Category: Entertainment

We now know who’s going to be playing The Beatles producer George Martin in director Sam Mendes‘ upcoming films about the Fab Four.

Martin’s son, producer Giles Martin, recently revealed that British actor Harry Lloyd, who played Viserys Targaryen on HBO’s Game of Thrones, has been cast to play his dad in The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event.

Giles confirmed the news in an interview with Virgin Radio U.K.’s Ryan Turbridy.

“He’s really good,” said Giles. “He’s just very committed,” adding that all of the cast are.

George Martin, often referred to as the “fifth Beatle,” produced all but one of The Beatles’ albums, including 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which became the first rock album to win the Grammy for album of the year.

Mendes’ Beatles films are scheduled to hit theaters in April 2028, with each one told from the point of view of a different band member. The films will star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.

The Sony films will mark the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted a studio the rights to the band members’ life stories and their legendary catalog of music.

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Eddie Murphy is set to receive one of the film industry’s most prestigious honors for his decades-spanning career.

The actor, comedian and Oscar nominee will be the 51st recipient of AFI’s Life Achievement Award. The honor will be presented during a gala at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 18.

“Eddie Murphy is an American icon,” Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, says in a statement. “A trailblazing force in the art forms of film, television and stand-up comedy, his versatility knows no bounds. Across five decades, his enduring impact on our culture has inspired artists and audiences alike, and AFI is proud to honor him with the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award.”

Previous recipients of the award include Francis Ford Coppola, Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews, Denzel Washington, George Clooney and Diane Keaton.

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The upcoming hockey romance series Heated Rivalry is teasing fans with a steamy sneak peek.

The six-episode series, based on the popular novels by Rachel Reid, follows Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, two rival hockey players who start a secret relationship in their rookie season that ends up spanning years.

In the preview clip released Friday, sparks fly between wholesome Canadian Shane and Russian bad boy Ilya as they encounter each other in a hotel gym post draft day. Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie star as Shane and Ilya, respectively.

It was announced Thursday that Heated Rivalry would be skating over to HBO Max, with its first two episodes premiering Nov. 28. The show was previously scheduled to debut on the Canadian streaming platform Crave on the same day.

New episodes will air weekly until the Dec. 26 finale.

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They have been changed for good.

Friday’s release of the second and final Wicked film, Wicked: For Good, has stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande bidding farewell to their beloved characters.

“I could write you an essay, a poem, Shakespearean prose, to describe what this journey has meant to me, what lessons this time has taught me, bought me,” Erivo writes on Instagram, alongside a slideshow of photos from set. “I could try to give a metric to the love I have felt and experienced. I could give a number to the stories I have heard. The truth is the numbers are too small and the words are not enough.”

“So I’ll simply say this,” she continues. “Take my hand and walk with me to the end of this road paved with gold and hopefully, the things that I’ve found, might find you too. Thank you for letting me be your Elphaba.”

Ariana posted her own slideshow of behind-the-scenes photos, captioning it, “thank you, my sweet Glinda, for everything. i will love you always … Wicked For Good is out now.”

According to Variety, Wicked: For Good has already made $30.8 million in previews at the box office.

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Ready, set, binge! Here’s a look at some of the new movies and TV shows coming to theaters and streaming services this weekend:

Netflix
A Man on the Inside: Ted Danson is back in season 2 of the sitcom from Mike Schur. 

Train Dreams: Felicity Jones and Joel Edgerton star in the film based on the novella of the same name.

Apple TV
The Family Plan 2: Celebrate the holiday season with the Mark Wahlberg-starring sequel film.

Prime Video
The Mighty Nein: The adult animated fantasy series adapts Critical Role‘s second Dungeon & Dragons campaign.

Movie theaters
Wicked: For Good: Find out what happens to Elphaba and Glinda in the sequel to last year’s smash hit Wicked.

Rental Family: Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser stars in the film about an American actor living in Tokyo.

That’s all for this week’s Weekend Watchlist – happy streaming!

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Chadwick Boseman is the latest actor to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The late Black Panther actor received a posthumous star on Hollywood Boulevard on Thursday and was honored by his widow, Simone Ledward Boseman, as well as director Ryan Coogler and Oscar winner Viola Davis.

Boseman died in August 2020 from colon cancer.

The actor was best known for portraying T’Challa/Black Panther in the 2018 Marvel film Black Panther. He also earned accolades and critical acclaim for his roles in 21 Bridges, Spike Lee‘s Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

In her tribute to Boseman on Thursday, Davis, Boseman’s co-star in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, called her late co-star a “castle.”

“Chadwick was a mighty, mighty elixir that sort of stirred up that alchemy that we’re all in search of, which is meaning,” she said. “I celebrate him today, and I say to him, I hoped all the angels in heaven just sang him to a beautiful rest. And I thank him for what he left behind in me, which is a burning ember that always guides me to a higher meaning of my work and my purpose.”

She added, “This star, as beautiful as it is on the Walk of Fame, shines a whole lot less brighter than Chadwick is in heaven.”

Coogler, who directed Boseman in Black Panther in 2018, recalled the actor’s “fearless and firm yet gentle” leadership.

He also called Boseman “ageless,” saying that he “never really knew how old he was until I went to one of his birthday parties.”

