Entertainment

‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’ announces full cast a year before film’s release

Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz attend the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ at TCL Chinese Theatre on Dec. 16, 2024, in Hollywood, California. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images)

The full cast of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has been revealed.

Ben Schwartz, who has voiced Sonic in all three of the Paramount Pictures franchise’s previous films, made the official casting announcement in an Instagram post on Thursday celebrating exactly one year until the release of the film.

Schwartz first confirmed that Jim Carrey will return as the evil Dr. Robotnik, before noting that franchise staples James Marsden and Tika Sumpter will also return as Tom and Maddie Wachowski.

“One year to go til Sonic 4. Jim is back and look who else is coming to play,” Schwartz captioned his post.

Newly announced to join the cast are Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry and Nick Offerman. The latter previously starred with Schwartz in the beloved sitcom Parks and Recreation.

Also returning are Idris Elba, Keanu Reeves and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Knuckles, Shadow and Tails. Lee Majdoub will also be back as Agent Stone.

Kristen Bell was previously announced to join the franchise as the voice of Amy Rose.

While a plot for the fourth film has yet to be unveiled, it will be directed by Jeff Fowler, who also helmed the previous three films in the franchise. It is scheduled for release on March 19, 2027.

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Entertainment

Jaafar Jackson on portraying Michael Jackson in upcoming biopic: ‘I wanted to prove to myself…I can do this’

Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in the upcoming film ‘Michael.’ (Lionsgate)

Jaafar Jackson opens up about his experience portraying the King of Pop in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.

“I knew how challenging this would be to take on playing Michael Jackson, and it was not easy. Definitely wasn’t,” he says in Becoming Michael, a featurette released by Universal Pictures UK.

“I love challenges and I wanted to prove to myself, my family and the filmmakers that I, I can do this,” he says, noting he rehearsed “for hours and hours upon hours until one single move was right” and at times danced “until my feet would bleed or them go numb.”

“There’s so many times I would wake up sore [and] be like, ‘Should I go rehearse? Should I just take a break and let the body relax?’ Then the other part of me would be like, ‘No what would Michael do?'” he recalls.

When it was go time and he was in full costume, Jaafar says, “I had a couple moments to myself just saying like, ‘Wow. I’m really here. There’s no going back. It’s time to go out there and put on the best show ever.'”

Becoming Michael, now available on YouTube, also features behind-the-scenes moments of Jaafar on set practicing the choreography and includes interviews with Michael director Antoine Fuqua and producer Graham King.

Michael will give fans a front-row seat to the King of Pop’s life and career. Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Juliano Krue Valdi, Miles Teller and Colman Domingo also star.

Early Access screenings in IMAX and Dolby will take place April 22; tickets are available on advance ticket sites. The film will then premiere April 24 in theaters nationwide, with tickets going on sale March 26.

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Entertainment

In brief: ‘Lord of the Flies’ Netflix series adaptation gets release date and more

Netflix’s limited series adaptation of Lord of the Flies now has a release date. All four episodes of the series from Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne will arrive to the streamer on May 4. According to the show’s logline, “Innocence descends into savagery when a group of English schoolboys become desert island castaways in the first television adaptation of William Golding’s landmark dystopian classic.” Winston Sawyers stars as Ralph, Lox Pratt stars as Jack, David McKenna stars as Piggy and Ike Talbut stars as Simon in a show that includes an ensemble of more than 30 boys …

Peacock has shared the release date for its upcoming, star-studded series The Five Star Weekend. The show, which stars Jennifer Garner, D’Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny, Harlow Jane and Timothy Olyphant, arrives to the platform on July 16. It follows a celebrated chef who suffers a devastating loss and hosts a weekend away in Nantucket in an effort to move forward with her life …

The Game of Life is coming to the big screen. Deadline reports that a film based on the popular board game is being developed by Amazon MGM Studios, Chernin Entertainment and Hasbro. According to the outlet, Sean Anders will direct the movie from a script by Allan Loeb …

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Entertainment

Still got hockey fever? ’Shoresy’ sets the tone

Jared Keeso and Tasya Teles in ‘Shoresy.’ (Courtesy of New Metric Media/Lindsay Sarazin)

If you finished your umpteenth rewatch of Heated Rivalry and are still craving more hockey drama, try giving Shoresy a shot.

The Canadian series, which streams on Hulu in the U.S., follows the Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs, a hockey team that plays in the senior NOSHO league. While the Persimmon Pomapoos would sound tougher, the Blueberry Bulldogs are led by the notorious Shoresy, played by series creator Jared Keeso, who’s known for his hard hits, incessant chirping, and increasingly creative and profane mom jokes.

That premise might not suggest a lot of emotional weight, but Shoresy has a surprising amount of heart, which has kept fans returning for five seasons.

