), took place last week in Cliftonville, England. The film about a young woman living on the edges of society who becomes intoxicated by a stranger is set to be released in 2021, and we'll keep you posted on its progress!

There's also been a new casting announcement connected to Disney's Peter Pan and Wendy, which will star Law as Captain Hook. Yara Sahidi (Grown-ish) is stepping into the role of Tinkerbell. It's still unknown when production on the movie will begin or when its release is expected, so stay tuned.

We let you know last year about Johnny Depp's (Gellert Grindelwald) planned work on a documentary about Pogues singer Shane MacGowan, and the actor was on hand at the recent San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain for the movie's premiere. Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan picked up the Special Jury Prize, and Depp spoke to Variety about his labor of love:

I've had a long, long history with Shane. Even before I met him, I was fascinated by his language, his ability to make these incredibly moving, powerful songs. He was so prolific while at the same time being on the heels of the devil.

Katherine Waterston (Tina Goldstein) has been on everyone's radar lately thanks to her performance alongside Jude Law in The Third Day, and the actress discussed her craft with Backstage last week. You can read the full interview online and check out Waterston's advice to her younger self – which flies in the face of everything Newt Scamander has taught us – below.

I guess you [might] say, 'Don't worry,' but actually, working is a fantastic motivator. For some, it can be really debilitating, but for me, it makes me work harder. A lot of these feelings get a bad rap because they're unpleasant to experience, but they can keep you going. But also, I was awfully serious in my 20s. I could've had a bit more fun.

The original Broadway cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee reunited last week to benefit the Actors Fund, and that cast included, of course, Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski), who won a Tony for his performance in the musical. You can enjoy the full reunion below!

There's a chance that your Calm app may have failed you a few times over the course of the past six months, and that's understandable. But in a continued effort to help us de-stress, HBO Max has launched a series based on the app. A World of Calm, which is set to premiere on the streaming service on October 1, features the voices of Zoë Kravitz (Leta Lestrange), Kate Winslet, and Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, among many others. The Hollywood Reporter says the ten-episode series will combine the narration with "mesmeric imagery" designed to "transport the viewer into tranquility through scientifically engineered narratives, enchanting music, and astounding footage." Transport us! Transport us now!

Your Honor, starring Bryan Cranston and Carmen Ejogo (Seraphina Picquery) is headed to the UK. The ten-episode legal thriller will air on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW TV, though a specific release date has not been issued. Until then, you can check out Sky's trailer below.

Last but never least in Fantastic Beasts casting news, RTÉ reports that despite being pumped for information on his role as Oswald Cobblepot in The Batman on RTÉ Radio 1's Sunday with Miriam, Colin Farrell (Percival Graves) wasn't giving anything away... mostly because there isn't really anything to give away.

I only did three or four days on it and then the kibosh was put on the whole thing. It was in March, and I was in London. I got on one of the last planes out of London before the travel ban was put in. So I'm back to work – I think. I hope.

Meanwhile, Special Olympics Ireland is in vital need of funding for its athletes, and Farrell is backing the organization's new "Can't Stop Now" appeal. Digital and text donations are being accepted now via the Revolut app, and Farrell spoke out about the importance of keeping Special Olympics solvent:

I am delighted to help launch this campaign for Special Olympics Ireland. COVID-19 has resulted in Special Olympics Ireland missing out on a significant part of its vital fundraising efforts, like so many other charities across the globe. It's so important that we get the public on board to raise much-needed funds for these inspirational children and adults, for whom sports clubs are a social and health lifeline.