“Chad felt thousands of years old,” Coogler continued. “He was that calm and that wise. It was a very unnerving feeling to be around him.”

Ledward Boseman, who accepted the star on behalf of her late husband, took the stage last to share a few words.

“Chad taught all of us a great deal,” she said. “His heart was so vast he could give each and every person a specific part of him and still have so much left to share with the world.”

Also in attendance at Thursday’s ceremony were Boseman’s Black Panther co-stars Michael B. Jordan and Letitia Wright. In addition, Boseman’s brothers Derrick L. Boseman and Kevin Boseman attended the Walk of Fame ceremony to honor their late sibling.

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The second season premiere of Landman did big numbers for Paramount+. According to the network, the premiere had over 9.2 million streaming views in its first two days, making it the most-watched premiere for any original series on Paramount+. Season 2, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore, debuted Nov. 16. New episodes air every Sunday …

A new trailer for Disney and Pixar’s new animated film, Hoppers, has been released. According to the official description, the film follows an animal lover who uses a new technology to “hop” her consciousness into a robotic beaver so she can communicate directly with animals. It features an all-star voice cast including Meryl Streep, Dave Franco, Kathy Najimy, Bobby Moynihan and Jon Hamm. Hoppers hits theaters on March 6. Disney is the parent company of ABC News …

Mara Brock Akil will be honored with the Norman Lear Achievement Award by the Producers Guild of America. The prolific producer will accept the award at the 37th annual Producers Guild Awards on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles. Akil has produced TV series including Girlfriends, The Game, Being Mary Jane and the recent Netflix series adaptation of the Judy Blume novel Forever …

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Brendan Fraser stars as an actor struggling to find his purpose in Rental Family.

When he lands an unusual gig playing stand-in roles for real-life strangers, Fraser’s character, Phillip, finds himself forming genuine connections with his clients. It’s an original, feel-good movie of the like that studios aren’t putting out much of anymore, and Fraser told ABC Audio it is much needed.

“In the David and Goliath relationship of filmmaking, where the little guys normally get kicked to the side, I think we can stand up to the bigger, splashier films because people really are seeking an authentic connection, a story that moves them, a story that really does capture their attention,” Fraser said. “One that makes them think about it long after they’ve walked out of the theater.”

While Philip is not necessarily the greatest actor, the Oscar winner says there are other ways he can relate to his character. Fraser thinks many other people will be able to relate to his story, too.

“I think we’ve all felt like we’ve been on the outside looking in, and this is a film about wanting to belong. This is a film about eradicating loneliness, if that’s possible. This is about people who take a chance and say, ‘Hey, I need help, I’m going to go to this rental family agency, and I need a grandmother, I need a dad, something, anyone, to come and help me fill this void that I find myself in, living in a place as populous and busy as Tokyo is,'” Fraser said. “This is a film that is a love letter to loneliness, and it’s addressed to Tokyo, but it could be anywhere.”

Rental Family arrives in theaters everywhere on Friday.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Searchlight Pictures.

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It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover is opening up about how she feels about the ongoing legal battle between the movie adaptation’s stars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.

In a new interview with Elle, Hoover says, “It feels like a circus. When there are real people involved, with real feelings and emotions. This actually truly has impacted some of the actors’ careers in huge ways. And I just find it all around sad.”

She says that even though she has her own story to tell, she’d rather “stay removed from the negativity.”

But she does admit that the controversy that followed the film has tainted the way she views her novel.

“I can’t even recommend it anymore,” she tells Elle. “I feel like [the lawsuit] has overshadowed it. I’m almost embarrassed to say I wrote it. When people ask what I do, I’m just like, ‘I’m a writer. Please don’t ask me what I wrote.'”

Hoover’s most recent film adaptation, Regretting You, is in theaters now. That will be followed by adaptations for Reminders of Him and Verity in 2026.

On Nov. 3 a federal judge formally ended Baldoni’s $400 million counterclaim against Lively. Baldoni and Lively have been locked in a bitter legal dispute since December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of the film, which he also directed.

Lively’s case against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios is still expected to go to trial in March 2026.

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Another BookTok favorite is coming to your TV screens.

Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki are set to star in Netflix’s adaptation of The Bodyguard by Katherine Center.

According to Tudum, it’s a “comedy about a no-nonsense bodyguard who is assigned to protect a charming action star over the holidays.” While the story follows Center’s 2022 novel, the movie version will go by a different title — since that title is already taken by the 1992 Whitney Houston/Kevin Costner film. The production is enlisting fans to help choose the new title. 

The rom-com will also star Andie MacDowell and will be directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum.

“I began paying close attention to BookTok culture around the success of my last Netflix film, Purple Hearts,” Allen Rosenbaum tells Tudum. “The overwhelming enthusiasm on social media and with readers for Katherine Center’s novel was a major factor in my decision to come on board as director.”

She adds, “It’s been amazing to work closely with Katherine so far and to see her so excited about moving her witty story about a no-nonsense bodyguard [for] an A-list actor into the holiday season. It makes the most gorgeous backdrop for the sparks that fly between them to be even brighter.”

A release date for the film has not yet been announced.

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