“I love the unique mix of raw, risky, edgy, oddball humor that’s also laced with so much intelligence,” Tasya Teles, who plays team owner Nat, tells ABC Audio. “Then you have these really heartfelt stories and speeches and life lessons that they weave throughout each episode.”

Shoresy is a highly stylized show, featuring wordless close-up montages of the players alongside scenes of rapid-fire dialogue and repeated turns of phrase. To bring that stylized world to life, the Shoresy cast fittingly mirrors a hockey team.

“It’s because we’ve become such a cohesive unit,” Teles says. “Everybody knows each other in such an intimate way, we all move together as one, and it just makes it really easy.”

Throughout the show’s five seasons, you also get to know the Shoresy characters away from the rink as they pursue romantic relationships — you start an episode, and there’s Shoresy, being good to Laura Mohr — but at its core, the series is about the value of hockey and the good it does for the local community.

“There’s so much integrity and honor and selflessness that hockey players have and maybe isn’t seen,” Teles says. 

Disney is the parent company of Hulu and ABC News. 

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Entertainment

Netflix announces new rom-com show from ‘Emily in Paris,’ ‘Sex and the City’ creator

A photo of Darren Star. (Netflix)

First he had Carrie Bradshaw, then Emily Cooper and now Darren Star is introducing audiences to a brand-new TV heroine.

Netflix has announced the Sex and the City and Emily in Paris creator’s latest project: a rom-com TV series based in the Napa Valley. Called Uncorked, the new show comes from co-showrunners, writers and executive producers Star and David Schulner.

Uncorked follows “the life of a talented but self-destructive winemaker who returns to Napa for her second chance at love, legacy and that elusive 100 point wine,” according to an official description from Netflix. “This is a woman whose greatest passion is also her fatal flaw — a failing that usually begins before lunch on Tuesday.”

“Seeing audiences around the world fall in love with Emily in Paris has been a dream,” Star said in a press release. “As Emily’s story continues to inspire and unfold, I’m excited to continue my relationship with Netflix and explore a new world with Uncorked. We’re diving straight into the legacy and romance of Napa Valley, where every great vintage has a unique story to tell.”

Schulner said that he and Star “wanted to create a series that explores what happens when your greatest passion is also your Achilles’ heel.”

“With Napa’s beauty and bounty as our setting, we hope the audience never wants to leave. We want to thank Netflix and Universal Television for indulging our copious amounts of day drinking in the name of meticulous research,” Schulner said.

Emily in Paris, Sex and the City and its two films, as well as Star’s shows Younger and Uncoupled, have generated 435 million total views between the first half of 2023 and the second half of 2025, according to Netflix. The streamer noted that Emily in Paris accounted for over 250 million of those views.

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Entertainment

‘Scooby-Doo’ live-action Netflix series gets its main cast

The cast of the live-action ‘Scooby-Doo’ series. (Netflix)

The live-action Scooby-Doo series has found the rest of its main cast.

Netflix has announced that Tanner Hagen, Abby Ryder Fortson and Maxwell Jenkins have joined Mckenna Grace as the stars of its upcoming show.

Grace was previously announced to star as Daphne Blake in the series. Hagen will take on the role of Shaggy Rogers, Fortson will play Velma Dinkley and Jenkins will play Fred Jones.

This currently untitled Scooby-Doo live-action series “will uncover how this mystery-solving crew, and their beloved dog, first teamed up to crack the haunting case that started it all,” according to the streamer.

Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg will serve as the show’s writers, executive producers and showrunners.

According to Netflix, this show will be a modern reimagining of the Scooby-Doo gang’s origin story.

“During their final summer at camp, old friends Shaggy and Daphne get embroiled in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely lost Great Dane puppy that may have been a witness to a supernatural murder,” according to the show’s official synopsis. “Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie, Velma, and the strange, but ever so handsome new kid, Freddy, they set out to solve the case that is pulling each of them into a creepy nightmare that threatens to expose all of their secrets.”

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Entertainment

‘Cross,’ starring Aldis Hodge, renewed for season 3

Honoree/actor Aldis Hodge attends the ‘Cross’ and Award Presentation press junket during day 2 of the 14th SCAD TVfest at Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta on February 5, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Aldis Hodge’s Cross has been renewed for a third season.

The Prime Video series, created by Ben Watkins and based on characters created by James Patterson, is comprised of eight episodes, continuing the story of Hodge’s detective, Alex Cross, and his pursuit of serial killers.

