Halle Bailey, Regé-Jean Page to star in rom-com ‘Italianna’
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The Little Mermaid is set to swoon over the Duke of Hastings in an upcoming romance film.
Halle Bailey will star alongside Regé-Jean Page in the new movie Italianna, ABC Audio has confirmed.
The Universal Pictures film will be directed by Kat Coiro. Ryan Engle wrote the screenplay based on an original idea from him and Kristin Engle.
While plot details are being kept under wraps, the project has been described as a romantic comedy.
Coiro also directed the 2022 Universal romantic comedy Marry Me starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson.
Bailey is known for being part of the music duo Chloe x Halle, as well as her breakout acting role as Ariel in the live-action The Little Mermaid adaptation. Page is known for his starring role in season 1 of the period romance drama series Bridgerton.
Deadline first reported the casting news about Italianna.
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The Paley Center for Media is set to recognize Wonder Woman‘s Lynda Carter and ABC’s Good Morning America with its esteemed Paley Honors Award.
The award “recognizes individuals whose groundbreaking achievements in media have consistently set the bar for excellence,” according to the Paley Center’s website.
Carter’s portrayal of the legendary DC Comics superhero in Wonder Woman is being honored 50 years after the series’ debut.
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of Lynda Carter’s groundbreaking portrayal, which brought Wonder Woman to life with strength, courage, and compassion in a way that resonated deeply with audiences,” the Paley Center website reads.
The website states that the show’s central themes represented a “powerful symbol of justice and integrity while empowering women and girls around the world.”
GMA is also being honored for its 50th anniversary, with the announcement describing the show as “a beloved morning institution.”
“As the show celebrates its 50th anniversary, it continues to evolve while maintaining its reputation as one of the most trusted voices in media,” the announcement says.
The cultural institution also plans to honor Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty owner Joe Tsai, and filmmaker and author Crystal McCrary.
The group of honorees will be recognized at the 2025 Paley Honors Spring Gala in May.
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.
John Lithgow thinks joining the Wizarding World will be a breeze.
The actor is about to take on the fan-favorite role of Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series for HBO. He doesn’t think stepping into the shoes of the character will be very difficult, as he said on the most recent episode of the SmartLess podcast.
“You know, Dumbledore, he’s kind of this nuclear weapon,” Lithgow said. “He only goes off very, very occasionally. And I don’t think it’s gonna be that hard a job.”
Lithgow was not very familiar with Harry Potter before landing the role, admitting he is “behind everybody” else when it comes to knowing about the franchise. But he’s currently educating himself on the story.
“The overall concept of this entire reboot of Harry Potter is an entire season is devoted to a single novel,” Lithgow said. He is currently “halfway through the second” novel.
He also understands the time commitment he has signed up for.
“The logistics are a little bit scary,” Lithgow said. “I really did have to think hard about whether to take it on but I also thought, well, I’m about to turn 80 next year.”
With there being seven Harry Potter books, that could theoretically turn into seven seasons of TV.
“If this is indeed a seven- or eight-year-long job, it’s a wonderful way to grow old as an actor,” Lithgow said. “I mean, the alternative is to just be hauled out once a year to play an Alzheimer’s patient [with] an awful lot of weeping middle-aged children, you know.”
