In brief: Daniel Radcliffe joins Tracy Morgan’s NBC comedy and more
Daniel Radcliffe is joining the cast of the upcoming Tracy Morgan comedy pilot at NBC. The show, which is currently untitled, comes from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, as well as writer Sam Means. In the new show, Morgan stars as a disgraced former football player who is looking to fix his image. Radcliffe will play Arthur Tobin in the show, an award-winning filmmaker who sets out to make a documentary about the former football star …
Time for a tall of glass of milk. Babygirl will make its streaming debut on Max on April 25. The A24 film will premiere on HBO the following day, April 26, at 8 p.m. ET. Nicole Kidman stars alongside Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde and Antonio Banderas in the film, which was written and directed by Halina Reijn …
Phoebe Dynevor is in talks to join Jake Gyllenhaal in M. Night Shyamalan‘s upcoming supernatural romantic thriller, which is based on an original idea he co-created with Nicholas Sparks, according to Deadline. Shyamalan and Sparks are both individually writing a screenplay and a novel based on said concept …
A sequel series to Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Sarah Michelle Gellar back in the iconic title role appears to be nearing a pilot order at Hulu, Good Morning America has learned.
The new series, from studios 20th Television and Searchlight Television, is being teased as “the next chapter in the Buffyverse.”
Nora and Lilla Zuckerman are writing and executive producing alongside Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao, who is directing and executive producing.
Gellar is also attached to executive produce, in addition to starring in the new series.
Gail Berman, Fran Kuzui, Kaz Kuzui and Dolly Parton are all attached to executive produce, as well. All four were executive producers on the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.
Reps for Hulu and 20th Television had no comment.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise kicked off with the 1992 film of the same name starring Kristy Swanson in the title role.
A television series starring Gellar — as well as Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Anthony Stewart Head and more — aired for seven seasons between 1997 and 2003. The show led to the spinoff series Angel.
Disney is the parent company of Hulu, 20th Television, ABC News and Good Morning America.
The devastating wildfires still raging in the Los Angeles area have brought about several new changes and updates to the 2025 awards season.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced more updates to its 97th annual Oscars season on Monday, including an extension to its voting period and shifting the date of the Oscars nominations announcement.
The Oscars nominations voting period has been extended through Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. PT, while the nominations announcement will now take place on Jan. 23 at 5:30 a.m. PT. The Academy also canceled its Oscars Nominees Luncheon, which was previously scheduled for Feb. 10.
The Scientific and Technical Awards, which were originally set for Feb. 18, will be rescheduled for an unspecified, later date.
The 97th Oscars ceremony is still scheduled for March 2 as originally planned.
“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community. The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. “Due to the still-active fires in the Los Angeles area, we feel it is necessary to extend our voting period and move the date of our nominations announcement to allow additional time for our members.”
Additionally, The Recording Academy has announced that the 2025 Grammys will still take place on Feb. 2.
The live telecast of the awards ceremony, which will take place in LA, will raise funds to support wildfire relief efforts for the city.
“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. This city is our home, and we mourn the loss of life and destruction that have come to it in recent days,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Board of Trustees Chair Tammy Hurt said in a letter to Recording Academy members. “In challenging times, music has the power to heal, comfort, and unite like nothing else. The GRAMMYs will not only honor the artistry and achievements of our music community but also serve as a platform to amplify the spirit of resilience that defines this great city of Los Angeles.”
A spokesperson for Brad Pitt has given a statement regarding the French woman who was scammed out of her life savings while believing she was in a relationship with the actor.
The French woman, named Anne, revealed she was scammed out of $850,000 after she believed she was in a long-distance relationship with the Hollywood actor. The story was first reported on the TF1 show Sept à huit on Sunday, according to Men’s Journal.
“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities, but this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence,” the spokesperson for Pitt told ABC Audio.
Anne, who was married to a wealthy man at the time, first began communicating with the scammer while on vacation with her children in the French Alps. She downloaded Instagram and shared photos from her trip. The scammer originally pretended to be Pitt’s mother, Jane Pitt. They found her Instagram profile and told Anne “that her son needed someone like me,” she said on the TF1 show. Their communication lasted over a year.
“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne said. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”
As time went on, Anne received AI-generated photos and audio messages from the scammers, now pretending to be the actor. They claimed Pitt needed $1 million for a kidney transplant and was unable to access his bank accounts due to his divorce from Angelina Jolie, coercing Anne into sending them the money.
“I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this?” Anne said. “I’ve never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell.”
Anne ultimately left her husband before she realized she had been conned when she saw reports about Pitt’s real-life girlfriend, Ines de Ramon.