“From the beginning, Cross has captivated audiences with its layered characters, pulse-pounding suspense, and emotionally grounded storytelling,” Peter Friedlander, head of global television at Amazon MGM Studios, said in a statement. “Aldis has delivered a definitive portrayal of Alex Cross, anchoring the series with depth, intelligence, and heart. We’re thrilled to continue this journey with Ben, our collaborators at Paramount Television Studios, and the rest of the incredible cast to bring even more of James Patterson’s iconic world to our global Prime Video audience.”

The show’s second season, which also stars Matthew Lillard, Jeanine Mason and Wes Chatham, is available to stream on Prime Video.

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Entertainment

‘The Incredibles 3,’ ‘Lilo & Stitch 2’ get summer 2028 release dates, ‘Toy Story 5’ shares new clip

A scene from ‘Lilo & Stitch.’ (Disney)

Josh D’Amaro’s first day as Disney CEO has brought about several new announcements from the company.

The upcoming third The Incredibles film and the second live-action Lilo & Stitch movie have received new release dates in summer 2028.

Lilo & Stitch 2 will release in theaters on May 26, 2028. Disney previously announced that a sequel to the successful movie was in development back in June 2025. The first live-action Lilo & Stitch movie opened on May 23, 2025, before it grossed over $920 million worldwide.

The Incredibles 3 has landed a new theatrical release date of June 16, 2028. The project was first announced at D23 Expo in August 2024, where Disney and Pixar revealed that Brad Bird would return to the franchise to helm its third movie. At the time, Disney said the film would release in spring 2026, and also confirmed Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson’s return. 

In other Pixar news, a brand-new clip from the upcoming Toy Story 5 has been released. The snippet finds the cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack) confronting her caretaker Bonnie’s new smart tablet, Lilypad (Greta Lee).

“Me and the toys have been working all summer to try and get Bonnie to make friends with the Jordan twins across the street. But then you had to ruin it with all your stupid — you’re not even listening to me!” Jessie says as Lilypad begins scrolling through a social media feed on her screen.

“Oh no, I was listening. I’m always listening. See?” Lilypad says, before she reads out a transcription of Jessie’s rant, translates it into Spanish and even instantly turns it into a piece of rap music.

Toy Story 5 rides like the wind into theaters on June 19.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Pixar.

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Entertainment

Jane Fonda to star in film adaptation of ‘The Correspondent’

Jane Fonda attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar party hosted by Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Jamie McCarthy/WireImage)

Jane Fonda is set to star in a film adaptation of the bestselling book The Correspondent.

Lionsgate made the announcement to its social media on Wednesday. The studio shared a screenshot of Deadline‘s article on the subject.

“#TheCorrespondent – based on the best-selling novel by @virginia.l.evans. Coming soon,” Lionsgate’s caption reads.

In addition to starring, Fonda will produce the film alongside Todd Lieberman for his company Hidden Pictures. Cat Vasko will write the film’s script and executive produce the movie.

The Correspondent is the debut novel by Virginia Evans. It was published in April 2025 and has since sold over 1 million copies. Evans will also executive produce the film.

The novel’s plot follows an opinionated, retired lawyer named Sybil Van Antwerp who writes letters every single day to a litany of different people in her life. When she one day receives letters from someone in her past, she’s forced to examine one of the most difficult times in her life.

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Entertainment

Disney exec says Miley Cyrus ‘willed’ the ‘Hannah Montana’ 20th anniversary special ‘into existence’

Key art for the ‘Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.’ (Disney+)

Now it can be told: Last year, when Miley Cyrus started teasing “something special” for the 20th anniversary celebration of Hannah Montana, nothing had actually been planned.

“I learned this terrible habit — but I actually think it was good advice — from Dolly [Parton],” she tells Variety. “She told me that if you want something to happen, promote it before it exists. Then no one can say no. So I just started promoting a Hannah Montana 20th-anniversary special that literally did not exist.” 

After telling Disney that it “would be huge,” Disney exec Charlie Andrews tells Variety, Miley “willed [the upcoming special] into existence.” In fact, they only started planning it in December. Charlie says, “The thing she was adamant about is that this is for the fans. That has gone into literally every decision she has made.”

So much so that Miley tapped Hannah Montana superfan Alex Cooper, host of the Call Her Daddy podcast, to help her create the special. “She understands Hannah in a way that I couldn’t,” Miley says. “I never got to experience Hannah being crazy in the pit with other kids.” To that end, she even listened when Alex said no to some of her ideas.

“She would go, ‘As a Hannah fan, no one wants that,’” Miley explains.

Alex also booked a cameo from Selena Gomez, who surprised Miley on set, Variety reports. “I love Selena, but I didn’t know how much our friendship meant to the fans,” Miley says.

Miley says the special, which streams on Disney+ and Hulu on March 24, is her way of “merging Hannah and Miley together.” And, she says, making the fans “feel seen.”

As she notes, “My entire life is because of that loyalty.” 

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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